10 Best Car Battery Chargers Review

Every car owner has experienced their car battery unexpectedly dying at some point, and it results in quite a sticky predicament. If this hasn’t happened to you yet, well, there’s a first time for everything.

Now, while a battery dying is inevitable, what you can prevent from happening is calling a mechanic to charge your battery, which isn’t only a hassle, but also very expensive.

The solution? The best car battery charger that you can store in your trunk and take out if and when you need an emergency charge, so you never have to worry about dealing with a dead battery in the middle of nowhere. No more late or missed appointments, nor huge expenses in untimely car repairs!

Read also related articles: best car batteries, best jump starters, best bluetooth car adapter, best power inverters for car, and best jumper cables.

10 Best Car Battery Chargers

We’ve surveyed the market and tested dozens of options to find the best car battery chargers so you don’t have to. Here’s a list of what we’ve found:

1.  Clore Automotive Jump-N-Carry JNC660 1700 Peak Amp 12 Volt Jump Starter

Our top pick is the Clore Automotive Jump-N-Carry JNC660 1700 Peak Amp 12 Volt Jump Starter, an excellent and worthwhile investment that focuses on giving your battery a jump start with its extended cranking power. In fact, a single charge from this battery charger is enough for several jumps starts.

This way, you don’t have to worry about getting stuck in a stressful situation and dealing with a worn out battery. That’s because it’s packed with several amazing features, such as the 46 inch long heavy duty cable leads that are more than enough to get around most vehicles. There’s also the industrial strength hot jaw clamps that deliver a strong connection at all times.

Meanwhile, the Clore Proformer technology is guaranteed to deliver maximum power along with superior durability and density, so you get to enjoy extensive cranking power as well as long service life. The on-board battery is also automatically recharged for an instant jumpstart whenever you need one.

2.  MOTOPOWER 12V 800mA Automatic Battery Charger

We also really like the MOTOPOWER 12V 800mA Automatic Battery Charger, which is a fully automated charger that works for various vehicles including motorcycles, cars, RVs, ATVs, lawnmowers, boats, powersports, and even toys. It’s really easy to use due to its automatic function, so you just really need to plug and play.

It boasts of a microprocessor controlled special programming that monitors the charging process and automatically stops it once the battery is completely juiced up. Afterward, it also keeps track of the voltage of your car battery and keeps it at maximum charge through the use of a floating current.

Moreover, it’s also packed with lots of safety features aside from overcharging. These include reverse polarity prevention and short circuit protection. The components used are also resistant to sparking, plus the constant pulse current maintenance feature is effective against excessive charging and discharge. All in all, this unit prolongs your battery’s service life.

3.  Battery Tender Plus Charger and Maintainer

Taking the third spot is the Battery Tender Plus Charger and Maintainer, an efficient and cleverly designed battery charger that can charge up your battery and maintain it at an ideal voltage without risking any damage often caused by trickle in cheap quality chargers. It can also alternate between float charging mode and full charge mode.

One of the many things we like about this is that it has a pretty short charging time since it uses a 1.25 amp battery tender that is so much faster than a three amp counterpart. It also features a reverse polarity protection function to keep things safe.

Plus, unlike the Junior variant, the Plus version offers 50% more power which means a faster charge while also limiting the negative effects of battery drainage. This battery charger has also gone through numerous design and software upgrades to keep delivering the level of performance that you expect.

4.  SUAOKI U10 800A Peak 20000mAh Portable Car Jump Starter

Another amazing option is the SUAOKI U10 800A Peak 20000mAh Portable Car Jump Starter, which promises to never let you worry about the power outages, drainages, and blackouts, so you can stay on the road no matter what. This car battery charger is reliable in giving you that much-needed jump start so you can get out of a rut anytime, anywhere.

It’s also packed with lots of convenient features such as two dustproof USB ports, LED lights, and an LCD screen. The ports let you charge electronic devices (except those with 12, 16, and 19 volt outputs) so you don’t always have to rely on your car cigarette lighter receptacle.

Meanwhile, the LCD screen lets you know about your battery consumption and output percentage readings. The LED lights come in three parts- SOS, strobe, and strong, which are helpful in case of an emergency. That said, you do need to ensure that you have the correct polarity connection since the clamps aren’t really protected.

5.  NOCO Genius G3500 6V/12V 3.5 Amp Battery Charger and Maintainer

In fifth place is the NOCO Genius G3500 6V/12V 3.5 Amp Battery Charger and Maintainer, a safe and reliable car battery charger made with advanced technology. This 3.5 amp charger is suitable for both 6 and 12 volt lead acid and lithium batteries up to 120 Ah. You can use it for pretty much any kind of automobile, ranging from cars to RVs, powersport, and marine vehicles.

It’s also really fast charging and can charge your battery twice as fast as other options, while also repairing your damaged battery by working with an onboard computer that monitors your battery’s activity to make sure that charging is safe and efficient. In fact, it can even work with start-stop micro-hybrid vehicles and CANBUS electrical systems.

More than that, it also offers a wide range of safety and innovation features, such as conserving energy expenditure, preventing overcharging, and implementing reverse polarity protection, so you can safely leave your car battery connected the entire day. The best part? It all fits into a lightweight, portable, and compact design that is UV and water resistant.

6.  Battery Tender Junior Charger and Maintainer

Ranking sixth is the Battery Tender Junior Charger and Maintainer, a 12 volt fully automatic car battery charger that is compact, lightweight, and easy to use. This is not a trickle charger, rather, it’s an intelligent one making use of a microprocessor that insurers it’s always juiced up and ready to go, so you can always have an emergency charge for your bicycle, car, RV, and more.

This unit follows a four-stage charging process starting from initialization, to bulk and absorption mode, before going to float or maintenance mode, as soon as it detects that your car battery is already fully charged. This way, it is able to maintain your battery and resume its performance if ever it fails again.

What this means is that you never have to worry about risking damage to your battery due to overcharging. Furthermore, this battery charger is also reverse polarity protected and spark proof, making it ideal for flooded lead-acid or sealed maintenance batteries. It even features two colored LEDs that indicate the charging stage.

7.  BLACK+DECKER BM3B Fully Automatic 6V/12V Battery Charger/Maintainer

Another amazing option we found is the BLACK+DECKER BM3B Fully Automatic 6V/12V Battery Charger/Maintainer, which comes from a reputable brand in the household gadget and tech industry, so you know you’re in for a great experience with their car battery charger. And yes, we are happy to let you know that the BM3B lives up to the Black+Decker name.

For one, it’s suitable for use on various vehicle types, including motorcycles, cars,ATVs, specialty vehicles, RVs, watercraft, and so on- pretty much anything that operates with a system of 6 to 12 volt batteries.

Another great reason to buy this is that it features an integrated circuit that prevents issues such as short circuiting, reverse polarity, and overcharging. To put it simply, its high usability and clever design make it an amazing choice for a battery charger.

8.  ALLPOWERS 18V 12V 5W Portable Solar Panel Car Boat Power

You should also check out the ALLPOWERS 18V 12V 5W Portable Solar Panel Car Boat Power, a unique, innovative, and environmentally friendly option that harnesses the power of the sun with the use of mono-crystalline silicon panels to produce 5 watts of energy and a 300mAh output that can charge your 12 volt batteries.

It features suction cups that you can use to station the charger on your car’s front screen. It’s also lightweight, weatherproof, durable, and comes with a blocking diode that prevents reverse discharging. You just need to plug it into your cigarette lighter receptacle or directly to the car battery by using the included gorilla chips.

This charger also comes with a plug for the lighter receptacle, a 1.5 meter power cord, four suction cups, and a battery charging clip. It works on various cars, bicycles, boats, tractors, and other batteries less than 18 volts. All in all, it’s a great thing to have with you so you never have to worry about dealing with a flat battery in the middle of your road trip.

9.  Schumacher SC1280 6/12V Rapid Battery Charger and 15A Maintainer

You might also want to try the Schumacher SC1280 6/12V Rapid Battery Charger and 15A Maintainer, a fully automatic car battery charger designed with all the latest technology that makes it power efficient and environmentally friendly, not to mention enables you to enjoy twice as fast charging times as compared to regular chargers.

That’s because it boasts of a top-of-the-line fully automated microprocessor that has a 12 amp capacity, and can detect anywhere from 6 to 12 volts. It’s also great for various types of charging- 12 amp for super fast charging, 6 amp for medium charging, and 3 amp for maintaining a charge.

Plus, it’s also lightweight and portable, and can be used on pretty much everything from motorcycles, cars, RVs, trucks, ATVs, snowmobiles, lawn mowers, marines, and more. You’ll also get 50 amp clamps that you can use on both top and side mounted battery posts. Of course, the LED indicators also inform you of the battery’s condition in real time.

10. GOOLOO 1200A Peak 18000mAh SuperSafe Car Jump Starter

Finally, there’s also the GOOLOO 1200A Peak 18000mAh SuperSafe Car Jump Starter, which is a bit on the smaller side but is surprisingly packed with various bells and whistles to give you everything you need from a car battery charger aside from, of course, a proper jump start. These include 18,000mAh of energy, an SOS light signal, and an LED flashlight.

The light signal works for more than 120 hours per charge, and the flashlight comes with three illumination modes. And, all of these things come in a small package that fits right in your glove box. Moreover, the safety features of this battery charger are also impressive with its integrated overcharge, overload, overvoltage, and short circuit protection.

All things considered, this is a pretty good deal for a portable car battery charger. You just need to be careful about a few things, such as using it in particularly hot or cold temperatures, since its optimum operating temperature ranges from -20 to 60 degrees celsius. It can also do only four jump starts every couple of minutes so you might have to be a little patient.

The best car battery charger buying guide

There are plenty of options on the market when it comes to the car battery charger, but not all of them will work well with your needs. This is why you need to be careful in choosing a brand and model before buying.

For instance, you need to figure out whether you want a simple solution that easily jumpstarts your battery, or you want something that can maintain it, or something even more complex than that. You also need to consider what sorts of features you want from your car battery charger, not to mention set a budget that works for you.

Battery and charger type

Different vehicles use different types of batteries. For example, most cars have lead acid batteries, and RVs typically use deep-cycle batteries. It’s important to know what kind of battery your vehicle has so you can buy a compatible battery charger.

Speaking of battery chargers, they also come in many different types with varying capabilities. To help you understand, we’ll talk about each of these types below:

Charger

The first is a basic car battery charger that has the sole function of restoring the juice of your car battery in the event of a close or total discharge. There are plenty of options on the market for this type of battery charger, and in various sizes, shapes, and amperages you need for your car’s battery.

Maintainer

There are also battery maintainers, which technically don’t jump start your battery. Rather, they prevent a complete discharge from happening in the first place by maintaining your battery’s juice. Battery maintainers are great for, well, general battery maintenance, as well as quick fill ups, as long as you use them regularly.

Restorer

Finally, you will also find a few battery restorers, which serve the purpose of breathing new life into an old battery by breaking down various contaminants that have built up inside the battery’s cells, therefore enabling it to hold a charge again. That said, battery restorers are expensive and are mostly reserved for professional applications.

Manual vs automatic charger

Battery chargers can also be manual or fully automatic. On one hand, manual chargers are ideal for reviving your dead battery, but on the other hand, automatic chargers are a lot easier to use and can even regulate the charging process so your battery doesn’t suffer from damage caused by overcharging.

Power requirement

You will find that battery chargers offer differing power capacities. Lower capacity chargers are great for slow charges and maintaining the battery over time, whereas high capacity chargers are a must for doing jump starts and for fast charging capabilities.

Battery charger size

Generally speaking, the larger the battery charger, the more power it offers. However, this also means that it can be a bit difficult to use, not to mention find a suitable space inside your vehicle. This is why many drivers prefer more portable options.

Budget

Now, battery chargers aren’t really all that expensive, but you’ll still want to consider how much you want to spend on one. Aside from the brand, the power capacity and relevant safety and convenient features that a battery charger offers also directly affect its price. So, if you want a better, higher power, and more reliable charger, prepare to spend a bit more.

Final Thoughts

It’s not only a convenience, but a necessity, to have a means of charging your flat battery when you’re out on the road, so you don’t have to deal with a car that just won’t start while you’re stuck in the cold or hot outdoors. Car battery chargers not only give you your needed jump start, but can also maintain your battery so a complete discharge never happens again.

The best car battery charger for us is the Clore Automotive Jump-N-Carry JNC660 1700 Peak Amp 12 Volt Jump Starter, which is a high powered, feature packed, technologically advanced, durable, and long lasting car battery charger that is well worth your money.