Can I use my North American 'cigarette lighter' adapter in Europe? I have downloaded the Western Europe Maps and will be using my TomTom XL30 in my car rental in Portugal.
Posted by
Hillsborough, NJ, United States
1 posts
Hi Dave, I just looked into the same question for my Garmin GPS. Their answer was that the "cigarette lighter" style adapter works in late-model vehicles and is the only type they sell. The Garmin adapter bears the CE mark, which I believe means it conforms to current European specs. AutoEurope confirmed that most if not all their vehicles have this type of receptacle. There is a new smaller plug/jack, developed by BMW for their motorcycles, called the Powerlet. I can't find any evidence that this is in automobiles yet, except for custom jobs, but I would think something like this will replace the cigarette lighter socket eventually, since the car cigarette lighter is becoming something of an anachronism. Hope that helps! Dave
Posted by
Bloomington, IL, USA
9371 posts
Yes, David, you can use your regular charger. The outlets in cars are exactly the same as in the US. I have used my TomTom in Spain with no problem.