{"id":13320,"date":"2022-04-05T11:15:30","date_gmt":"2022-04-05T17:15:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thecampingnerd.com\/?p=13320"},"modified":"2022-06-21T01:47:46","modified_gmt":"2022-06-21T07:47:46","slug":"what-inverter-car-cigarette-lighter-12v-outlet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thecampingnerd.com\/what-inverter-car-cigarette-lighter-12v-outlet\/","title":{"rendered":"What Inverter Works With My Car Cigarette Lighter\/12V Outlet"},"content":{"rendered":"
There seems to be a lot of confusion when it comes to choosing the correct DC to AC power inverter for a vehicle.<\/p>\n
I’ve seen a lot of companies recommend getting an inverter that’s 400 watts or less but that advice doesn’t really work for cars or even trucks.<\/p>\n
Related Product:\u00a0Protect your car with the Roav 4K recording dashcam that’s easy to install and set up (click to view on Amazon)<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n 300 watts is way too much power for the 12 volt plugs in even large trucks and RVs to handle.<\/p>\n The highest amp rating for a 12 volt socket\/cigarette lighter is 20 amps, and those are usually only found in large SUVs or heavy duty trucks.<\/p>\n The 12 volt outlets\/cigarette lighters in standard cars are usually rated for only 10 or 15 amps.<\/p>\n Why does the amp rating matter? The amp rating tells you how many watts the outlet is capable of outputting.<\/p>\n To calculate the watts<\/a> you multiply voltage x amps.<\/p>\n Since most cars in the USA use 12 volt power for the electrical system you can usually be sure the voltage will be 12.<\/p>\n Even in larger trucks that might use a 24 volt system, the odds are the cigarette lighter is still using only 12 volt power. If you aren’t certain you can check your vehicle’s owner’s manual.<\/p>\n Here’s the output on watts of the most common 12 volt outlets in cars based on the amp rating.<\/p>\n As you can see the largest inverter for a 12 volt outlet in a normal vehicle is 240 watts. Anything larger will risk blowing the fuse or even damaging the wiring.<\/p>\n So which inverter is right for your car? Below I’ll review 3 of the best DC to AC inverters that use 12 volt plugs.<\/p>\n Before purchasing an inverter make sure the 12 volt outlet you want to use it with is rated to output enough power.<\/p>\n You can also read about how to find out what the amperage of a specific 12 volt outlet is in your vehicle later on in this post.<\/p>\n If you want to use a larger inverter in your car you will need to connect it directly to the battery instead of using the 12 volt outlet.<\/p>\n\n