The scissor jack that came with your car won’t get under it once you’ve dropped it. Neither will most of the trolley jacks stacked near the checkout at Supercheap Auto. A standard hydraulic jack opens at 120mm or higher, which works fine at factory ride height and fails immediately once you’ve put 30mm springs under it.
The number that matters is the minimum height: the distance from the floor to the saddle with the jack completely collapsed. On a lowered sports car, that number needs to be 75mm or under before you are even in the conversation. These three jacks cover the field from under $170 to $555. All three are relevant. Which one to buy depends on what you are doing with it.
What Low-Profile Actually Means
How low does a jack need to be to get under a lowered car?
75mm or under in the fully-collapsed position is the target. Most lowered road cars with a 25 to 40mm spring drop sit at 85 to 95mm of clearance at the factory jacking points. At 70mm, a jack slides under without needing ramps. At 89mm, you are borderline – whether it fits depends on exactly how far down the car sits.
Minimum height is measured to the saddle in its resting position, not to the body of the jack. The second number to check is chassis length. A short-body jack can foul the front splitter or lip before the saddle reaches the jacking point. That problem is solved by a longer chassis, which lets the saddle position further forward under the car than the jack body itself.
All three picks below comply with AS/NZS 2615:2016, the mandatory Australian standard for trolley jacks that became enforceable in 2019.
Budget: Powerlift Super Low Profile (~$169)
Is the Powerlift trolley jack good enough for a lowered sports car?
At 70mm minimum height and 1,800kg capacity, the Powerlift from Wholesale Superstore is the jack to buy two of.
The Powerlift opens at 70mm, enough to clear most lowered sports cars without ramps. Capacity at 1,800kg covers any road car. At $169, buying a pair comes to $338 – which puts two jacks in your garage for less than the cost of the mid-range option.
The dual-pump mechanism reduces the number of strokes to raise the saddle. The handle extends to 1,367mm so you can operate it from outside the car’s footprint, which is useful on a narrow garage slab. Wholesale Superstore’s test documentation backs the AS2615:2016 compliance rating – the jack was tested at over three tonnes but rated conservatively at 1,800kg to meet the standard.
One honest caveat: the Powerlift is an unbranded import sold online. The quality is legitimate and independently certified, but the warranty path is shorter than Kincrome or Repco. For a garage tool used on your own car, that trade-off is easy to accept at this price point. The sale price is $169 (regular $229) at wholesalesuperstore.com.au.
Mid-Range: Kincrome K12161 (~$209)
Is the Kincrome K12161 suitable for lowered cars?
The Kincrome K12161 is the brand-name choice: available at Supercheap Auto and Total Tools nationwide, clear warranty support, 1,850kg capacity, and AS2615:2016 compliant. The caveat is the 89mm minimum height. For moderately lowered cars it will work. For anything sitting very low on coilovers, that 89mm may not fit without ramps.
At $189.99, the Kincrome is the most accessible name-brand option in this category. The premium over the Powerlift buys you retail availability and a warranty you can pursue in person. It does not buy you a lower minimum height – the Kincrome sits 19mm higher than the Powerlift in the collapsed position, which is the most important number here.
The K12161 runs a collapsible handle for storage, steel construction with zinc-plated fasteners for corrosion resistance, and a lift range of 89mm to 381mm. For a daily driver on mild aftermarket springs, or a stock sports car you want to be able to service properly, it performs well. Check your clearance first.
Worth noting: Supercheap also stocks the ToolPRO Low Profile Garage Jack at $232.99 with 3,000kg capacity, which looks compelling on the shelf. The minimum height is 112mm. That is not low-profile for a lowered car and will require ramps on most sports cars with any meaningful spring drop. The Kincrome’s 89mm is the better number for this purpose, despite the lower capacity rating.
Premium: Kincrome K12164 Super Low Profile (~$555)
What makes the Kincrome K12164 worth $554.99?
At 68mm minimum height, the K12164 is the lowest-opening jack in this guide – 2mm lower than the Powerlift and 21mm lower than the K12161. That difference matters on a car sitting at the very bottom of what coilovers allow. Capacity is 1,100kg, which is adequate for any sports car lifted one corner at a time.
The 1,100kg rating is worth understanding. You are never lifting the whole car with one jack, you are lifting one corner or one axle end. For a 1,600kg sports car, that means roughly 400 to 800kg per lifting point depending on weight distribution. The K12164 handles that without drama. Where it reaches its limit is on heavy SUVs or fully loaded vehicles, which are not what this article is about.
This is a Kincrome with a two-year trade warranty, available at Supercheap Auto nationwide. The maximum lift height of 615mm also gives you more working room under the car than any other jack here, useful for more than a quick tyre change.
One edge case: if your car has a front splitter or aggressive bodywork that a standard-length jack fouls before the saddle reaches the jacking point, the Ranger RFJ-3000LPF is the specialist answer. Its 864mm extended chassis solves that specific problem. Contact BendPak Australia on 1300 694 363 for current AUD pricing, US retail is USD $575 as a reference point.
Why You Might Need More Than One
Do you need two jacks to work on a lowered car?
For suspension work: yes. Replacing springs, adjusting coilovers, or doing rear control arms typically requires both wheels off the ground on the same axle simultaneously. One jack lifts and holds a corner while the second supports the other. A single jack means repeated repositioning under a car, which takes longer and introduces instability.
Tyre swaps on lowered cars are cleaner with two jacks as well, particularly where suspension geometry changes noticeably at full droop. If you are already thinking about rubber, the best performance tyres guide covers what matters when choosing a set for Australian conditions.
The buy-two Powerlift case is strong. Two jacks at $169 each comes to $338, less than the Kincrome, more useful than one. If you are doing your own suspension work on a VF Commodore SS, a GR Yaris, or anything you have lowered yourself, two budget jacks serve you better than one mid-range jack in almost every scenario.
What to Put Under the Car
Buy two Powerlift jacks at $169 each if you are doing your own suspension or brake work on a lowered car. You get a pair of AS-compliant, 70mm-clearance jacks for $338.
If you want walk-in retailer service and a warranty you can pursue in person, the Kincrome K12161 at $189.99 is at Supercheap Auto and Total Tools nationwide. Measure your clearance first.
If your car sits at the extreme end of what coilovers allow, the Kincrome K12164 at $554.99 opens at 68mm and gives you 615mm of lift with a two-year Kincrome warranty behind it. The figure most people skip is the minimum height. Check it against your car’s actual sill clearance before you buy anything.
