What is the voltage of a car charger?
3 Answers
The voltage of a car charger is 12V. All car chargers used in vehicles have a rated voltage. The primary purpose of a car charger is to provide convenience for car owners to charge their digital devices more easily while driving. A car charger typically has two USB ports, allowing simultaneous charging for two digital devices. These products generally feature overload protection, short-circuit protection, high-voltage input protection, high-temperature protection, and quadruple safety protection functions to ensure safe usage. Car chargers can also be used at home, offering a three-in-one multifunctional solution for car charging, direct charging, and USB charging.
The car charger actually involves two parts in terms of voltage. The base plugged into the cigarette lighter socket connects to the car battery's voltage, which is typically 12V for regular cars, while larger trucks might use 24V. However, the actual charging for our phones uses the 5V output from the USB port because the charger internally converts the voltage. Sometimes slow charging or phone overheating is likely due to poor contact in the cigarette lighter socket or low-quality car chargers causing unstable voltage. Once, I used a car fast charger to charge my phone, and it was extremely slow. Later, when I measured it with a multimeter, I found the cigarette lighter voltage had dropped to 9V. Therefore, when choosing a car charger, it's important to pick one with over-voltage protection, especially since the voltage can momentarily surge above 14V when the vehicle starts.
There's a lot to consider when it comes to car charger voltage. The vehicle's own power supply system typically provides 12V DC (some older models use 24V), while car chargers step this down to 5V for charging USB devices. Many cars now come with built-in USB ports that also supply 5V. During road trips, I've found that charging speed isn't just about voltage - current matters too. Standard USB ports max out at 5V/1A, while fast car chargers can deliver 5V/2.4A or even 9V/2A. A word of caution for dashcam users: pay attention to heat dissipation during prolonged use, especially in summer when cabin temperatures soar. Plastic-housed car chargers can overheat and warp easily.
