Jump Starters
The best jump starters for a Tesla
There is no starter motor to feed. What fails on an electric car is the low-voltage battery, and that changes which pack you should buy.
Disclosure: we earn a commission if you buy through the Amazon links on this page, at no extra cost to you. Commission never decides a verdict or a ranking position — read our editorial policy and affiliate disclosure.
How we assessed these: picks are selected from manufacturer specifications, current retailer listings and published owner feedback — not from hands-on testing of every unit. Where a manufacturer does not publish a figure, it is left out rather than estimated.
Short answer
For a Tesla, the NOCO Boost Plus GB40 is the pack we would carry — not because an EV needs 1,000 peak amps, but because it needs none of them. A Tesla has no starter motor. The pack exists to put power back on the low-voltage system so the car wakes up, and for that, a small, reliable, IP65 pack is the correct purchase.
Quick picks
Tap any row to jump to the full write-up. Scoring criteria are published in full on our methodology page.
| # | Product | Best for | Our read | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  NOCO Boost Plus GB40 Best overall for an EV | Most cars and small SUVs | 1,000 A, 24 Wh, IP65 — more than an EV will ever draw | Check price on Amazon #ad Affiliate link · We show no price here; Amazon shows the current one |
| 2 |  NOCO Boost HD GB70 Best as a 12-volt power source | Diesel pickups and big V8s | Published 12 V 15 A accessory output, 56 Wh reserve | Check price on Amazon #ad Affiliate link · We show no price here; Amazon shows the current one |
| 3 |  NOCO Boost Sport GB20 Smallest pack worth owning | Motorcycles, ATVs and small engines | 500 A, 2.1 lb, 24 Wh — right-sized, not undersized | Check price on Amazon #ad Affiliate link · We show no price here; Amazon shows the current one |
| 4 |  NOCO Boost X GBX45 Best for travel | Travel and carry-on use | 2.16 lb, 31 Wh, USB-C Power Delivery both directions | Check price on Amazon #ad Affiliate link · We show no price here; Amazon shows the current one |
This is the one category on this site where the headline spec is almost irrelevant. Every jump starter on the market is sold on peak amps, because a gasoline engine's starter motor draws hundreds of amps for a second or two. An electric car has no starter motor, so that number buys you nothing. What a Tesla has is a low-voltage battery — a 12-volt lead-acid unit in older cars, a lithium low-voltage battery in newer builds — and it powers the doors, the screens, the contactors and the logic that lets the high-voltage pack do anything at all.
What actually happens when a Tesla will not wake up
The failure sequence on an EV is almost always the same and almost never dramatic. The low-voltage battery is kept topped up by a DC-to-DC converter from the main pack. If the low-voltage battery degrades, or the car sits long enough for parasitic draw to flatten it, the car loses the ability to close its own contactors — so it cannot use the enormous battery sitting underneath you. The symptom is a car that is dead in every way that matters while holding most of its charge.
That is why a jump pack is still worth carrying in an EV. It is not starting anything. It is supplying enough low-voltage power for the car to open, boot and reconnect itself, which is the difference between a thirty-second fix and a flatbed.
Which specs matter, and which do not
| Spec | Matters for a gas car | Matters for a Tesla |
|---|---|---|
| Peak amps | Yes — it sizes the starter draw | No — there is no starter motor |
| Engine liter rating | Yes — it is the rating you buy to | No — not applicable |
| 12 V accessory output | Useful | Yes — this is the output doing the work |
| Watt-hours | Reserve for repeated attempts | Yes — reserve to hold the system up |
| Weight and size | Decides whether it stays in the car | Same, and frunk space is tighter |
| IP rating | Useful | Useful — you may be working at a curb |
A jump pack's 12 V output and its reserve capacity are what an EV owner is buying. The peak-amp number on the box is sized for a problem an electric car does not have.
The practical consequence is pleasant: EV owners can buy small. The GB20 at 500 peak amps and 2.1 lb is not an undersized pack for a Tesla, it is a right-sized one. We still lead with the GB40 because it costs little more, carries the same 24 watt-hours, and remains useful if you ever need to help a stranger with a gas car — which is, in practice, the most common use a Tesla owner's jump pack gets.
The case for the GB70 instead
If you want the pack to double as a dependable 12-volt supply rather than a momentary boost, the GB70 publishes a 12 V 15 A accessory output and carries 56 watt-hours. That combination lets it hold a low-voltage system up for longer than a brief wake-up, and it runs a socket-powered inflator directly, which is the other roadside problem an EV has exactly as often as a gas car does. Tire inflators for a Tesla covers that half.
Travel, and the 100 watt-hour line
Every pack here sits under the 100 watt-hour carry-on threshold — 24 Wh for the GB40 and GB20, 31 Wh for the GBX45, 56 Wh for the GB70 — so none of them needs airline approval as hand luggage. The GBX45 is the travel pick on weight and on USB-C Power Delivery in both directions, which means one cable covers the pack, the phone and the laptop. Flying with a jump starter sets out the FAA and TSA thresholds in full.
What a pack will not fix
- A failing low-voltage battery. If the car has needed waking twice, the low-voltage battery is the problem and it is a service item, not a carrying-a-pack item.
- A depleted high-voltage pack. No portable jump starter charges a traction battery. That is a charger-and-a-tow problem.
- A car that cannot be opened. If the frunk release depends on low-voltage power, you need to know your model's external access point in advance. Read it today, not at the curb.
- Anything on the high-voltage side. Orange cable is not a jump point. There is no version of this where a consumer pack belongs there.
The picks in full
1. Best overall for an EV
NOCO Boost Plus GB40
NOCO · Best for most cars and small suvs
The default answer for a four- or six-cylinder car: 1,000 peak amps, 24 watt-hours, and light enough that it actually stays in the trunk.
Published specifications
What works
- 24 Wh sits far under the 100 Wh carry-on threshold, so flying with it needs no airline approval
- 2.45 lb and pocketable — the size that decides whether a tool is still in the trunk six months later
- IP65 enclosure, so a wet shoulder in the rain is not a problem
- Reverse-polarity protection means a backwards clamp does not spark
What does not
- 1,000 peak amps runs out of headroom above a 6.0 L gas engine
- The 3.0 L diesel ceiling rules out most modern diesel pickups
- 24 Wh is a small reserve — it is a jump starter, not a power bank substitute
Skip it if
Not the one to buy if you drive a diesel pickup or a big V8. You would be at the edge of its rating on a cold morning, which is exactly when you want margin.
#ad Affiliate link · We show no price here; Amazon shows the current one
Raw specifications: NOCO’s own page for the NOCO Boost Plus GB40.
2. Best as a 12-volt power source
NOCO Boost HD GB70
NOCO · Best for diesel pickups and big v8s
The one to buy if you drive a diesel: 2,000 peak amps, a 6.0-liter diesel rating and 56 watt-hours, which is the smallest pack with real margin on a cold diesel.
Published specifications
What works
- The 6.0 L diesel rating covers the common 3.0 L and 6.7 L light-truck diesels with margin
- 56 Wh is still comfortably under the 100 Wh carry-on threshold, so it flies as hand luggage
- 12 V 15 A accessory output, and a 400-lumen light that is genuinely usable roadside
- 12 V / 3 A fast charge brings it back in about three hours
What does not
- 4.18 lb — noticeably heavier than the compact packs, and it wants a dedicated spot
- Overkill for a commuter four-cylinder; you are paying for headroom you will not use
Skip it if
Not the one to buy if you only ever start a four-cylinder commuter. Buy diesel headroom when you have a diesel.
#ad Affiliate link · We show no price here; Amazon shows the current one
Raw specifications: NOCO’s own page for the NOCO Boost HD GB70.
3. Smallest pack worth owning
NOCO Boost Sport GB20
NOCO · Best for motorcycles, atvs and small engines
The smallest pack in the range and the right one for powersports: 500 peak amps, 2.1 lb, and a gas rating that stops at 4.0 liters — which is all a bike or a quad ever asks for.
Published specifications
What works
- 2.1 lb — light enough to live under a motorcycle seat or in an ATV storage box, which is the whole point
- 500 peak amps is correctly sized for powersports batteries rather than wildly over them
- Same IP65 enclosure and reverse-polarity protection as the larger packs
- 24 Wh, so it flies in carry-on baggage like the rest of the range
What does not
- The 4.0 L gas ceiling rules out most cars, so it is not a do-everything pack
- NOCO states diesel is not recommended at all for this model — read that as a hard limit
- Small reserve, so cold-weather attempts eat into it quickly
Skip it if
Do not buy it as your car's pack as well. NOCO's own rating stops at 4.0 L gas and says not recommended for diesel, and a bike pack asked to start a car is exactly the wrong economy.
#ad Affiliate link · We show no price here; Amazon shows the current one
Raw specifications: NOCO’s own page for the NOCO Boost Sport GB20.
4. Best for travel
NOCO Boost X GBX45
NOCO · Best for travel and carry-on use
The travel pick: 1,250 peak amps at 2.16 lb with USB-C Power Delivery in and out, so it recharges from the same brick as your laptop.
Published specifications
- Peak amps
- 1,250 A source
- Internal battery
- 31 Wh lithium-ion source
- Gas engine rating
- Up to 6.5 liters source
- Diesel engine rating
- Up to 4.0 liters source
- Weight
- 2.16 lb (0.98 kg) source
- USB-C output
- Up to 20 V / 3 A Power Delivery source
- Water resistance
- IP65 with ports closed source
- Warranty
- 1-year hassle-free source
What works
- Lightest pack in the range at 2.16 lb, and 31 Wh means no airline paperwork
- USB-C Power Delivery both directions — one cable covers the pack, phone and laptop
- More gas headroom than the GB40 (6.5 L against 6.0 L) in a lighter body
What does not
- The IP65 rating only holds with the port covers closed — worth remembering in the rain
- The 4.0 L diesel ceiling is not enough for a full-size diesel pickup
Skip it if
Not the right pack for a diesel truck, and not the cheapest way to cover a small commuter — its premium buys packability, not amps.
#ad Affiliate link · We show no price here; Amazon shows the current one
Raw specifications: NOCO’s own page for the NOCO Boost X GBX45.
Key takeaways
- An EV has no starter motor, so peak amps are the wrong spec to shop on.
- The job is restoring low-voltage power so the car can wake and close its own contactors.
- GB40 is the sensible default; GB20 is genuinely enough; GB70 if you want a real 12 V supply.
- All four picks sit under the 100 Wh airline carry-on threshold.
- A second wake-up in a month means the low-voltage battery needs replacing, not jumping.
- Never connect a consumer pack to anything on the high-voltage system.
How we sourced this
Every figure on this page came from one of the following. Where a manufacturer or regulator does not publish a number, we say so rather than estimate it.
Common questions
- Can you jump start a Tesla with a portable jump starter?
- You cannot jump start it in the gasoline sense — there is no starter motor. A pack is used to restore power to the low-voltage battery so the car can open, boot and reconnect its high-voltage pack. The procedure and access point vary by model and build year, so check your own manual first.
- How many amps do you need to jump start a Tesla?
- Far fewer than any pack on sale provides, because no starter motor is involved. Peak amps is the wrong figure to shop on for an EV. What matters is a stable 12-volt output and enough reserve capacity to hold the low-voltage system up while the car boots.
- Does a dead 12-volt battery stop a Tesla from driving?
- Effectively yes. The low-voltage battery powers the logic and contactors that let the high-voltage pack deliver power, so a flat low-voltage battery leaves a fully charged car unable to do anything. That is why carrying a small pack is still worthwhile in an EV.
- Can a jump starter charge an electric car's main battery?
- No. A portable pack holds a few tens of watt-hours; a traction battery holds tens of kilowatt-hours. Nothing in this category charges a high-voltage pack, and nothing in this category should ever be connected to one.
More in Jump Starters
A jump pack is the one trunk tool that turns a tow truck into a five-minute inconvenience. This is how to size one, and which ones are worth the space.
Read next
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Inflators for a car with no spare, chosen for frunk-friendly size and a preset that hits a higher-than-usual target pressure.
Review
NOCO GB40 Review
1,000 peak amps, 24 Wh, 2.45 lb. The default answer for a four- or six-cylinder car — and wrong for a diesel.
Guide
Flying With a Jump Starter
The FAA and TSA thresholds quoted from source, where every mainstream pack sits against them, and the rules airlines add on top.
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Is the Battery Bad?
The resting-voltage table, the cranking and charging checks, and how to tell a failed battery from a failing alternator or a parasitic drain.
Found something out of date, or a figure you can source better than we did? Tell us — corrections get read first. Our methodology explains how picks are made, and contact is one click away.