This $30 accessory changed how I charge my phone while using Android Auto

Published Aug 14, 2026, 11:30 AM EDT Patrick O'Rourke is XDA's News Editor and Entertainment Segment Lead. Previously, he was Pocket-lint's Editor-in-Chief, the Editor-in-Chief of Canadian tech publication MobileSyrup, and earlier in his career, he worked as the technology editor at the Financial Post and Postmedia. He's based in Toronto. Over the past 15 years, he's written thousands of articles. Patrick has also interviewed dozens of tech industry executives and covered GDC, E3, Gamescom, WWDC, Apple keynotes, Samsung Unpacked events and more. Patrick has a BA in journalism from Toronto Metropolitan University. A few weeks ago, I finally pulled the trigger on Kia's 2026 K4 Hatchback after countless hours of research. I looked into everything from gas mileage to interior quality, and even the reliability of the car's Android Auto and CarPlay connectivity. However, one key feature never crossed my mind: the speed of its USB-C and Qi wireless charging. Thankfully, I remembered 12V USB cigarette lighter adapters are a thing, and picked up a relatively cheap one from Amazon. I've owned an Ioniq 5 EV for a few years now, and the K4 is actually my family's second vehicle. As far as my Ioniq 5's three USB-A ports are concerned, I've never felt I could really rely on them to charge my phone, given they only output roughly 10.5W of power (yes, even though the car is a 2022, somehow it only features painfully slow USB-A ports). This problem got even worse when using Android Auto or CarPlay. It sort of just maintained my Pixel 10 Pro's or iPhone 17 Pro's charge while running Android Auto/CarPlay, using apps like Waze and Spotify, and connected over 5G data. In most cases, my phones would get warm really quickly, and their batteries would hover at roughly whatever percentage I plugged them in at. I eventually resorted to just making sure my phone was adequately charged before heading out of the house. It's important to note that this is just my experience with a specific Kia car model, the 2026 K4 Hatchback. If your in-car USB ports charge your phone adequately, that's great. Generally, newer vehicles are more likely to feature USB-C ports capable of delivering higher wattage, while older cars are more likely to struggle. Car USB ports often offer lackluster charging speeds My K4's USB port charges my phones, just very slowly Given that my shiny new K4 is a few years newer and features four USB-C ports, I just assumed it would output higher wattage when charging my phone. While that does seem to be the case, with some Kia documentation indicating the car offers 9V/3A 27W wired charging, my Pixel 10 Pro or iPhone 17 Pro continue to only gain a few percent on long drives (I still don't understand why car manufacturers are so secretive about USB charging speeds). This is likely because I'm usually doing a lot with my phone when I'm behind the wheel: it's wirelessly connected to Android Auto, Waze is telling me where to go, and either Spotify is pumping music, or I'm listening to a podcast on Pocket Casts. Based on my experience, I don't think my phone is actually receiving anywhere close to 27W when it's plugged into my car, whether I'm using wireless or wired Android Auto. This is where Ugreen's 3-Port Fast Car Charger comes in. It's a bit expensive at $30 (it's often on sale for $22), but that extra cash is worth it. First off, the bottom USB-C port supports up to 100W — far more than either of my phones can actually use. Additionally, there's a second USB-C port that can deliver up to 30W and a USB-A port capable of offering up to 22.5W, making it a versatile 12V adapter. The accessory has a maximum combined output of 130W across all three ports, which means I could technically charge multiple devices simultaneously if I needed to. Additionally, if I happen to be working on the go and need to top up my 14-inch MacBook Pro or 13-inch MacBook Air, the 100W USB-C port can charge the laptop at full speed. Since I started using the 12V Ugreen Fast Car Charger, which plugs directly into the cigarette lighter port at the front of my vehicle (there's a cool little door that flips up to reveal the port), I haven't even really thought about needing to make sure my phone is charged before heading out on a trip. For example, on a 20-minute drive where my Pixel 10 Pro was slightly below 50%, I finished the drive with the device at close to 70%. Though I've only charged my iPhone 17 Pro with the 12V adapter a few times, my experience has been very similar, with the phone charging slightly faster thanks to its higher peak wattage. There's also a purple light around the front of Ugreen's 3-Port Fast Car Charger, which obviously doesn't affect performance, though I do think it looks pretty cool. In-car wireless charging is convenient, but it's often very slow It's unclear what speed the pad actually charges my devices at It's also worth mentioning that my K4 has a built-in Qi wireless charging pad just under the infotainment system. As I expected, Kia hasn't been exactly upfront about the Qi charger's maximum charging speed, and based on my experience, I can understand why. All it seems to do is heat my phones rather than actually charge them, regardless of how I position my Pixel 10 Pro or iPhone 17 Pro on the pad. In theory, the pad should support up to 15W wireless charging, but in reality, it seems to be closer to 5-10W (or maybe even lower), especially when the device is hot because wireless Android Auto or CarPlay is running. To be clear, I don't actually know for sure what wattage my Ioniq 5 or Kia K4 is outputting from its USB-C ports. All I can speak to is the practical experience I've had with my phones, where either they maintain the same battery level they had when I plugged them in, or they charge very slowly. I'm planning to pick up a USB-C power meter dongle so I can know for sure my devices are charging at (you'll likely see a story on XDA about that experience soon). At the end of the day, is this really an accessory I plan to use all the time? Probably not. That said, having Ugreen's 3-Port Fast Car Charger tucked away in my vehicle's center console for when I need to top up my smartphone quickly offers me peace of mind I've come to appreciate. If I'm in a jam and need to top up my phone quickly on my way somewhere, I know I always have a reliable option that's capable of charging my phone quickly. Ugreen 130W 3-Port USB C Car Charger