Cigarette plug is more versitile in my application I can't just pull out the jumper cables every time I need to fill a tire, and my cable can easily reach from one side to the other, but WON'T reach if I go directly to the battery. And when the gooseneck blows a tire, first off it'll take a decade for that little pump to fill it back to 65psi, and if I'm in the driveway I'll just pull another vehicle up to the tire to "top off" the load. I looked into getting a 12v plug installed near the axles and they wanted $150 for it. Ouch! I don't have the time right now to fool with it myself, unfortinately.