Looking for a 200 watt power inverter?
Well, you’re in the right place.
Smaller 200W inverters are predominantly used in cars for travelers wanting to keep essential devices like phones, laptops and lighting charged.
Out of the entire range of car power inverters, this size is often the most popular.
So let’s jump straight in.
What can a 200 Watt Inverter Run?
Before we go any further I think it’s important to talk about what a 200 watt inverter can run. That way you will quickly know if it actually suits your need.
These are relatively low powered products when it comes to inverters. Generally, they are designed to be used in vehicles to power portable devices such as phone, laptops, tablets, and even mini-fridges.
To help you, I’ve put together a list of common appliances and average wattage to give you a better idea of what you can run with a 200 watt inverter.
| Appliance | Average Watts |
| Smartphone | 5 |
| Tablet | 10 |
| Digital Camera | 10-20 |
| Laptop | 30-60 |
| Small Fan | 25-40 |
| Mini-Fridge | 40-60 |
| LED Lighting | 10-30 |
| Portable Games Console | 5-10 |
| Small TV | 50-70 |
To work out your wattage requirement simply add up the watt rating of each device you want to run at the same time. You then need to buy an inverter with a bigger capacity than this. It’s common practice to buy 20% more capacity than you need as these products are not 100% efficient. So if you plan to draw 150W then a 200W inverter is best.
Uses for a 200 Watt Power Inverter
These products are designed to be used a portable solution to convert DC to AC power. Usualy, they are highly compatible with vehicles like cars or vans that have 12V cigarette lighter ports.
As they are relatively low powered units, they are not designed to be used for heavy duty work in commercial settings or with solar panel systems.
Considerations for Buying a 200 Watt Inverter
There’s a number of factors you should take into account when selecting the best 200 watt inverter for your needs. Let’s go through the details to consider.
Outlets
The first thing I look at specifically is the number and type of outlets available as this directly affects when you can plug into your unit. It’s a simple but important point.
For example, if you’re just planning to charge phones and tablets multiple fast-charging USB ports are going to be better for you. There will be no need to faff around with adaptors or losing your USB plug…(Someone always seems to steal mine!)
On the other hand, if you plan to run electronics like laptops or fans, you’ll need more AC three-prong plugs – like in the wall at home.
Take the time to work out what appliances you are running to help you decide on the outlets you need.
Ease of Use
200 watt power inverters should be VERY easy to use and most are designed to plug and play into your car 12V port. If this is your plan look for products that arrive with a cigarette lighter plug so you can use it immediately.
For most people, 200 watts is not enough oomph to use with leisure batteries or connect directly to a vehicle starter battery. If you do want to do this, a handy addition is alligator clip cables.
To be honest, these devices are so easy to use it should be pretty obvious how to connect and switch on. There’s certainly no need for anything like a professional electrician!
Price
Wondering how much a 200w inverter costs?
The great news is that they are very budget-friendly. You can expect to pay between $20 and $50 for a decent product. At the lower end of this scale, the devices are small and compact designed for people who just need basic DC to AC electricity conversion on the go. If you have a bigger budget of over $30 then you start to get more outlets and design features to aide the usability.
Safety
One aspect that can’t be ignored is safety, with any electronic device you should have at least basic safety protections. When drawing high load these little units can get hot quickly so if you plan on heavy use then it is wise to pick something with better systems such as cooling fans.
At the very least you should expect to have a built-in fuse to guard against overload, overheating, short circuit, low and over voltage.
Durability
The final thing to discuss is durability. To be honest this is important for any product you buy. The last thing you want is for you electricity supply to not work when you need it the most.
If you want a unit to use every day then look for highly durable build quality which uses materials like ABS plastic and aluminum along with heavy duty cables.
Pros and Cons of a 200 Watt Power Inverter
Still undecided? Let’s go through the advantages and disadvantages of 200W inverters.
| Pros | Cons |
| Cheap to buy | Wattage too low for most home appliances |
| Perfect to use in cars | Too small for solar systems |
| Enough capacity for phones and laptops | Quality can vary a lot |
| Variety of ports and outlets | Needs a vehicle or leisure battery |
| Very portable | |
| Wide choice of products |
FAQ – About 200 Watt Power Inverters
It will run as long as there is enough charge in your battery supply. If you use it with a vehicle engine running it will last as long as the engine is running and the battery is charged. At maximum capacity it will draw 200 watts an hour (Wh). With a 50Ah 12V battery you could run on full load for 3 hours or draw 100 watts for about 6 hours.
A 200 watt inverter can be used at home but won’t be powerful enough to run many home appliances. Most of these products are designed to be used in a vehicle to charge devices like laptops, phones and lighting while you travel. You can use it at home if you have a leisure battery to power the inverter.
These devices are not made for power tools. Although if your power tool uses less than 200 watts, you can try using it at your own risk. Generally, you won’t be able to power anything with a motor or heating element like a hairdryer.
It depends on various on what device you are trying to run and how much energy it uses. At full capacity 200w inverter will use 25% more amps than 150w inverter.
You can use this formula to calculate the amps or current drawn by any inverter of any capacity.
Current (amp) = Watts/Volts
For example, if your inverter is 200 watts and has a voltage of 10v then the current drawn will be = 200w / 10v = 20amp
At full load with a 100Ah 12V battery you could draw 200W for 6 hours.
200 Watt Inverter Summary
Now you have all the useful information you need when it comes to buying a 200 watt inverter.
Most of these products a fairly simple to use and designed to give you access to AC power in a car. All you have to do is plug straight into your vehicle DC outlet. Just remember to keep your engine running while drawing electricity otherwise you’ll quickly deplete your starter battery.
Once you’ve narrowed down your requirements you can simply use the list of the products above.
That’s it! Thanks for reading.
