Going bush often means changing tyre pressures: airing down for a track, then pumping back up, or topping up on the way to camp. The AstroAI Portable Air Compressor is a small 12V inflator that plugs into the cigarette socket, pumps to the pressure you set and switches itself off. I paid $40 for it, and it has come along on a few 4WD trips.
What’s in the box
A compact 12V inflator, model A220B, rated at 35 litres a minute and up to 100 PSI. It has a digital display that shows PSI, bar, kPa or kg/cm², buttons to set the pressure, an LED light and a set of nozzles for bikes, balls and air mattresses. The power cord wraps around the side and the hose tucks away at the front. There’s no storage bag.
What we like
- Stops at the preset pressure
- 35 L/min air flow
- Small: fits in a drawer
- Clear display, four units
- LED light for night use
- Nozzles for bikes and balls
What we don’t
- Plastic feels a bit flimsy
- Short, stiff hose
- Slow for four 4WD tyres
Quick Specs
| Spec | Details |
|---|---|
| Brand | AstroAI |
| Model | A220B |
| Colour | Blackwith yellow accents |
| Weight | 760 g |
| Size | 12.8 × 6.6 × 16.9 cm |
| Power | 12V socket |
| Air flow | 35 L/min |
| Max pressure | 100 PSI |
| Cable | About 3 m power cord |
| Noise | 80 dB |
Setting the pressure
The display and buttons are on top. Connect the hose to the valve, set the pressure you want with the buttons, flick the switch on the back and it starts. When the tyre reaches your pressure, it stops by itself, so you don’t have to stand there watching a gauge, and you can’t overinflate the tyre. The display is clear and easy to read, and the LED light helps when you’re doing this at night.
On our 4WD tyres
On our 4WD it took about 4 minutes to bring a tyre from 20 back up to 36 PSI. That’s fine at the roadside or for one tyre that’s gone soft, but bringing four tyres up after a day on the sand takes a while, and it needs a rest to cool down after long use. It’s loud too, at about 80 dB, which is normal for this kind of compressor. For airing up all four tyres after the beach, a compressor that clamps to the battery like the XTM 160 L/min is much quicker. The nozzles make it handy around camp as well: bike tyres, balls and air mattresses.
Build, cord and storage
It’s mostly hard plastic, which keeps the weight down to 760 g but doesn’t feel rugged: it’s a tool to handle with some care, not one to throw in the back with the recovery gear. The connector is decent, though the hose is short and a bit stiff. The power cord is fairly thin and about 3 m long, so I mostly plug it into our Kings 24Ah power pack instead of the car’s socket, and carry the pack from wheel to wheel. With its small footprint, it packs away in our Titan drawer.
Vs our other inflators
We’ve reviewed two AstroAI inflators, and they’re close: both plug into the 12V socket, stop by themselves at the pressure you set, have an LED light and cost us $40. This one moves more air, at 35 L/min against 25, and is a little smaller; the AstroAI 12V Car Tyre Inflator is lighter, at 640 g against 760 g. If filling speed matters most, take this one.
We’ve also reviewed the San Hima 12V Jump Starter With Air Compressor, a cordless compressor that’s also a jump starter and power bank, and the cordless Bosch EasyPump for top-ups. The San Hima is what we upgraded to before our big trip.
This one AstroAI Portable |  AstroAI 12V |  Bosch EasyPump |  San Hima Starter | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jump starter | No | No | No | Yes |
| Power | 12V socket | 12V socket | Built-in battery, USB-C | Built-in battery, USB-C |
| Max pressure | 100 PSI | 100 PSI | 150 PSI | 150 PSI |
| Air flow | 35 L/min | 25 L/min | 10 L/min | 35 L/min |
| Weight | 760 g | 640 g | 293 g | 1634 g |
| Price paid | $40 | $40 | $120 | $190 |
| Our score | 8.6 | 8.9 | 8.5 | 9.4 |
Conclusion: AstroAI Portable Air CompressorConclusion
The AstroAI Portable Air Compressor is a handy little inflator for the car and for trips. It’s small, easy to use and stops by itself at the pressure you set, with a clear display and a light for the dark. It brought a 4WD tyre from 20 to 36 PSI in about 4 minutes, so it’s for one tyre at a time rather than airing up after the beach, and the plastic build and stiff hose feel a bit flimsy. I paid $40, and as a top-up pump in the car, it’s good value.
A handy little 12V inflator that stops by itself at the pressure you set.
It's small enough for our Titan drawer, has a clear display and an LED light, and took a 4WD tyre from 20 to 36 PSI in about 4 minutes. It's for one tyre at a time, and the plastic and stiff hose feel a bit flimsy.
- Campers
- 4WD tourers
- Families
Yes, as a top-up pump. I paid $40, it stops by itself at the pressure I set and packs away in our Titan drawer. For airing up four tyres after the beach, get a bigger compressor.
