There is no sound worse than a sputtering engine as it fails to start or suddenly dies – whether you hear it on your way to work or while enjoying the sun on a boat. At the same time, there is no better feeling than knowing that you have a trusty charger in tow for these kinds of emergencies. After all, you can’t always rely on someone else being there to give you a jumpstart.
Motorcycle, boat and car battery chargers come in all different shapes, sizes and power output. Some are built for immense power, some can fit in your coat pocket and others are all-around great products with many features and functions like the Schumacher SC-10030A, Black and Decker VEC1093DBD Smart Battery and the NPower Automatic 457809, which are the three best 12v battery chargers. In this car battery charger review site, you’ll get the best car battery charger comparisons and reviews as you learn about 10 different models of car battery chargers side-by-side and read informative articles about battery chargers to help you decide which is the most affordable and practical for your personal use.
It can be hard to decide which car battery charger to spend your money on if you’re a first-time buyer. Crazy terminology and acronyms such as deep cycle, AMD, VAC, VDC, or any three-letter word ending in “C,” for that matter, can make things difficult – especially for those who don’t make their living working on vehicles. To make things a little easier for you, we’ve analyzed many battery charger models using the following criteria to help us (and you) decipher which ones are best.
Charge and Jump capabilities
Every car battery charger comes with various jump and charge options. In many cases, the more options a charger offers, the better. That’s because the more options there are available, the more chances you’ll have to put your charger to good use. From maintaining small 6-volt batteries to jumping a behemoth like a deep-cycle battery for a boat, the best battery chargers can do it all.
Durability
You’ll want a battery charger that lasts. Certain models offer more features that ensure that the product will be around longer than the competition. When searching for a car battery charger, be sure to keep the length of the warranty in mind. A longer warranty often means a better product.
Portability
The aches, pains and annoyance of heavy lifting is never fun, so do yourself a favor and make sure you can physically carry or handle whichever charger you decide to buy. Some models come with wheels, and most include a carrying case or handle. The easier the charger is to lug out of the trunk or house, the quicker you can get the charge or jump job done.
Ease of Use
Some of us find it hard enough to operate a DVD player or video game system, let alone a car battery charger. Luckily, many models include easy-to-use push-button controls, lighted signals and displays, and some even turn-off automatically when the job is done – making your job that much easier. Look for car battery chargers that offer these types of features.
Safety
Lastly, it’s always nice to know that your battery charger has built-in safety measures to not only protect your well-being, but the well being of your battery as well, ensuring that the problem is solved rather than worsened.
With all that said, you may just be looking for the car battery charger that is the easiest to use. Or you may be looking for one that has the greatest jump starting power. In these cases, you won’t have to look at the overall scores for each model. Just concentrate on the criteria that you’re looking for in your next (or first) charger purchase. Either way – by adding the aforementioned criteria together, or concentrating on one criterion specifically – you’ll be able to determine which battery charger you want to have on hand the next time you need a jump start.
At TopTenREVIEWS We Do the Research So You Don’t Have To.™
| Rank | #1 | #2 | #3 | #4 | #5 | #6 | #7 | #8 | #9 | #10 |
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Schumacher Speedcharge | Black and Decker Smart Battery | NPower Automatic | Associated Equipment | Peak PKC0BK | Schumacher Wheeled | Duracell Powerpack | Clore Booster PAC | Clore Jump Starter | CTEK |
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Lowest Price |
$84.95 |
$129.99 |
$89.99 |
$191.41 |
$189.99 |
$281.15 |
$159.99 |
$286.38 |
$317.77 |
$149.99 |
| Ratings | 9.58 | 8.75 | 8.08 | 8.00 | 7.88 | 7.25 | 6.70 | 6.63 | 6.38 | 5.63 |
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| Charge Options | ||||||||||
| Motorcycle Battery Compatible | ||||||||||
| Car Battery Compatible | ||||||||||
| Boat Battery Compatible | ||||||||||
| Battery Tester | ||||||||||
| 12-Volt Position | ||||||||||
| Automatic | ||||||||||
| Slow and Fast Charge | ||||||||||
| AGM Batteries | ||||||||||
| Gel Cell Batteries | ||||||||||
| Microprocessor | ||||||||||
| 6-Volt Position | ||||||||||
| Deep Cycle Batteries | ||||||||||
| Slow Charge Rate | 2 amps | 4 or 10 amps | 2 or 4 amps | 2 amps | N/A | 2 amps | N/A | N/A | N/A | 1.5 amps |
| Fast Charge Rate | 12 to 30 amps | 20 or 40 amps | 12 or 25 amps | 12 amps | N/A | 10 or 40 amps | N/A | N/A | N/A | 7 amps |
| Average Charge Time | 1 to 5.5 hours | 1 to 10.5 hours | 2 to 10 hours | 2 to 10 hours | 12 to 24 hours | 1 to 12 hours | 3 to 35 hours | 4 to 18 hours | 1 to 5 hours | 2 to 22 hours |
| Jump Options | ||||||||||
| Engine Start Option | ||||||||||
| Jump Power | 100 amps | 110 amps | 75 amps | 100 amps | 900 amps | 200 amps | 400 amps | 1500 amps | 1700 amps | N/A |
| Durability | ||||||||||
| Cable Storage | ||||||||||
| Carry Case | ||||||||||
| Cooling Fan | ||||||||||
| Warranty | 5 years | 5 years | 1 year | 2 years | 90 days | 3 years | 1 year | 1 year | 1 year | 5 years |
| Portability | ||||||||||
| Handle | ||||||||||
| Pounds | 14.7 | 11.2 | 5.3 | 13 | 16.4 | 27.3 | 20.5 | 18 | 18 | 1.7 |
| Height Inches | 5.4 | 13 | 8.7 | 20 | 12.8 | 19 | 9.5 | 4.4 | 5.1 | 1.9 |
| Length Inches | 9 | 11 | 13.4 | 11 | 10.2 | 9.9 | 16 | 18.3 | 16.3 | 8.5 |
| Width Inches | 9.8 | 7 | 4.1 | 10.5 | 13.3 | 11.7 | 8 | 11.4 | 14.1 | 3.5 |
| Ease of Use | ||||||||||
| Instruction Manual | ||||||||||
| Push Button Charge Controls | ||||||||||
| Lighted and Digital Display | ||||||||||
| Fully charged Auto Turn-off | ||||||||||
| Safety | ||||||||||
| Insulated Clamps | ||||||||||
| Spark Resistant | ||||||||||
| Reverse Polarity Warning | ||||||||||