Did you know that plugging your phone into your car’s USB port can actually prevent you phone from fully charging? We know, it sounds like a bad joke right? But in all seriousness, there are reasons why you shouldn’t charge your phone in the car unless you’re absolutely desperate. One reason is that in doing this, you can actually reduce the car’s battery life.
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We’ve all been there; you’ve been in the car for ages, stuck in traffic and your phone is on 5% battery life. Well the reason why you should steer clear of using your car’s USB lies in the fact that it provides less power than your phone needs to charge and run properly. That means that when you plug your smartphone into your car, it uses up power at a rate that is too fast for the ports capabilities. Therefore, your phone can stall while charging; that’s if it even charges at all.
Furthermore, charging your phone like this can ruin your car’s battery, especially if it’s an older car. Whilst the degree of damage is dependent on the phone you have and its battery and also the model of the car, it’s probably a good idea to wait until you get home and charge it in a real plug socket.
