NOCO Boost Plus GB40 Review

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We're big fans of the NOCO Boost Plus GB40 rugged build quality. Its water and dust-resistant enclosure has an IP65 rating, and the over-molded casing evokes confidence when we tucked it under a seat with other tools.

The quality of the clamps, though, really caught our attention. Despite the small size of this jump starter and lower price point, NOCO's clamp design is the same it uses on its more powerful models. The jaws open wide, grip well, and are narrow enough to fit around challenging battery terminal clearances often found on modern vehicles.

Well maintained vehicles usually don't require massive amps to start, so the 1,000-amp rated GB40 has more than enough kick for most small-to-midsize vehicle jump starting situations.   Credit: Chris Maxcer

Yes, we're geeking out over the versatile gripping power of the NOCO Boost Plus GB40 clamps! Most small-model clamps suck, but NOCO's are the easiest, most secure clamps we tested.   Credit: Chris Maxcer

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With a peak current rating of just 1,000 amps, the power is not particularly impressive. However, newer vehicles with generally healthy starters and fuel systems often don't need monster currents to crank their engines and roar back to life.

NOCO says this little model can jump start gas engines up to 6-liters, but diesel engines are limited to 3-liters for effective starts. In our experience, we're quite happy with its abilities on well-maintained cars and SUVs, but we're less likely to depend on this one if we're driving an older vehicle that tends to require extra cranking and coaxing to get started.

In most jump starting situations, the NOCO Boost Plus GB40 is ridiculously easy to use. Once you attach the red clamp to the positive terminal (+) and the black clamp to the negative terminal (-) the jump starter will quickly assess the situation and deliver current when you attempt to start your car. However, the GB40 drops a bit in our ease of use rankings because buttons and indicator lights are not as intuitive as some models that have LCD displays.

We do like that the NOCO includes spark-proof technology and reverse polarity protection to help you safely connect to 12-volt vehicle batteries. We never noticed any sparks or issues.

Dislikes

We're not impressed by the mediocre battery capacity. The battery has a 24 watt hour capacity, but in our testing, we could only use 15.57 watt hours. Other NOCO models have delivered much higher efficiencies, so we found this to be a mild annoyance.

Still, we were able to successfully jump start a midsize 2010 Ford Explorer with a 4-liter V6 engine with a drained battery three times in a row in cold weather. Because the battery capacity is a bit lower in this model, we recommend that you check it at least every six months to make sure it doesn't need topped off.

Lithium-ion batteries can jump start vehicles even if they are only partially charged, so its doesn't have to be full to function. The issue with a partially charged jump starter is the reduced number of times you may be able to jump your car before you have to recharge it. While we're still harping on the mediocre battery capacity, the GB40 isn't the most versatile option. For instance, it's not good for use as a backup power source for charging phones in a power outage or emergency.

The USB-C port is a slow 10W input-only port, and the USB-A output port is slow as well. While it can give you a charge in a pinch, there isn't a lot of juice to work with. Similarly, while it does include a flashlight, we wouldn't choose to use it unless we really needed to because we'd rather save the charge for a true jump starting emergency.

Should You Buy the NOCO Boost Plus GB40?

If you have a small-to-midsize car, pickup, or SUV and want a high-quality but compact jump starter, the NOCO Boost Plus GB40 is our top choice. We appreciate its rugged build quality, excellent grippy clamps, and simple, functional design. The battery is a bit small, though, so you might need to check it more often than larger models to ensure it maintains a charge so it's ready for trouble.

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