Best Car Battery Charger Reviews

The best battery charger is a must for all people spending most of their time on the road. Any car may act unpredictably. It just doesn’t start when you are in a hurry and cannot miss the most important meeting in your life. To avoid such a notorious scenario, a good and considerate driver should always have a smart battery charger in the truck.

What’s the advantage of a smart battery charger over a common one? It has the in-built microprocessor constantly monitoring the battery condition and informing you of any potential risks that may affect the car battery. The smart charger does not deteriorate chemistry inside a battery and eliminates the risk of you getting stuck in the middle of the highway.

There are lots of various battery charger options in the market. They vary in power, capacity, durability, and charging technologies used in the design. To get a general image of which battery type fits in with your car, we’ve made the list of the most popular choices that combine a budget-friendly price and high-end characteristics.

Read on below to find out the most advanced models of car battery chargers that are able to protect your vehicle from premature breakup and make your driving secure and smooth.

Battery Charger Reviews

Clore Automotive Jump-N-Carry JNC660

This starter provides secure and long charge for all types of vehicles. With an extremely high cranking power of 425 amps, the JNC660 is capable of starting any engine in less than 30 seconds. You will find it particularly convenient in use because of the built-in automatic 12v battery charger that maintains your car energy and minimizes the risk of battery discharge. Automatic charging allows the user to leave the starter in charging mode for hours and days without exposing it to overcharging or explosion.

The design involves modern anti-corrosion technologies that prolong the starter life service and prevent it from deterioration. The Clore comes bundled with two copper insulated cables enabling reliable electrical connection with a vehicle. The starter has an LED indicator panel telling about the charging mode as well as a voltmeter desk informing the user of a voltage level.

The starter has a heavy duty case enhancing resistance to a variety of shocks and harsh weather conditions. Keep in mind that the start has to be charged at least once a month to keep it in an operable state.

DBPOWER 600A

This top rated battery charger with 600 peak amps is able to start your car in a blink of an eye, but it is not the only advantage of the DBPOWER 600A.

The starter has the built-in USB port allowing you to charge any digital devices and electrical equipment. With an enormous capacity of 18000 mAh, it can provide up to 20 full charges for any engine. The DBPOWER features high usability. The LED-illuminated display lets you know about the amount of available power and indicates the current charging mode, whereas the compass embedded in the case is always of great help if you’ve got stranded.

The high-power booster is multi-voltage and can be compatible with 12V, 16V, and 19V equipment, which substantially extends its area of application.

Despite extremely powerful abilities, the 600A is not heavy and very compact to be kept in the glove compartment. There are also a number of accessories included in the kit, such as jumper clamps and two 12V chargers.

CTEK (56-353) MULTI US 7002

The CTEK has every chance to be a good battery charger for its unique 8-stage charging system providing the maximum safety for vehicles.

The charger is designed to maintain 12V lead-acid batteries within a short period of time. Advanced technologies integrated by CTEK allow for correct and fast analysis of a battery condition and subsequent effective energy maintenance. The CTEK 7002 also excels at reconditioning dead batteries that have been out of use for many months. Likewise, it prevents the formation of sulfates that damage the chemistry of new and healthy batteries.

The booster is spark-free, waterproof, dustproof, and able to operate at extremely cold temperatures and in all climates. Like all smart chargers, the Multi US 7002 is safely protected from short-circuit and alarms the user of incorrect connection without starting the charging process.

The charger is not heavy and easily portable. It comes bundled with some necessary accessories facilitating the CTEK 7002 connection to a target battery.

Battery Tender Plus 021-0128

Of all the battery charger reviews here, this one occupies a special place as the Plus employs the latest technologies allowing the user to replenish energy rapidly and safely.

Unlike trickle chargers, this charger brings no damage to your car. The smart microprocessor constantly analyzes the battery condition and chooses the most convenient charging mode to keep the battery in operation. After reaching full charge, the battery no longer absorbs energy because the Plus enters floating mode protecting your devices from overheating and breakdown.

Another thing to appreciate is that the booster is able to adjust the temperature to maintain the optimal environment for charging.

The charger has a hard case protected from reverse polarity and short-circuits. It has built-in LED indicators to warn about a poor battery condition.

The product is followed by a variety of AC/DC cords, ring terminals, and clips to ensure a solid electrical connection between the Plus 021-0128 and devices in need of charge.

Optima Digital 400

Optima offers another amazing battery charger option for users who search for high-power performance and instant energy supply.

The charger is able to revive any dead battery by reconditioning the chemistry affected by long-term disuse. It features an extraordinary power that suffices to start any type of engine, including those employed in marine and motor transport.

The Optima does not shorten battery durability but allows benefitting from its service much longer. The starter maintains healthy batteries in a good condition without affecting the chemistry inside. The built-in microprocessor is also aimed at detecting flaws in discharged batteries and supplying maximum energy to give them a second breath.

You will be pleased with the USB port allowing the driver to charge their gadgets right in the middle of driving. The Optima is backed by spark-proof technologies minimizing the risk of explosion even with intense use of the charger.

In view of all the abilities the buyer gets, the Optima Digital 400 can fairly be one of the best battery chargers in 2019.

Schumacher SEM-1562A-CA

This model is the cheapest on the list but is no way inferior to all the other top battery chargers here.

The Schumacher is good at dealing with both 6V and 12V batteries. It automatically detects the battery type and the amount of energy to be provided. The system is backed by the microprocessor monitoring the battery condition and allows the charger to choose the most appropriate mode of charge. The built-in LED indicators let the user know whether the battery maintainer operates safely.

Schumacher embraces advanced spark-proof technologies. The charging program involves floating mode that stops the charger from overheating and overcharging.

The charger is pretty simple to handle. Even an inexperienced user will be able to grasp how to connect and remove rings and terminals to start charging.

I’d recommend this product for users with a limited budget or looking for a small and portable charger to maintain equipment consuming a little energy.

MOTOPOWER MP00205A

It is not easy to go first in a myriad of battery charger ratings, but the MP00205A has amazing high-end specs promising high performance.

The charger is absolutely auto-programmed and needs no manual control. The program involves all stages of safe charging with float mode being the last. It does not only provide quick charge but also turn dead batteries into healthy. The design is very simple and ergonomic. One LED display is intended to inform the user of battery charging status.

The battery maintainer is compatible with all safety standards and incorporates spark-proof technologies that eliminate the risk of explosion during charging. Likewise, you have no reasons to worry about short-circuit or reverse polarity.

The MP00205A targets a large variety of electrical equipment, so you will be able to apply to your engine as well as your laptop or tablet.

The product is provided with extra accessories that include alligator clips and ring terminals both serving to enable solid electrical connection.

Buyers Guide

What is the best battery charger?

It is not an easy question, but you can find the right answer by thinking of the following:

Battery type

Some battery chargers are versatile and are able to charge lots of battery types, including AGM, flooded, deep cycle, etc. Others are strictly specific and can maintain only one battery type. This means that before buying a battery charger, you should envisage which batteries you are going to maintain or recover. If you hook up a charger with non-compatible equipment, you risk impairing either or both of them.

Power capacity

High power capacity is a common characteristic of energy-consuming equipment, for example, engines, while low capacity is usually typical of small devices. Enormous battery capacity is not always an advantage when you deal mostly with equipment that needs small amounts of charge. Extremely strong charging current may lead to battery breakdown or damage the chemicals inside a battery. Commonly, the maximum charge current should constitute 20% of the battery capacity.

Multi-bank chargers

A multi-bank charger seems very appealing in terms of usability, but you should be considerate to set the smallest size of all battery chargers to prevent overheating or not to slow down the charging process.

How to apply a car battery charger?

The battery chemistry is prone to produce hydrogen that tends to explode under certain conditions. To avoid such a scenario and be able to exploit the battery safely, stick to the following rules:

• Do not apply one battery charger to all batteries available at home.
• Always read the user’s manual before using a charger. You should have a clear and correct image of how it is supposed to operate.
• Do not forget to take away battery cables from terminals.
• The charger should not be plugged in if it is not charging.
• Check that a positive cable gets connected to a positive terminal. Apply the same principle to the negative one.
• If the charger is not deactivated automatically, make sure you set the time of charging.
• Turn off the charger after the battery has reached full charge.
• Always detach the cables after you no longer need to charge the battery.

How long to charge a car battery?

If we talk about the best 12 volt battery charger, the only factor defining the time of charging is the amperage of the charger you’ve bought. High amps are an indication of fast charging, while low amps will make you wait a little to have your battery fully recharged.

Here are a few possible amperage options.

40 Amps

This level of amperage suffices to instantly start a car. Charging will last no more than 2 minutes. This type of charger is an excellent choice for giving a battery a powerful and quick charge. Those who do not like waiting will find this charger of much use but beware of overcharging.

2 Amps

This amperage is not intended to charge rapidly, so it will take 24 to 48 hours to have your battery charged. This type of charger is fit to those users who try to maintain a battery without boosting it.

What’s an average lifespan of car batteries?

The life service is mostly defined by power capacity and initial durability. A car battery is expected to serve between 5 and 6 years under ideal conditions. In reality, however, there are some factors that affect the battery operation and may shorten its life service. In the end, car batteries commonly die after 2-3 years of active use.

These bad factors are high humidity and extremely cold or hot climates that incite changes in chemicals. However, you can alleviate the detrimental impact of these conditions by preventing the battery from excessive sunlight exposure as well as controlling that the battery is never left plugged in after full charge has been provided.

What happens to an overcharged battery?

Many novices make the same mistake when dealing with a powerful battery starter. They are too excited to revive their dead battery and often forget to stop charging at the right moment, so killing their battery anew.

Overcharging affects chemicals which start heating up the battery case. As soon as the case is ruined, hydrogen and oxygen are able to penetrate it. At this point, the battery becomes a real bomb that can explode in the event that the smallest electrical spark takes place around.
Luckily, the explosion is a very rare scenario in real life, but the battery deterioration is a typical one if you do not disconnect it from a charger timely.

To avoid this experience, my recommendation is to employ only the best rated battery charger (like those you’ve read above) and regularly monitor the battery charging status while it is plugged in.