Top 5 compared
The best car battery chargers
Batteries kept full and ready to start, for a car parked out at −25°C or a motorcycle stored until spring.
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The top 5 at a glance
A battery charger clips to the battery terminals and plugs into a wall outlet. A smart one checks the battery first, charges it in stages, then drops to a maintenance charge and holds it there, so it can stay connected all winter without overcharging. Many come with ring terminals that stay bolted to the battery, so the charger plugs straight in without opening the clamps.
Cold is hard on batteries: CAA puts a car battery’s life at three to five years and suggests having one older than three checked before the cold sets in. NOCO’s guide sets out the safe way to connect: somewhere well ventilated, red clamp to the positive terminal first, black to bare metal on the chassis or engine block, and off in reverse.
What matters
- Amps: one or two to maintain, five or more to recharge.
- Temperature compensation, for a charger in a cold garage.
- AGM support, for the batteries in many newer cars.
- 6V, for classics and older motorcycles.
#1NOCO GENIUS5 Smart Battery Charger (5A)
$75–$100
A built-in thermal sensor adjusts the charge to a cold garage, five amps brings a run-down car battery back, and it can then stay connected all winter. It takes 6V and 12V, lead-acid and lithium (LiFePO4), so the car, a 6V classic and a lithium motorcycle battery are all covered. CTEK’s MXS 5.0, which owners rate higher, costs more and takes 12V lead-acid batteries only.
What owners say: Hooking it up is simple and the rest is automatic, by owners’ accounts, and it keeps batteries healthy; one has brought more than one dead battery back to life with it. Its small size, solid build and modes for every kind of battery all win praise.
A closer look: The bracket and screws in the box let it live on the garage wall, and its 1.8 m (72 in) power cord and 2 m (80 in) charging cable reach a car parked nose-in. Lithium mode is only for LiFePO4 batteries with their own management system, as NOCO’s guide points out.
- Wall bracket and screws included
- Reaches a car parked nose-in
- 3-year warranty
Best for: Classic cars, motorcycles and daily drivers
- Charging power (amps)
- 5A
- Battery size
- Up to 120Ah
- Battery voltage
- 6V and 12V
- Battery types
- Lead-acid (AGM, gel), lithium
- Maintenance mode
- Yes
- Repair mode
- Auto desulfation, Force Mode
- Temperature compensation
- Automatic
#2CTEK MXS 5.0 Battery Charger (4.3A, 12V)
$100–$150
Built to be left on: it checks the battery, charges it in eight steps, then holds it at full for as long as it’s connected, adjusting the charge to the temperature as it goes, so a car can sit on it from November to April. It comes in an IP65 case with a five-year warranty, and CTEK started out in 1997 in Vikmanshyttan, a village in Sweden.
What owners say: Simple to use and at home on all sorts of vehicles, owners say, bringing batteries back to full and keeping them there; one is still going strong after eight years, and the reconditioning mode earns praise for reviving older batteries.
A closer look: Choose the program by battery: the small-battery setting for motorcycles and mowers, the normal one for cars, and the AGM option for the batteries in many newer cars. It charges batteries up to 110Ah and maintains ones up to 160Ah, which covers most cars, pickups and SUVs.
- 8-step automatic charging
- Small-battery program for motorcycles
- Dustproof, water-resistant case
- 5-year warranty
- Clamps and eyelets included
Best for: Set-and-forget winter care
- Charging power (amps)
- 4.3A
- Battery size
- Charges to 110Ah, maintains to 160Ah
- Battery voltage
- 12V
- Battery types
- Lead-acid (AGM, EFB)
- Maintenance mode
- Yes
- Repair mode
- Recond mode
- Temperature compensation
- Automatic
#3NOCO GENIUS2 Smart Battery Charger (2A)
$50–$75
The GENIUS5’s smaller sibling: 2 amps for 6V and 12V batteries, lead-acid or lithium. NOCO designs it for batteries up to 40Ah, the size in most motorcycles, mowers and ATVs, and says it will maintain bigger ones, so it also suits a car that sits for weeks.
What owners say: Small enough to leave under the hood, owners say, with instructions that are easy to follow; it keeps batteries in good health and copes with lithium as well as lead-acid, and one credits it with reviving a completely dead battery. One finds it too slow for bigger batteries.
A closer look: At 2 amps a full-size car battery that has gone completely dead takes a long while, so it’s at its best keeping a stored car, motorcycle or mower topped off between rides. The mounting bracket in the box lets it hang on the garage wall next to whatever it looks after.
- Mounting bracket in the box
- LED status indicators
- 3-year warranty
Best for: ATVs and mowers between rides
- Charging power (amps)
- 2A
- Battery size
- Up to 40Ah (maintains bigger)
- Battery voltage
- 6V and 12V
- Battery types
- Lead-acid (AGM, gel), lithium
- Maintenance mode
- Yes
- Repair mode
- Auto desulfation, Force Mode
- Temperature compensation
- Automatic
#4NEXPEAK NC215 Smart Battery Charger (15A, 12V and 24V)
$30–$50
Fifteen amps at 12 volts brings a big truck, RV or boat battery back from low far sooner than a maintainer can, and it charges 24-volt batteries too, at 8 amps. Nine stages end in a float charge that can run all winter, and it compensates for the temperature, with a winter mode for the cold months.
What owners say: Owners say it does the job reliably and feels solid and well made, and they like the charging speed, the choice of modes and the charge reading on the screen; opinions on its power vary.
Heads up: It’s a charger, not a jump starter, and NEXPEAK says it can’t bring back a battery that has dropped to 0 volts.
A closer look: The screen shows the voltage, the current going in and the battery’s charge percentage, so it’s clear when a big battery is done. Its 2 m (6.7 ft) cord runs from the clamps to the plug, and a cooling system works while it charges, so leave space around it rather than shutting it in a box.
- Colour screen shows charge %
- 9-stage charging
- 2 m (6.7 ft) cord
- Built-in cooling system
- 2-year warranty
Best for: Pickups, RVs and boats
- Charging power (amps)
- 15A (8A at 24V)
- Battery size
- –
- Battery voltage
- 12V and 24V
- Battery types
- Lead-acid (AGM, gel, flooded), lithium
- Maintenance mode
- Yes
- Repair mode
- Pulse repair
- Temperature compensation
- Automatic, winter mode
#5MOTOPOWER MP00205A Battery Maintainer (800mA, 12V)
$10–$20
A pocket-sized 12-volt maintainer for a motorcycle, a summer car or a lawn tractor parked until spring. At 800 milliamps it charges a motorcycle battery of up to 30Ah and, slowly, a car battery of up to 80Ah, then holds it on a steady float so it doesn’t run down over the winter.
What owners say: Clip it on and forget it, owners say: it’s small, keeps batteries charged and, as one notes, never overcharges. Some call it dependable, while others had one stop working after about a year.
Heads up: MOTOPOWER rates it for indoor use only, from −20°C to 50°C, so run it in a garage or shed rather than out on the driveway.
A closer look: Leave the fused ring-terminal cable bolted to the battery all season and the charger plugs onto it in a second, with no clamps to fumble for in the cold. A 24-hour timer ends the main charge and switches to float, so it never keeps pushing current into a battery that won’t take it.
- Ring terminals stay bolted on
- Won’t overcharge, 24-hour timer
- Spark-free, reverse-polarity safe
- Pocket-sized
- Alligator clips also included
Best for: Summer cars and bikes, kept indoors
- Charging power (amps)
- 0.8A
- Battery size
- Motorcycles to 30Ah, cars to 80Ah
- Battery voltage
- 12V
- Battery types
- Lead-acid (AGM, gel, flooded)
- Maintenance mode
- Yes
- Repair mode
- Auto desulfation
- Temperature compensation
- No
How they compare
Swipe sideways or rotate device to see all 5.
| Feature | #1NOCO GENIUS5 | #2CTEK MXS 5.0 | #3NOCO GENIUS2 | #4NEXPEAK NC215 | #5MOTOPOWER MP00205A |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall | Best premium | Most powerful | Best budget | ||
| Picked Rating | 9.2 | 9.4 | 9.1 | 9.0 | 8.8 |
| Price | $75–$100 | $100–$150 | $50–$75 | $30–$50 | $10–$20 |
| Charging power (amps) | 5A | 4.3A | 2A | 15A (8A at 24V) | 0.8A |
| Battery size | Up to 120Ah | Charges to 110Ah, maintains to 160Ah | Up to 40Ah (maintains bigger) | – | Motorcycles to 30Ah, cars to 80Ah |
| Battery voltage | 6V and 12V | 12V | 6V and 12V | 12V and 24V | 12V |
| Battery types | Lead-acid (AGM, gel), lithium | Lead-acid (AGM, EFB) | Lead-acid (AGM, gel), lithium | Lead-acid (AGM, gel, flooded), lithium | Lead-acid (AGM, gel, flooded) |
| Maintenance mode | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Repair mode | Auto desulfation, Force Mode | Recond mode | Auto desulfation, Force Mode | Pulse repair | Auto desulfation |
| Temperature compensation | Automatic | Automatic | Automatic | Automatic, winter mode | No |
| Best for | Classic cars, motorcycles and daily drivers | Set-and-forget winter care | ATVs and mowers between rides | Pickups, RVs and boats | Summer cars and bikes, kept indoors |
| Buy now | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon |
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