Garage Essentials: The Eight Best Floor Jacks To Lift Your Car Safely And Easily

Every automotive do-it-yourselfer needs a decent floor jack in their garage. It's as essential as a socket set or a can of penetrating oil. However, is the jack you've got really the best one for your situation, or just the hand-me-down you got from Dad when you moved out? Traditional scissor jacks, bottle jacks, and floor jacks all have their advantages, and each of these gadgets for your garage can be useful in one's garage or work bay.

Whether one is replacing an outdated tool, getting a first-floor jack, or just buying something more efficient than the scissor jack that came with that '92 Elantra, there are a number of factors to consider: price, the weight of the vehicle being lifted, the height one requires the vehicle to reach, and the floor jack's ability to get underneath the vehicle. An effective floor jack, after all, should complement your car ramp.

Our listing of garage essentials will cover eight different categories of floor jack, giving buyers the best options for several applications.

The 10 products on this list of floor jacks were divided up into 10 categories. Our picks are based on a combination of a number of factors including customer reviews, expert opinions, video comparisons, and average ratings on several store websites.

Also factored in is my own personal experience with several of these products as a former automotive professional with over 15 years of chain and independent auto shop experience, as well as years of personal experience in my own garage.

One last note on safety: A set of jack stands is as essential as a good floor jack. The importance of a reliable and safe jack cannot be overstated, but it's just as important that the user understands how a jack works. A floor jack is not a support tool — jack stands are just as necessary as the floor jack itself for a safe working environment.

Very highly rated on several sites, Blackhawk's Service Jack lifts vehicles up to 22 inches, with a 5.5-inch starting point. It features solid rear wheels and swiveling casters in front, a fast lifting jack, and a swivel saddle and padded lift point. The dual-piston setup makes for a faster and smoother lift, and the 3.5-ton weight capacity means most passenger vehicles should go up with ease.

Reviewers frequently mention the Blackhawk Service Jack's durability, impressive lift height, and ease of use; however, those little wheels tend to get caught on debris like sticks or rocks on the garage floor. Even with those minor quibbles, the Blackhawks Service Jack is a great choice for anyone in the market for a reliable and dependable general-use floor jack.

Purchase the Blackhawk 3 ½ Ton Fast Lift Service Jack from Amazon for $211.36.

While only rated for 1 ½ tons, the Daytona jack has a lot going for it. It's relatively inexpensive, super lightweight (as it's made from aircraft-grade aluminum), and has a minimum height of only 2 ⅜ inches to get under the lowest of low vehicles. It's useful for low vehicles and vehicles that rest lower when air ride suspension needs to be turned off prior to service, as well as cars with flat tires.

Reviewers often cite the surprisingly light weight of this jack — it's only 36 pounds — along with its durability, great looks, smooth rolling wheels, welded side-mounted carrying handle, and two-piece lift arm construction as positives. Meanwhile, Harbor Freight is a reputable name brand in the space, having been in business for nearly 50 years.

Get the Daytona 1.5 Ton Ultra-Low Profile High-Performance Aluminum Racing Jack from Harbor Freight for $299.99.

Road Dawg's high-profile jack is a well-rated option for those with taller pickup trucks or difficult-to-access, high lift points like Jeeps. It's able to get up to just over 30 inches with its included extension — 2 inches taller than our next highest option, Pro Eagle's Kratos Off-Road jack. What's more, a starting point of under 4 inches makes it great for most other vehicles as well, at a full inch lower than our overall best pick. The unique folding lift arm keeps the lift point centered over the jack.

For all its positives, it appears that the complaint most people have about the Road Dawg jack has to do with its packaging. Scratched paint and missing parts when the thin cardboard box inevitably rips apart during shipping seem to be pretty common unless one buys the jack in-store, or gets a thoughtful shipper who wraps it in plastic.

Buy the Road Dawg 3 Ton Super Duty Low and High Profile Foldable Floor Jack from Fleet Farm for $249.99.

Powerbuilt has a number of bottle jacks, some rated for as many as 12 tons. At only $65, this combination jack stand and jack is an affordable solution to a need for multiple stands and lifts. More suited for lifting a corner of a vehicle for a flat repair, or a side with a pair of these, the Powerbuilt combo is very positively rated on Amazon with over 5,000 reviews.

Combining the strength of a bottle jack with the safety of a jack stand without needing to swap the two around is a great selling point, but the manufacturer also notes that this jack is useful for construction applications as well. A select few reviewers point out that the jack doesn't retract without a little help if no weight is on it, but the overall consistency of consumer reports lifts this unique bottle jack to the top of the heap.

Grab the Powerbuilt 3-Ton All-In-One Jack Stand/Bottle Jack from Amazon for $79.99.

Many of the floor jacks on our list are built with a specific function in mind, or are made for professionals who will be using the tool on a daily basis. For the user who just needs something for emergencies or the occasional weekend job, we present the Pro-Lift Trolley jack. The Pro-Lift Trolley jack is also great for those who don't want to break the bank on an overengineered monstrosity.

Pro-Lift's product sells for just under fifty bucks on Amazon — or a hair over 60 for a more stylish orange option — with a 4.4-star average among over 8,00 ratings. While the Pro-Lift is only rated for 3,000 pounds, that's enough for most minor applications or small jobs like brakes or tire replacement. Meanwhile, this jack can lift that weight up to 12 inches in the air and relies on its sturdy steel casters that swivel for flexibility on the fly.

Purchase the Pro-Lift F-2315PE Trolley Jack from Amazon for $43.94.

Sometimes you need a floor jack in a situation that doesn't have a floor available. Off-road applications can be difficult for jacks designed for garage use, as their casters and low clearance don't allow for a rocky roll on dirt or gravel.

For these situations, Pro Eagle's 3-ton jack, lovingly nicknamed "KRATOS," is the solution. This jack was designed specifically for off-road conditions, with large knobby wheels on two solid axles. With a lift height of nearly 3 feet when using the included extension, the Pro Eagle should be the go-to for any lifted off-road vehicle, as consumers will no longer have to worry about dragging their jack over rugged terrain that threatens the tool's sustainability and viability over long-term periods.

Order the Pro Eagle 3-Ton Big Wheel Off Road Jack "KRATOS" from the Pro Eagle shop for $599.99.

Electric floor jacks have a number of benefits — they're easy to use, save a lot of wear on the user, and can be a lifesaver in emergency situations. The ABN 3-in-1 is a very handy kit that includes a good tire inflator and an impact wrench on top of one of the top-rated electric jacks, powered by your vehicle's 12-volt outlet. A jack with this degree of flexibility is particularly recommended for those who may need to operate on the fly.

This combination makes the ABN combo a great set for emergencies, as the inflator can help refill a flat tire if a spare isn't available (or if tire sealant is the only option). Meanwhile, the impact wrench makes lug nut removal a breeze.

Get the ABN 3-in-1 Electric 3-Ton Car Jack with Tire Inflator and Impact Wrench from Amazon for $146.99.

While many of our readers will be replacing or upgrading their floor jack, others will be stocking their garage for the first time. For those users, this Big Red Trolley Jack Combo Set will get them off to a great start. The package includes a decent 2-ton jack, a pair of jack stands rated for 4,000 pounds, and a rolling creeper to work under the vehicle comfortably. Floor jacks are only part of what Torin has to offer under its "Big Red" brand, but this is another brand consumers can safely rely on to meet their goals. 

These aren't bottom-of-the-barrel tools, either. The floor jack features a swivel saddle and oversized rear wheels, the jack stands have easy adjustment levers, and the creeper has a padded pillow and folds up for storage.

Get the BIG RED AT82040R Trolley Jack Combo Set from Amazon for $131.33.