Why is my car charger charging slowly?
What we would buy
- UGREEN63W USB-C car charger
USB-C PD charger; check the per-port split if you charge two devices.
UGREEN 63W USB-C car charger: see the price on Amazon → - Anker75W car charger with built-in retractable USB-C cable
Built-in retractable USB-C cable, so no separate cable to get wrong.
Anker 75W car charger with built-in retractable USB-C cable: see the price on Amazon →
Affiliate links: as an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. Prices are set by Amazon and change often.
The usual causes
- Shared power: a '65 W' charger usually means 65 W in total. Plug in two devices and each gets part of it.
- Wrong port: on many chargers only the USB-C port does fast charging; the USB-A port is slower.
- Cable: an old or cheap cable limits the current, and long cables lose more.
- Old charger: older 12V chargers give 5 to 12 W, far below what recent phones accept.
- Heat: phones slow their charging when hot, for example in a windscreen mount in the sun while running navigation.
What to buy
A charger with USB Power Delivery on the USB-C port, enough wattage for everything you plug in at once, and a USB-C cable rated for that power. Read the listing for the per-port output with several devices connected, not just the headline figure.
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Frequently asked questions
Does the cable really matter?
Yes. Fast charging needs a cable that supports the power and protocol. A cable that came with an old phone may cap the speed.
Why does my phone charge slowly while using navigation?
The screen and GPS use power while it charges, and the phone gets warm, which slows charging.
Can a powerful charger damage my phone?
No. The phone only draws what it can accept.