I’ve used it to top up car and motorbike pressures and once to seat a stubborn tubeless tyre on a mountain bike. I like the screw-on fittings and long hose but generally think a digital gauge is easier to use than an analogue one. It’s a hefty bit of kit, but super speedy and surprisingly quiet.

The auto stop feature ensures accurate inflation. It is easy to use: set the dial to the pressure you need. Then press start. The inflaton with automatically stop at the prescribed pressure. As it stands though I’m more likely to reach for my more convenient battery-powered pump when it comes to squeezing a few extra PSI into my tyres. Night time use with the RAC830 is safer and easier thanks to the LED light. Includes three adaptors for inflating sports balls and other small inflatables. Comes with a storage case.

The draper inflator is cordless, which is really convenient, but there’s also a 12-volt cable provided so that you can plug it in and carry on pumping if it runs out of battery before you’ve finished inflating the tyre. However, while the cordless use, auto-stop feature and compact size make this a very convenient unit, the slow inflation speed and short, 15cm air hose make longer pumping jobs tedious as you have to hold it for the duration of the inflation if the tyre valve is more than a few inches above the ground.

The Sakura is barely any bigger than the dinky Michelin Top-Up yet, impressively, it has enough power to inflate most tyres from totally flat. The 5min 10sec taken to blow up our test tyre, though not terribly rapid by the standards of some others here, was rapid enough and well within the 15-minute duty cycle of the Sakura. They haven’t skimped on the extras either; there’s a digital display, auto-stop, a deflate button and both the power lead and air hose are decent lengths.Despite its smaller size, the Ring performed well, inflating the tyre faster than some of the larger models in this test. The Ring also retains a leisure inflator/deflator and is fitted with a Deflate button. We were also a fan of the foolproof knob and display set-up, and the smart carrying bag. The RAC830 Caravan and Motorhome Rapid Digital Tyre Inflator is ideal for campervans, motorhomes, 4X4s, SUVs, caravans, minibuses and vans. We timed how long it took to inflate a 15-inch tyre from 20-30psi, noting the pressures displayed before and after, plus the ambient and working noise levels. We also timed adding 5psi to a space-saver tyre, to bring it up to 60psi.

Once connected, the LCD screen indicated the PSI on my Citroen C1’s front right tyre in a matter of seconds. Target adjustment was another painless process as only the middle dial needed to be turned for me to reach my desired PSI target. Mid-range tyre inflator compressors like the Ring RAC830 is perfect for most people. They are usually better quality and more powerful than inflators that come as part of tyre repair kits. To use, you simply remove the dust cap from the tyre valve and attach the hose to the inflator. It’s then a case of setting the desired pressure and allowing the unit to do its job. If the system has an automatic cut-off, it will stop at the correct pressure, so you simply remove the hose and replace the dust cover. Other than road rescuers, this would suit camping and caravanning supremely well, where you’ve got a bit of extra space to carry it and perhaps a leisure battery to hook it up to. Ring could extend its usefulness by offering this pump with a couple of different power leads though. If it was easy enough to fit a three-pin plug for example, I’d happily leave this handy unit set up in my garage. A tyre with the incorrect pressure could reduce your car’s fuel efficiency by around three per cent, so it pays to get it right. You will also improve your car’s braking and handling performance. Timing is one to consider too whether it’s an analogue or digital tyre inflator. Some tyre inflators will fill a tyre from empty in four to five minutes, while others will complete the task in 90 seconds. And it’s worth having a cable long enough to fill the tyres in one go as well.

499/3041