Not content with making tyres, pressure washers and even electric bikes, Michelin also produces a variety of tyre-related accessories ranging from pressure gauges to tyre sealant and inflators.

The 4X4/SUV Programmable Rapid Digital Tyre Inflator does exactly what it says on the tin – offering a home system to check and inflate the tyres on models from small city cars up to large SUVs, caravans and trailers.

As well as standard car valves, the unit comes with adaptors so you can inflate everything from footballs and beach toys to bicycle tyres, all of which stow neatly away when not in use along with the power cord, which packs up into the body of the inflator.

At 17.5cm x 10cm x 27cm it’s a fairly compact unit and it weighs just 2.3kg, making it ideal for slotting into a corner of your car’s boot. The power cord and inflator hose are a good length so you’ll be able to get round even the biggest SUVs without struggling.

Unlike a lot of inflators, which seem designed to resemble tyres, the Michelin one is a slim rectangle with a really useful handle on the top which, along with its light weight, makes it easy to carry around.

On the top of the inflator are the controls for programming it and a handy spike for holding valve caps, both located beneath an LCD readout. Compared to other units we’ve tested the buttons and screen are pretty small and the screen is dim. They’re perfectly usable in everyday conditions but if you were stuck using it on a dark road side you’d probably be cursing the fiddly buttons. At least there’s a front-mounted LED so you can see what you’re doing.

Read more: How to check your tyre pressures and why it could be dangerous if you don’t

Michelin says the unit can inflate a 13-inch tyre from flat in two minutes – a lot quicker than many of its other units and on par with other ones we’ve tested. Once you’ve programmed the pressure it’s quick and accurate, cutting out at the right pressure. It’s also incredibly quiet for such a rapid unit.

The speed, quietness and accuracy are all strong marks in this unit’s favour, as are its user friendly shape and compact size. The only drawbacks are the tiny buttons and small LCD screen which make operation more fiddly than with other units.

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