Like it or not, even the best car batteries can be, at worst, incredibly unpredictable. When your car battery dies, you're most likely going at the mercy of a friendly stranger with jump leads or a potentially pricey breakdown coverage - which is precisely why you need one of the best car battery chargers.
Best car battery chargers of 2024 at a glance:
Best car battery charger: CTEK CT5 Start/Stop Smart Battery Charger - Buy now on Amazon UK
Best budget car battery charger: Ring RSC806, 6 Amp Battery Charger and Maintainer - Buy now on Amazon UK
Best solar-powered car battery charger: ECO-WORTHY 10W 12V Solar Trickle Charger - Buy now on Amazon UK
Best traditional car battery charger: Ring RCB212 12V Battery Charger - Buy now on Amazon UK
Recondition a battery that's seen better days, give your car some juice when you're stuck and in a pinch, and do it all in a conveniently portable pack. The best car battery chargers, including portable solar chargers, are absolutely brilliant for the price and are a must for drivers, especially during the colder seasons. For those needing additional power, a leisure battery will offer you a more reliable solution to keep you going.
But deciphering the endless car battery jargon, between 6-volt, 12-volt, trickle charging, CTEK and more - knowing what car battery charger is best for you is a bit of a nightmare. Worse yet, the prices of car batteries can range from cheap to downright expensive, so if you're not in the know about car battery chargers, you'll likely need some assistance.
We're here to help break down the acronyms, decipher the voltage, and find the very best car battery charger for you with ten of the best car battery chargers on the market. These industry-leading car battery chargers are perfect for saving your skin at the most opportune moment and are packed with features that you're bound to love.
The best car battery chargers of 2024:
Best CTEK battery charger
CTEK's 40-106 smart battery charger is designed for modern cars with start/stop functions (micro hybrid cars, this is the battery charger for you). Use this car battery charger to get your drained battery up and running again, or use it once a month for maintenance and reconditioning. Light and easy to store whilst also being affordable, there's no denying the CTEK 40-106's excellence.
For car enthusiasts, however, you might crave more features - and with such a simple and easy-to-use layout, there isn't much to explore on the CTEK 40-106, for more - you're looking at something more expensive.
Pros
- Easy-to-use car maintenance
- Great performance
- Portable and easy to store
Cons
- Perhaps too simple for some users
| Current: | 5A |
| Voltage: | 12 V |
| Temperature compensation: | Built-in charge voltage compensation according to ambient temperature |
| Dimensions: | 200 x 100 x 200 mm (H x W x D) |
| Weight: | 823g |
| Battery type(s): | Start/Stop battery |
- Customer review: "Connected to the charging terminals in the engine bay of my BMW F31 it keeps the battery healthy & in tip-top condition whilst it's hardly being used currently."
Best budget car battery charger
For simple car battery charging, the Ring RSC806 6 Amp battery charger and maintainer is exactly what you need to get your dead battery up and running again. Simple to use, built to weather wind and rain, and fast charging, the Ring RSC806 can bring your dead battery back to life before you know it.
This 6 Amp car battery charger is perfect for motorbikes, cars and even vans (within reason), so don't fret about not having the Amperage to get your vehicle back on the road.
Pros
- Easy to use
- Quick charging and reliable
- Affordable
Cons
- No fast charge facility
| Current: | 6A |
| Voltage: | 6V & 12V |
| Temperature compensation: | No |
| Dimensions: | 63 x 101 x 183 mm (H x W x D) |
| Weight: | 1.14 kg |
| Battery type(s): | Start/Stop and traditional batteries |
- Customer review: "Good solid construction, nice heavy rubber casing. Easy to operate."
Best solar-powered car battery charger
The perfect backup when you're on the road and without an outlet nearby, the ECO-WORTHY 10W solar trickle charger is perfectly ideal for those who want a little extra security for their road trip and would prefer not to dip into their breakdown coverage.
Not the fastest for charging, but a lifesaver in a pinch - this eco-friendly solar car battery charger is a great solution for charging on the go.
Pros
- Great for charging your battery when an outlet isn't nearby
- Amazing energy-efficient charging
- Easy to use
Cons
- Limited charging capabilities
| Current: | 0.56A |
| Voltage: | 18V |
| Temperature compensation: | No |
| Dimensions: | 280 x 260 x 12 mm (H x W x D) |
| Weight: | 300g |
| Battery type(s): | Start/Stop |
- Customer review: "I was recommended this item by my auto-electrician. Great price. Very easy to set up. Works as it should."
Best traditional car battery charger
A basic car battery charger with a few tricks up its sleeve, this Ring RCB212 12V battery charger gives drivers a choice between slow and fast charging, along with a useful LED display to show Volts, Amperage and even whether your clamps are fitted correctly.
Easy to pack into the car or store in the garage - Ring's RCB212 is protected against overcharging and is perfect for a range of batteries.
Pros
- Slow/fast modes for charging
- LED display which switches between Volts and Amps
- Compact and convenient
Cons
- Fairly loud whilst operating
| Current: | 12A |
| Voltage: | 12V |
| Temperature compensation: | No |
| Dimensions: | 101 x 259 x 212 mm (H x W x D) |
| Weight: | 500g |
| Battery type(s): | Lead acid, gel battery |
- Customer review: "Great for the price, comes with a nice handle to carry about, would certainly recommend, excellent."
Best high-end car battery charger
For the ultimate car enthusiast, don't settle for less - this top-tier car battery charger is perfect for a huge range of vehicles and battery types, whether it's land or sea.
Built with longevity in mind, this robust car battery charger is perfect for reviving batteries that are completely depleted at 0V, it's just that good. Optimise and maintain your car battery with complete and total accuracy, detect sulfation and acid stratification - there's an exhaustive amount of features on this brilliant car battery charger, and it's difficult to know where to begin.
With great power comes great bulk, however, and the NOCO GENIUSPRO25 certainly isn't short of it - this professional car battery charger is all you'll ever need for perfect charging without any fear of overcharging or causing damage to your precious car battery.
Pros
- Excellent fast-charging
- Fantastic build quality
- Charges multiple vehicle types
Cons
- Particularly bulky
| Current: | 25A |
| Voltage: | 6V/12V/24V |
| Temperature compensation: | Ambient temperature control |
| Dimensions: | 262 x 401 x 226 mm (H x W x D) |
| Weight: | 4.99kg |
| Battery type(s): | lead-acid automotive/marine/leisure/deep-cycle batteries/flooded, gell/AGM/EFB/SLA/VRLA/start-stop/maintenance-free/plus lithium-ion |
- Customer review: "Have now for a couple of weeks and has not let me down. The 12V power supply is great for maintaining power when programming modules. Has also recovered a couple of dead batteries."
Best lightweight car battery charger
Yet another brilliant car battery charger from CTEK, the Time To Go battery charger tells you just how much time is left whilst charging your car battery, along with some reconditioning features to get your car battery back to perfection once again.
Pros
- Displays time it'll take to fully charge
- Quick-charging
- Perfect for lightweight storage
Cons
- Doesn't have a high amperage
| Current: | 5A |
| Voltage: | 12V |
| Temperature compensation: | Yes |
| Dimensions: | 292 x 130 x 100 mm |
| Weight: | 607g |
| Battery type(s): | Lead-acid |
- Customer review: "The charger is very easy to set up and to use for traditional or stop-start car batteries. I’ve used it to charge a battery from 80% to 100% and then keep it on a trickle charge. Very happy with it."
Best efficient car battery charger
This trickle charger boasts an integrated thermal sensor that detects the ambient temperature, meaning it always delivers precise charging. We also love how adaptable it is, working as a trickle charger as well as an advanced battery maintainer. It can charge a battery that is as low as one volt.
Pros
- Great countdown timer
- Lightweight and easy to store
- Perfect for lead-acid batteries
Cons
- Not the most powerful car battery charger
| Current: | 5A |
| Voltage: | 12V |
| Temperature compensation: | Yes |
| Dimensions: | 272 x 144 x 54 mm (H x W x D) |
| Weight: | 200g |
| Battery type(s): | Lead-acid |
- Customer review: "this is a great charger for battery restoration, maintenance and boosting depleted batteries caused by short journeys or heavy use in winter."
Best multi-battery car battery charger
The NOCO GENIUS2X2 4-Amp car battery charger is phenomenal for rapidly charging multiple batteries at once, saving you plenty of time to get back on the road once more.
Not the fastest charger around, but certainly a high-quality one - NOCO has made the perfect charger for cars, including scooters.
Pros
- Amazing for charging batteries simultaneously
- Perfect for a range of vehicles, including scooters
- Well-designed and solid
Cons
- It doesn't have a huge voltage range
| Current: | 4A (2A per bank) |
| Voltage: | 6V and 12V |
| Temperature compensation: | Yes |
| Dimensions: | 254 x 254 x 254 mm |
| Weight: | 2.08 kg |
| Battery type(s): | Flooded, gel, AGM, EFB, SLA, VRLA, start-stop and maintenance-free, lithium-ion (lifepo4) batteries |
Best jump pack car battery charger
This ultra-lightweight jump-pack car battery charger is perfectly lightweight and ideal for keeping in the car when you're stuck in the middle of nowhere without an outlet around. Charge a huge range of vehicles with this high amperage jump pack, it's just that good.
Pros
- Amazing solution to a dead battery
- No outlet required
- Equipped with a torch for inconvenient nighttime breakdowns
Cons
- Not suitable for battery maintenance or regular charging
| Current: | 500A |
| Voltage: | 12V |
| Temperature compensation: | No |
| Dimensions: | 813 x 432 x 195 mm (H x W x D) |
| Weight: | 453.59g |
| Battery type(s): | Lithium batteries |
- Customer review: "I don't use my car much so the battery goes flat sometimes. This device is so small and light I thought it could never jump my car but sure enough it had no problem starting a Volvo V70 with a 2.5l petrol engine."
Best budget jump pack car battery charger
If you're after something a little cheaper, ASPERX's Jump starter power pack is a truly excellent budget jump start pack, if your car battery charger isn't around.
Amazingly powerful with up to 12V of power for a wide variety of vehicles, this cheap jump starter power pack will keep you moving when you're on the road. It even has a great car charger for your phones and other devices, so if you're stranded - you won't be without your smartphone.
Pros
- Perfect for a budget jump-pack
- Excellent at reviving dead batteries on the go
- A range of additional features including phone charging
Cons
- Not ideal for battery maintenance
| Current: | 2000A |
| Voltage: | 12V |
| Temperature compensation: | No |
| Dimensions: | 165 x 83 x 37 mm |
| Weight: | 440g |
| Battery type(s): | Lead-acid, lithium |
- Customer review: "This power pack is amazing! Powers up and powers out. So easy to jump-start my son’s car! Simple and reliable - thank you!"
How to use a car battery charger:
Using a car battery charger is simple and safe if done correctly, simply attach the clamps of the charger onto the battery's terminals, connecting the positive clamp to the positive terminal, and the negative clamp to the negative terminal.
Next, simply plug in the car battery charger, choose your settings if you have that option, and leave your charger to do the rest.
Does your car battery charge whilst idling?
While technically, your car battery does charge when in idle mode, it isn't nearly as effective as it is when you're in full motion or with a car battery charger.
If your battery's almost dead, or you're worried about losing charge at an inopportune time on the road, you should seriously consider fetching yourself a jump starter pack.
Do car battery chargers work?
Car battery chargers undoubtedly work, they're an effective way of getting back on the road in a pinch, with no breakdown services required.
Why is my car battery charger not charging?
There's a multitude of reasons as to why your car battery charger might not be functioning properly. First, it could be corrosion - your clamps or cables might be corroded, which reduces your car battery charger's ability to effectively charge.
Another reason could be that your clamps are on the wrong terminals - try switching the clamps, but ensure that you're putting the positive clamp on the positive terminal and vice versa first.
Finally, an obvious mistake but a common one, ensure your car battery charger is plugged in and turned on.
Ryan Houghton is a commercial content writer for What’s The Best, known best for his expertise in gaming, with a particular soft spot for PC gaming, audio tech, televisions and smartphones.
Diligently writing for What’s The Best for almost two years, there are very few tech products Ryan hasn’t had his hands on to review; televisions, headphones, folding phones and even LEGO, if it’s nerdy, he’ll be there.
His well-versed history as one of the resident techies at What’s The Best has kept him keen to uncover the very best deals, savings and offers for those in need of a cracking deal to upgrade their setup.
In his downtime, Ryan most likely has his nose buried in a fantasy book, or his eyes glued to a screen whilst playing a tough-as-nails Soulslike or leisurely RPG, indulging in most forms of escapism where possible.
Subscribe to the What’s The Best Newsletter to keep up to date with more of the latest reviews and recommendations from the rest of the What’s The Best team.