I’ve always been a believer that an air compressor is the one thing most people don’t think they’ll need but could actually use a lot once they think about it. How many times have your Tire Pressure Monitor sensors blared at you on the highway, for instance? Many people simply ignore it or take it to a shop, get charged some ridiculous fee for 10 minutes of work, and go on about their day.

However, after using the NOCO AL5 for the past few days, I can assure you that there is not a single possession in the Marlar household that now yearns for more compressed air. From the basketball I take to the gym with me to all four tires on each vehicle, there’s not a single item that isn’t inflated to its intended spec and percentile, and that’s due in large part to just how easy the AL5 is to use. It’s a set-and-forget kind of machine, which is the best kind for someone who either A) can’t afford a large drum-style compressor or B) intends to use it on rare occasions.

4.5/5

Brand

NOCO

Color

Black

Capacity

130 psi

Battery Type

Lithium

NOCO’s most compact, cordless air inflator ever. Battery-powered for total portability — delivering 17 LPM of airflow to inflate car tires, bikes, sports gear and more.

Pros & Cons

• Small enough for easy travel storage
• Powerful enough to handle high PSI needs
• Incredibly easy to use
• Large current PSI digital read-out

• Heat transfers to the hose during heavy use

Price, Availability, and Specs

Rugged and compact capability

The AL5 is the uber-compact air compressor offering from long-time automotive gadget manufacturer, NOCO. The company has a reputation for its rugged, dependable products, and that extends to the AL5, with a hard composite exterior that feels weighty in the hand. Currently, you can pick one up for around $70, which I’d say is the perfect market value for the product. It satisfies what it indubitably cost to engineer, but shouldn’t make anyone feel cheated when they open the box, which was well-stuffed with a carrying bag, a charger cord, and a slew of needle adapters.

NOCO advertises that the AL5 can inflate up to 130 psi, and while I only ran it up to 40 psi on my 2025 Volkswagen Atlas, I believe the hype. It’s battery-powered and does require charging, but the lithium battery it uses doesn’t lose juice like many other batteries, so you can feel safe stowing it for a while or just charging it up before a road trip and hiding it in the trunk. Additionally, a two-way USB-C port can provide up to 30W fast charging for your devices. No real setup is required, as the compressor comes ready to use out of the box.

4.5/5

Brand

NOCO

Color

Black

Capacity

130 psi

Battery Type

Lithium

Display

LED

Power

12V

Price

70

Size

7.68″x4.33″x2.25″

Lights

50-Lumen Flashlight

USB-C Ports / 3.2 Gen 2

Yes

NOCO’s most compact, cordless air inflator ever. Battery-powered for total portability — delivering 17 LPM of airflow to inflate car tires, bikes, sports gear and more.

What I liked about the NOCO AL5

The most intuitive compressor on the market

The AL5 won me over with its simplicity. There are a whopping four buttons on the entire thing: one for power, one for pressure adjustment, one for the flashlight, and one for inflation. It literally couldn’t be simpler, and that’s what makes the design so great. There is no guesswork if you don’t exactly know your way around a traditional compressor or haven’t had to perform the incredibly exciting task of prepping your vehicle for a long road trip. The digital readout is handy and keeps me from having to swap to a gauge from the compressor. One simply has to screw on the hose, set the desired PSI, press a button, and let the compressor go to work.

Speaking of the hose, the screw-on valve stem connection is the best touch here. There’s nothing more annoying than not being at the right angle to air up a tire, and the screw-on connector prevents that. It’s a relatively small addition to the package that makes it all the more worthwhile for the average consumer. Outside of that, the thing just simply works. It’s rugged, it’s dependable, and it did happen to fix my wife’s TPMS alert that I finally got around to looking into for her Jeep.

What I didn’t like about the NOCO AL5

Prepare for a short list

This is going to be a short list because, for a product like this, which is advertised to do just a few things extremely well, it hits the mark. I charged my phone with it very quickly, and it aired up just about everything in my house I could. It took it all like a champ. My lone gripe came when I was on the third out of four tires I aired up on the missus’s Jeep. Once the compressor finished its work at 35 PSI, I reached to unscrew the valve stem connector, and found that the heat from using the compressor had spread through the hose to the connector itself.

Was it so hot that I couldn’t touch it? No. Was it a bit surprising that the heat transfer occurred? Also, not really. I could feel it warming up on the second tire, which was a few pounds off the others, so it wasn’t shocking that when I hit the third tire for about 10 minutes of straight run time, the compressor, which advertises a 20/40 minute On/Off Duty Cycle, started to feel the West Texas heat. Perhaps, on future models, the hose itself could be a bit more insulated. This is nitpicking, though, as the AL5 still earned a 5-star rating from yours truly.

Should you buy the NOCO AL5

The chances are that, yes, you should

I can not tell you how many times my friends have found themselves needing an air compressor and not having one. Then, they run to Harbor Freight for a cheap one they can use 2–3 times before it breaks, and that’s no shade to Harbor Freight. I’m a card-carrying rewards program member, after all. For just $70, you can buy a compressor that can fill anything from a set of highway tires to a large set of AT tires, and it comes with all the adapters you need to handle just about anything else that requires inflation.

What’s more, it’s so simple that anyone can use it. It makes the perfect Father’s Day gift, sure, but it also makes for a perfect addition to, say, a college first-year student’s going-away package or an off-road enthusiast’s kit for constantly adjusting tire pressures. Its rugged construction makes it adaptable, and its usability makes it practical — the perfect storm for a more-than-solid product.