Powered tyre inflators are no longer the loud, and sometimes outright ineffective devices that they used to be, but there are still a lot out there offering different features across a broad price range. To find out which ones are worth spending your money on, we kicked off by finding out how long each machine took to inflate a 205/55/R16 tyre from flat to 30 PSI.
We factored in how easy each unit was to use and, particularly, whether the wire was long enough to be convenient, and how the air hose was suitable for our needs. Auto-stop, where you select the pressure you want and the inflator stops when it gets there, is the ultimate in ease of use, and deflate buttons are also worthwhile. Finally, we looked at other features including lights and other useful emergency- or domestic-use functions that can make these inflators useful for more than just sorting out your tyres.
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1. Ring RTC6000 BEST BUY
Price: £59.99
Buy from: www.ringautomotive.com
Contact: 0113 213 2000
Web: www.ringautomotive.comInflation test time: 2min 15sec
The RTC6000 isn’t the fastest here at our flat-to-full tyre inflation test, but it’s only 20 seconds behind the two more rapid options here, and we'd argue that you save more time than that thanks to the cordless aspect, so you don’t have to faff about plugging it in. In many ways, this is the Halfords Rechargeable model perfected. It’s smaller, faster, comes with a smart storage bag, offers a leisure inflator/deflator for air beds and the like, and has a deflate button. Best of all, it has the same foolproof simple control system and display set-up that we liked so much on the Ring RAC830. Overall, it’s super easy to use, quick and effective at pumping up a tyre, and small enough to be easy to store.
Autocar says 5 stars
2. Wolf Glovebox Genie - BEST BUDGET BUY
Price: £32.98
Buy from: www.amazon.co.uk
Contact: 0330 123 0001
Web: www.ukhs.tv
Inflation test time: 3min 20sec
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