The best car battery chargers
Keep a car, motorbike or mower battery healthy through the winter: five smart chargers that charge it, look after it and can stay connected for months.
A smart charger does more than put charge back into a flat battery. It checks the battery first, charges it in stages, then drops to a maintenance charge and stays there, so a car that’s only used at weekends, a classic laid up for the winter or a motorbike in the shed starts first time. All five here can be left connected, and all allow for the cold, though the Ring does it with a mode chosen by hand.
Check what a charger covers before buying: 6V for older bikes and classics, 24V for trucks and some boats, and lithium (LiFePO4) only on the NOCO and the Ring. NOCO’s guide sets out the usual safety steps: charge somewhere well ventilated, fit the red clamp to the positive terminal first and the black one to the chassis or engine block away from the battery, and take them off in reverse.
What matters
- Charging current: a higher figure charges big batteries faster; a few amps is plenty for maintenance.
- Voltage: 6V for classics and older bikes, 24V for trucks and some boats.
- Battery type: AGM or EFB for most stop-start cars, and lithium only where the maker lists it.
- A maintenance mode, a repair mode and adjustment for cold weather.
#1 of 5
Best overall
CTEK MXS 5.0 Battery Charger
£89.90 RRP
An eight-step charger that checks the battery, charges it and then keeps it topped up for as long as it stays connected, adjusting the voltage for the temperature as it goes. CTEK started out in 1997 in Vikmanshyttan, a village in Sweden.
What owners say: Owners like how small it is next to most chargers, and that the eyelet lead can stay fixed to the battery terminals so connecting up takes seconds. They also find the instructions explain each charging stage clearly.
A closer look: Choose the program by battery: the small-battery setting for motorbikes and mowers, the normal one for cars, and the AGM option for the batteries in many stop-start cars. It charges batteries up to 110Ah and will maintain ones up to 160Ah, which covers most cars and small vans.
- 5A for 12V batteries up to 110Ah
- 8-step automatic charging
- Recond mode and AGM setting
- Automatic temperature compensation
- IP65, 5-year warranty
Best for: Set-and-forget winter care
- Charging current
- 5A
- Battery voltage
- 12V
- Battery types
- Lead-acid (AGM, EFB, gel)
- Maintenance mode
- Yes
- Repair mode
- Recond mode
- Temperature compensation
- Automatic
- Display
- LEDs
#2 of 5
Runner-up
NOCO GENIUS5 Smart Battery Charger (5A)
£50–£75 Price range
Charges 6V and 12V batteries, lithium (LiFePO4) as well as lead-acid, so one charger covers the car, a 6V classic and a lithium motorbike battery. NOCO goes back to 1914, when Joseph Henry Nook founded the company.
What owners say: Owners find it compact and solidly made, and several have brought four-year-old batteries back to life with it.
A closer look: The mounting bracket and screws in the box let it live on the garage wall. Charge lights climb from 25 to 100 per cent, then the green one pulses while it maintains. Lithium mode is only for LiFePO4 batteries with their own management system, as NOCO’s guide points out.
- 5A for 6V and 12V batteries
- Lead-acid and lithium (LiFePO4)
- Built-in thermal sensor
- Repair mode and Force Mode
- IP65, 3-year warranty
Best for: Lead-acid and lithium, 6V or 12V
- Charging current
- 5A
- Battery voltage
- 6V and 12V
- Battery types
- Lead-acid (AGM, EFB), lithium
- Maintenance mode
- Yes
- Repair mode
- Repair mode
- Temperature compensation
- Automatic
- Display
- LEDs
#3 of 5
Best budget
PROFIKLA 8A Smart Battery Charger (12V and 24V)
£10–£20 Price range
A lot of charger for very little: 8A for car batteries, a 24V setting for vans and trucks and a gentle 1.5A motorcycle mode, with a screen showing the voltage, current and charge level as it works.
What owners say: Owners find it straightforward and compact enough to take along on a moped, and some have revived car batteries they’d written off.
A closer look: Pick the mode to suit the battery: car or truck for big batteries, motorcycle for small ones, AGM for AGM and calcium types, and repair for one that’s been left flat. It takes 12V batteries from 6 to 150Ah and 24V from 6 to 100Ah, though not lithium.
- 8A at 12V, 4A at 24V
- Motorcycle mode up to 1.5A
- Repair mode for tired batteries
- Automatic summer and winter modes
- LCD with voltage, current and charge %
Best for: Cars, vans and bikes for less
- Charging current
- 8A (4A at 24V)
- Battery voltage
- 12V and 24V
- Battery types
- Lead-acid (AGM, gel)
- Maintenance mode
- Yes
- Repair mode
- Repair mode
- Temperature compensation
- Auto summer/winter
- Display
- LCD
#4 of 5
Most powerful
NEXPEAK NC201 10A Battery Charger (12V and 24V)
£20–£30 Price range
The highest charging current on the list, 10A for 12V batteries and 5A for 24V, for large car, marine and deep-cycle batteries. It works through seven stages on its own, with pulse repair for batteries that have started to sulphate.
What owners say: Buyers say there's nothing to puzzle over in setting it up, and it's small enough to leave on the battery with the bonnet shut while it charges.
Heads up: It needs some charge left to start with (NEXPEAK says it can’t revive a totally dead battery), so connect it before a flat battery has sat for weeks.
A closer look: The screen cycles through voltage, current, charge percentage and the temperature inside the unit, and shows whether it’s in summer or winter mode. Once the battery is full it carries on as a trickle charger, so it can stay clipped on in the garage.
- 10A at 12V, 5A at 24V
- 7-stage automatic charging
- Pulse repair for sulphation
- Temperature compensation
- 2-year warranty
Best for: Big and 24V batteries
- Charging current
- 10A (5A at 24V)
- Battery voltage
- 12V and 24V
- Battery types
- Lead-acid (AGM, gel)
- Maintenance mode
- Yes
- Repair mode
- Automatic pulse repair
- Temperature compensation
- Automatic
- Display
- LCD
#5 of 5
Best budget lithium
Ring SmartCharge 4A Charger and Maintainer (RSC904)
£29.99 RRP
The low-cost way to look after lithium batteries: a compact 4A charger for 6V and 12V LiFePO4, lead-acid, AGM and EFB batteries, rated IP65 for rain and snow so it can work out on the driveway.
What owners say: It charges briskly, owners report, and can stay connected without overcharging the battery.
A closer look: Ring pitches it at petrol and diesel engines up to 2 litres, stop-start included, with batteries up to 90Ah to charge and 140Ah to maintain, so bigger 4x4s and vans suit a stronger charger. A hanging hook and quick-release lead make it easy to leave connected overnight.
- 4A for 6V and 12V batteries
- Lithium, AGM, EFB and gel
- 9-stage charging, cold weather mode
- IP65 for rain and snow
- Backlit LCD
Best for: Lithium on a budget
- Charging current
- 4A
- Battery voltage
- 6V and 12V
- Battery types
- Lead-acid (AGM, EFB), lithium
- Maintenance mode
- Yes
- Repair mode
- Yes
- Temperature compensation
- Cold weather mode
- Display
- Backlit LCD
How they compare
| Feature | #1CTEK MXS 5.0 | #2NOCO GENIUS5 | #3PROFIKLA 8A | #4NEXPEAK NC201 | #5Ring SmartCharge 4A |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall | Runner-up | Best budget | Most powerful | Best budget lithium | |
| Picked Rating | 9.5 | 9.2 | 9.0 | 8.9 | 8.6 |
| Price | £89.90 RRP | £50–£75 Price range | £10–£20 Price range | £20–£30 Price range | £29.99 RRP |
| Charging current | 5A | 5A | 8A (4A at 24V) | 10A (5A at 24V) | 4A |
| Battery voltage | 12V | 6V and 12V | 12V and 24V | 12V and 24V | 6V and 12V |
| Battery types | Lead-acid (AGM, EFB, gel) | Lead-acid (AGM, EFB), lithium | Lead-acid (AGM, gel) | Lead-acid (AGM, gel) | Lead-acid (AGM, EFB), lithium |
| Maintenance mode | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Repair mode | Recond mode | Repair mode | Repair mode | Automatic pulse repair | Yes |
| Temperature compensation | Automatic | Automatic | Auto summer/winter | Automatic | Cold weather mode |
| Display | LEDs | LEDs | LCD | LCD | Backlit LCD |
| Best for | Set-and-forget winter care | Lead-acid and lithium, 6V or 12V | Cars, vans and bikes for less | Big and 24V batteries | Lithium on a budget |
| Check price | View on Amazon | View on Amazon | View on Amazon | View on Amazon | View on Amazon |
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