The most common use for a battery charger is to keep a rarely used vehicle charged during off-season or inactivity. If this is the reason you are looking for a battery it can seem quite straightforward but there are plenty of extra points to consider.

Thinking about everything that you need from a charger will assist you in making the right choice. To help you even further we have compiled a list of all of the best car battery charger models on the market and provided some unbeatable advice on selecting the one that suits you.

Understanding Amp Hours

Find out how many Amp hours your battery stores. An example of a typical size is around 50 Amp hours. Each battery in our list includes an amp measurement; this is an indicator of how quickly the model will charge a battery. A generally used calculation to work out the total charge time is to take the amp hour rating of your battery, divide by the charger amps rating and then add around 10%. For example, a 50 amp battery would take around 6 hours to charge with a 10 amp unit.

  • Extra Tip: Skip The Jump Starters. One of the biggest mistakes that buyers make when looking for the best car battery charger is to purchase a jump-starter instead. These devices hold a larger charge that is needed to start an engine when the vehicle’s battery is dead but cannot be used to charge over long periods of time.

Top 10 Car Battery Chargers Complete Table

PictureNameAmpsPriceOur Rating (1-5)
Picture
Name
Amps
Price
Our Rating (1-5)
1. CTEK (56-158) MULTI US 33007$$$4.7
2. Battery Tender Plus1.25$$4.7
3. NOCO Genius G11001.1$$4.5
4. NOCO Genius G750 7.2$$$4.5
5. Black & Decker BC15BD15$$4.4
6. Black & Decker BM3B 1.5$4.4
7. Schumacher SC-1200A Speed Charge12$$4.3
8. Schumacher SSC-1000A Speed Charge10$$$4.3
9. Schumacher SE-4022 Wheeled Charger2-40$$$$4.3
10. Stanley BC68096$$3.8

How to Choose A Car Battery Charger

After you have chosen the right charger to suit your needs you then have to think about how you are going to use it. This seems like a strange consideration but many buyers make the mistake of not thinking about just how portable the charger is.

Several models on the list are much bulkier than you’d imagine a charger is. If you are looking at moving the charger around a lot or storing it away from home then this is certainly something to keep in mind. By focusing on physical size of the charger as well as the output you will be able to strike the right balance between the two.

Top 3 Best Car Battery Charger Reviews

1. CTEK (56-158) MULTI US 3300

For a reliable car battery charger that always performs when you need it, you cannot go wrong with the CTEK (56-158). This brand of charger is known for producing weatherproof units that drivers can trust and this model does not disappoint. The charger itself has an indicator of the power for the battery to show whether it is low or full. It can be used for various kinds of vehicles and has setting for each of those too. It can be used for motorcycles, cars and even gel batteries.

This is a more efficient charger because it will shut itself off when the battery has been fully charged. This makes it great for winter storage tending and taking batteries that would otherwise be almost dead and bring that back to working condition. This unit has even been shown to recharge boat batteries although this is a slower process.

It should be noted that this model has heavy gauge wiring and durable alligator clips that make it even more pleasant to use. The fact that this battery can also be left connected for extended periods of time or indefinitely without any damage to it or the battery is a huge benefit that should be carefully considered. The pulse method of charging that this unit uses is also more effective than other traditional methods when trying to use a battery that hasn’t taken a charge in any other manner. This means that this model is a great all-round choice.

2. Battery Tender Plus

The Battery Tender Plus is perfect for replacing old chargers as well as getting started with a new one to revive a battery. This battery even restarts batteries that mechanics have deemed as “bad” and needing to be replaced.

This unit can be used as a permanently installed part to a battery or for occasional use. There is also never any worry of overcharging or not keeping batteries at full charge, which can plague many chargers that are used as fixtures for a long time.

The reliability of this charger is really the aspect that makes it most worth the money. It always works as it should and always keeps batteries charged without causing any damage. The design of this unit is well thought out and makes it easy to use as it is one of the most portable and lightweight.

3. NOCO Genius G1100

Buying the NOCO Genius G1100 6V/12V means being able to restart batteries that were thought to be dead or unusable as well as charge batteries that need a little help getting to full capacity. This model is great quality and is easy for individuals of various levels and familiarity with cars to use. It is light and has all of the features you want from a charger without being complicated in any way.

Anyone that is not really experienced with using chargers or familiar with batteries will find the manual or users guide extremely helpful as this details everything the charger can really do. Something that pushes this charger even further ahead of the competition is the feature that indicates the battery’s health. No matter how old the battery is, this charger will let you know if it is salvageable using this particular model.

WRITTEN BY

Garrett

I grew up working on my own cars and motorcycles and 15 years later I love still getting my hands dirty.