A small tyre inflator is one of those things you hope you won’t need and are very glad to have when a tyre looks soft at camp. The AstroAI 12V Car Tyre Inflator plugs into the 12V socket, pumps to the pressure you set and switches itself off. We paid $40 for it and tried it on the Prado’s 265/65R17 tyres.
What You’re Getting
A compact yellow and black 12V inflator with a digital display, a 3 m power cord with a 12V socket plug and a 40 cm braided hose with a lever clamp connector. The hose folds into a compartment at the back of the unit, so nothing dangles when it’s packed.
It comes with two cone nozzles, a ball needle, a brass valve adapter and a spare fuse.
The good
- Stops by itself at the set pressure
- 4WD tyre to 36 PSI in about 2 min
- Plugs into the 12V socket
- Hose stores in the back
- LED light for use in the dark
- Good value at $40
The not-so-good
- 10 minutes of continuous use at most
- Short 40 cm hose
- Tied to the socket by a 3 m cord
Quick Specs
| Spec | Details |
|---|---|
| Brand | AstroAI |
| Model | CZK-3674 |
| Weight | 640 g |
| Hose | 40 cm |
| Size | 16 × 7.8 × 20 cm |
| Power | 12V socket100 WMax 15 A |
| Max pressure | 100 PSI |
| Air flow | 25 L/min |
| Power cord | 3 m |
| Run time | 10 minutes maximum |
Display and controls
There isn’t much to learn. The round display shows the pressure, the M button switches between PSI, bar, kPa and kg/cm², and the plus and minus buttons set the pressure you want. A rocker switch on top starts the pump.
Clamp the connector onto the valve and the display shows what’s in the tyre. For a second opinion we check with the AstroAI digital tyre pressure gauge that lives in the glovebox. Set your target, switch on, and the pump runs until it gets there and shuts off by itself. The target has to be higher than the pressure in the tyre, otherwise it won’t start pumping.
Next to the switch is an LED light, which lights up the wheel and the valve when you’re doing this in the dark.
On 4WD tyres
We set it to 36 PSI on one of the Prado’s 265/65R17 tyres and ran a stopwatch. At 47 seconds the display showed 32.0 PSI, and at 2 minutes 9 seconds it reached 36.0 PSI and stopped. That’s about 1 PSI every 20 seconds on a tyre this size.
For comparison, the cordless Bosch EasyPump needed about five and a half minutes to add 5 PSI to the same tyre. So for topping up a 4WD tyre, the AstroAI is clearly the quicker of the two small pumps.
The limit is the run time: the box says 10 minutes of continuous use at most. That’s plenty for top-ups, but if you’ve aired right down for sand and need to bring four big tyres back up, you’ll be waiting for it to cool down in between. A compressor like the XTM 160 L/min is made for that.
Cord, hose and size
The power cord is 3 m long and the hose 40 cm, so the pump sits on the ground next to each wheel and the cord runs back to the 12V socket. On our Prado the cord reaches the rear wheels from the 12V socket, so all four tyres are covered. On a longer vehicle, check the reach before you rely on it.
The unit measures 16 × 7.8 × 20 cm and weighed 640 g on our scale, so it fits under a seat or in a drawer. There’s no bag with it, but with the hose stored in the back it doesn’t really need one.
AstroAI 12V Car Tyre Inflator vs AstroAI Portable Air Compressor
| 12V Car Tyre Inflator | Portable Air Compressor | |
|---|---|---|
| Model | CZK-3674 | A220B |
| Air flow | 25 L/min | 35 L/min |
| Max pressure | 100 PSI | 100 PSI |
| Power | 12V socket | 12V socket |
| Power cord | 3 m | About 3 m |
| Auto stop | Yes | Yes |
| LED light | Yes | Yes |
| Size | 16 × 7.8 × 20 cm | 12.8 × 6.6 × 16.9 cm |
| Weight | 640 g on our scale | 760 g |
| Price paid | $40 | $40 |
We’ve reviewed two AstroAI inflators, and they’re close. Both plug into the 12V socket, stop by themselves at the pressure you set and cost us $40. The AstroAI Portable Air Compressor moves more air, at 35 L/min against 25, and is a little smaller. This one is lighter and stores its hose in a compartment at the back.
If filling speed matters most, take the Portable Air Compressor. If you want the lighter unit with the tidy hose storage, take this one.
Conclusion: AstroAI 12V Car Tyre Inflator
The AstroAI 12V Car Tyre Inflator does a simple job well. It plugs into the 12V socket, stops by itself at the pressure you set, has a light for the dark and topped up a 4WD tyre to 36 PSI in about two minutes. It can run for 10 minutes at most and the hose is short, so it’s not for airing up four big tyres after the beach. I paid $40 for it. As a top-up and emergency pump to keep in the car, it’s very good value.
A $40 inflator that plugs into the 12V socket, stops at your preset pressure and has an LED light, at 640 g.
It topped up a 4WD tyre to 36 PSI in about two minutes. It runs for 10 minutes at most and the hose is only 40 cm.
- Car campers
- Families
- Weekend trips
Yes. For $40 you get auto stop, a clear display, a light and nozzles in a unit that fits under a seat. If you air down four big tyres every trip, a bigger compressor that clamps to the battery will save you time.
