Odds are, you do it every day — but should you?
Is Charging Your Phone In Your Car A Bad Idea?
While you’re stuck in your commute, it may seem like the perfect time to charge your phone with the car’s USB port, but there are a number of reasons to think twice about it.
“A lot of those ports just don’t provide enough power,” says Alex Black is chief marketing officer at EpicVIN. “You might notice it’s struggling to keep up, especially if you’re using GPS or listening to streamed music.”
Also, smartphones have a charging memory, so once the battery is low, it’s best to let it fully recharge. “Charging it briefly for 10 to 15 minutes can eventually result in premature battery failure,” says Chris “Moose” Pyle, a master-certified technician with JustAnswer. Also, “USB port terminal pins fail very often, so if you keep plugging something in and unplugging it or tugging on the connector, the USB will eventually fail and have to be replaced.”
Here are some other reasons to be cautions about charging your smartphone while on the road.
On This Page
Your Car’s USB Port
Why? For starters, the USB port in your vehicle probably provides less electricity than your phone really needs to charge. As a result, your phone might stall while it charges, or barely charge at all.
“Many people may notice that on their drive home from work their phone charged very little (if at all) during their 30 to 60 minute commute,” Brad Nichols, a technician at Staymobile, told Reader’s Digest. “This is mostly due to the fact that the phone is using more power than the car charger is supplying it.”
Too Much Power
Nichols also says that your phone could receive too much power, especially if you’re using a “cigarette lighter” port to charge up. Newer car models don’t typically come with cigarette lighters anymore, but most cars still have one or two of the same 12V sockets that used to power cigarette lighters. Most 12V sockets can supply up to ten amps, while most chargers use one to three amps. Learn how to fix cigarette burns in a car.
A malfunctioning or damaged charger can provide inconsistent power to the device, resulting in sudden spikes or surges that could cause overheating, damage to the internal components, or on the rare occasion, destroy the device.
Your Car’s Battery
Charging your phone while on the road could drain your car’s battery, too. If you leave your car running on “accessory” — where your engine is off, but you still use the radio — the device will draw power from your car’s battery as it charges.
This usually isn’t a big deal for those who own new cars with healthy batteries, Nichols says. But if your car is an older model, you might want to avoid charging your phone through its USB port.
Safety First
Most importantly, it’s not safe to use your phone while operating a vehicle. “Anytime a person’s hands leave the wheel or eyes leave the road, it becomes incredibly dangerous for them and the other people around them,” Nichols says.
Bottom line: play it safe, and wait until you get home to plug in your phone.
FAQ
What should I do if my car’s USB port isn’t working?
First try using a different cable. “Half of the time that is what is wrong,” says Black. If that doesn’t help check your fuses.
Do I need a special charger for fast charging in my car?
It depends on whether your car has a PD or Quick Charge port built in. If it doesn’t, you can get a 12V adapter with one of those ports.
“Charging the battery does make the phone hotter, so make sure not to place it on the dash in the sunlight, or it can shut down and need to cool off before it becomes active again,” says Pyle.
About the Experts
- Alex Black is chief marketing officer at EpicVIN. He has been car expert for more than 15 years, working at car auctions, vehicle history providers and more.
- Chris “Moose” Pyle is a master-certified technician with 20-plus years of automotive experience. He has also worked as an expert for JustAnswer, the expert on-demand platform, since 2006.
