{"id":23148,"date":"2024-11-08T23:13:24","date_gmt":"2024-11-09T07:13:24","guid":{"rendered":"\/wp-site\/?p=23148"},"modified":"2024-11-08T23:13:28","modified_gmt":"2024-11-09T07:13:28","slug":"will-leaving-something-plugged-into-my-cars-cigarette-lighter-drain-the-battery","status":"publish","type":"car-repair","link":"https:\/\/jerry.ai\/car-repair\/will-leaving-something-plugged-into-my-cars-cigarette-lighter-drain-the-battery\/","title":{"rendered":"Will Leaving Something Plugged Into My Car\u2019s Cigarette Lighter Drain the Battery?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Question: <\/strong>I\u2019m going to be away for a few days and I just realized I left my phone\u2019s car charger plugged in \u2014 will leaving something plugged into my car\u2019s cigarette lighter drain the battery in my car?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Answer:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ve got good news for you: the 12-volt power outlet in your car, also known as the cigarette lighter socket, will likely not drain your car battery, even if you have something plugged in continuously.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the case of a phone charger, ask yourself this question: Could you charge your phone without turning on the car? If you can’t, you\u2019re in the clear because your cigarette lighter socket isn\u2019t live when your car is turned off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That said, if you are in the minority and your car has that socket energized, there\u2019s another silver lining: Your phone charger doesn\u2019t use much power when it\u2019s not charging anything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are many more things in your car that are passively draining your battery even if you shut everything off \u2013 your car security system has to be live so that it can trigger the alarm and your car also has to have a receiver active so it can unlock your doors when it receives the signal from your remote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A battery specialist<\/a> has quoted that the average passive battery drain is about 85 milliamps, especially in newer cars with more sophisticated electronics. This means that even when your key is in its \u201coff\u201d position, your car could be using about 1 watt of power.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Do car chargers drain the battery when the car is off?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

For comparison, an older phone charger can output 5 watts of power, while newer ones go into the double digits like 15 watts and 25 watts or more. Again, those figures are peak output when your phone is plugged in to charge. If there\u2019s nothing to charge, there\u2019s not much power to output, so the only battery drain you\u2019ll experience is how inefficient the charger\u2019s circuitry is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, if you\u2019ve plugged something more energy-intensive into a live socket, you might find the battery drained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Does leaving the USB plugged in the car drain the battery?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Some drivers plug their phones into the USB port to access Android Auto or Apple CarPlay. Will leaving that plugged-in discharge your car battery? It goes back to the fundamental question: Does your phone charge when your car is turned off?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even if your USB port is energized when your car is off, as long as you don\u2019t plug in anything to charge, you won\u2019t see much battery drain from an unplugged cable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The bottom line<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Most cars don\u2019t provide power to the 12V power outlet when the car is off, and as a result, if you Google or search YouTube, you\u2019ll find tutorials on how to make the 12V power outlet live, likely because the driver wants to run an accessory even when the car is off, such as a dashcam.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, if you have left something plugged into that socket and go away for a few days, there\u2019s not much to worry about because the likelihood of your battery draining from having something plugged in is low.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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