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If you’ve lowered your car, you’ll know that one of the difficulties is finding a trolley jack to change tyres or do work underneath. We’ve put together this guide with our recommended jacks for anyone in the UK with a lowered car.
Most lowered cars won’t go below 100mm, but we’ve found jacks with a clearance height as low as 74mm so there is something for everyone. We’ll start with a buyers guide of what you should look for when buying a car jack, but if you’re familiar with this, you can skip straight to our products list.
Buyers Guide to Low-Profile Floor Jacks
Here are the key things to look out for when purchasing your new car jack:
Weight Capacity
Obviously the first thing you’ll need to consider is the lifting capacity of your jack. As you’re after a low-profile jack, we’re assuming you’ll be lifting a car as opposed to a larger vehicle, in which case 2 tonne is usually sufficient. We tend to recommend that the capacity is equal to 100% of the car, however some professionals will settle for 75%.
Minimum Saddle Height
The saddle height is the lowest height of the lifting arm when fully contracted. Most regular cars have a ride height of around 160-170mm so a standard jack with a typical saddle height of 150mm is usually fine. However, lowered vehicles can have a ride height as low as 100mm which requires a far lower saddle height.
Maximum Chassis Height
As you browse through the specs of various low-profile car jacks, you may also notice minimum chassis height which is different to minimum saddle height. This refers to the lowest point on the entire jack, helpful if you need to push it right under the vehicle. It’s unlikely that you’ll find a jack with a minimum chassis height low enough to get right under a lowered car.
Pump Speed
We recommend a car jack that doesn’t take ages to pump up to max height, this is all to do with the hydraulic mechanisms used and will vary by jack. The Sealy below, for example, takes six pumps to reach max height!
Best Floor Jacks for Lowered Cars
Here is out round up of the best jacks we’d recommend you look at for a lowered car:
Sealey Low Entry Trolley Jack with Rocket Lift – Best Overall
A good all round car jack that will fit most lowered cars and comes from a trusted brand
Sealey are a recognised brand in the UK for making some of the best car jacks around, and this is no exception. This 2-tonne car jack has a starting height of 74mm and when fully extended has a lifting height of 514mm. Oh yeah, and it does that in just 6 pumps of the handle! This car jack covers more ground than most other jacks on the market, and it does it quicker than all of them too.
The heavy steel frame of this car jack makes it really sturdy. Plus, it has some built-in safety features like an overload value. Finally, to top it off, you’ll find a handy parts tray for quick access to your wheel nuts too.
Liftmaster 3T – Heavier Lifting Capacity
A 3-tonne car jack with quick lift with an ultra-low profile to fit most lowered cars
Liftmaster makes some really sleek car jacks, with this low-profile jack really taking the cake when it comes to style. Of course, style in a car jack is hardly important, but the facts of this jack are just as impressive as its looks. It’s a 3-tonne jack with a lifting range of 75mm to 500mm. The Sealey above just beats this one out for range, but this jack can easily handle most lowered cars and regular cars.
With it’s heavy duty steel body, this jack will be perfect in your garage if you’re a car nut or just want a solid, reliable jack that will never let you down! It’s worth buying a grease gun for this jack, by the way, the fittings are a bit tricky to get to without one.
Sealey Low Entry High Lift Jack – Best Lifting Height
A two-tonne car jack with a high lift arm that reaches 805mm, with plenty of safety features too
Sealey’s car jacks are so good that we just had to include another of their products. The range of travel on this jack is so impressive. The saddle height starts at 80mm and can travel up to 805mm! That means this two-tonne jack can easily fit under most lowered cars, but also suitable if you have larger vehicles with a low profile.
It also has a long reach chassis and a wide wheelbase so it will stable and give access to the deepest of jacking points. This car jack, by the way, was designed for mechanics so it will easily last you many years and will never let you down.
Hilka Racing Jack – Dual Pump for Speed
A 2.5 tonne racing style car jack for car enthusiasts with a dual pump quick lift.
This Hilka racing-style jack is perfect for any car enthusiast. It isn’t a racing car jack, but it is styled after one. The reason this isn’t a racing jack is that it is made out of steel rather than aluminium. So, it is pretty bulky and heavy. Most users of this jack find that comforting, others who were in the market for a racing jack aren’t too keen.
If you’re going to keep this jack in your garage, the weight won’t be an issue, and you’ll easily be able to lift your lowered car with it. The lift range is 100mm to 460mm. This jack isn’t as versatile as some of the car jacks on this list, but it does work fantastically well for lowered cars.
Hilka – Budget Pick
A simple, robust 2-tonne car jack that is a must-have for any car owner.
This is about the most traditional car jack you’re likely to see. I could be wrong, though. My dad has this car jack and so this is the car jack that I know and have used the most. My dad keeps this jack in his car because he doesn’t trust the jack that comes with most cars. It certainly isn’t the lightest jack to keep in your car, but when you need a jack, it delivers everything you could want.
The Hilka jack has a lifting range of 85mm to 330mm making it perfectly suitable for a typical lowered car that sits around 100mm. My dad uses this on his Ford C Max, and I used it on my old Ford Fiesta, it worked great on both. This is a really reliable car jack that has never let my dad down, and he has had his for about five years. Perfect for keeping in your garage or take with you on the road if you want a solid jack that you can depend on.
We hope this look at trolley jacks has helped you find the perfect device for your lowered car. We keep the list as up to date as possible, but if you have further recommendations, please do get in touch.
Scott’s love for cars goes back as far as he can remember which is why he’s our go-to guy for all automotive product reviews. When Scott’s not at hotrod shows or drag racing events, he’s dreaming about that E-type drag that will hopefully appear on his drive one day.
