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12V adapters mini test

We plugged in a smartphone, iPod and sat-nav to see how three top 12v adapters fared

Sakura A034

Sat-navs, smartphones and hands-free kits don’t have to wait their turn to be charged in-car. The latest 12-volt adapters can power multiple devices simultaneously.

Accessory giant Sakura has launched two new products – the A034 and A035 – both with USB ports so you can plug in your own cables. We tried them against the Ring Automotive RMS15, our current champion.

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These products need to power multiple gadgets at the same time, so we plugged in a smartphone, iPod, sat-nav and a hands-free kit to see how they fared. Long extension cables scored points, plus we looked at build quality, how the devices could be secured in-car and then compared prices.

These products aren’t perfect – we prefer adapters that fit in cup-holders, like Ring’s RMS10, but our pick here is Sakura’s bargain A034. The RMS15 is well built and simple to secure, while the A035 is best if you need a lot of extra sockets.

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