The Best Battery Chargers for Your Car
There's nothing quite as frustrating as a dead car battery. If you've been down that road before, then you need a car battery charger. Especially if you're a car enthusiast or a mechanic, a dependable car battery charger is often a smaller investment than one new battery, and the advanced technology used in these devices can restore your car batteries to their former glory. So, whether charging speed, safety or durability is most important to you, we've got you covered with the best car battery chargers.
NOCO Genius1 Smart Charger
Ready, Set, Charge
NOCO’s Genius1 is truly genius indeed. Measuring less than 4″, it plugs into the wall, attaches to your car battery with adapter battery clamps, measures the amount of charge the battery needs, then shuts off once the charging is complete. It works on both 6V and 12V lead-acid automotive, marine, and deep-cycle batteries, including flooded, gel, AGM, and lithium-ion batteries. It also automatically detects battery sulfation and acid stratification to help restore lost battery performance, with a detection capacity down to 1 volt. And all of these features can work automatically as well, making the NOCO a safe charging solution.
Pros:
- “Force Charge” mode can power-up completely dead batteries
- 35% smaller than the previous model
- Clamp adapters included
Cons:
- No voltmeter display
- Slow to charge completely dead batteries
Battery Tender Plus Charger and Maintainer
For Better Batteries
If you’re looking for a low-maintenance design that’s quick and easy to use, the Battery Tender Plus offers a universal battery charger that’s lightweight and compact, allowing it to operate everywhere, even in small storage spaces. Simply plug it in, hook it up and forget it. Once activated, the Battery Tender charger manages your battery’s health on its own. It’s even spark-proof during clamping and automatically detects reverse polarity to ensure a proper connection before providing power.
Pros:
- Includes a fused ring terminal harness for hard-to-reach places
- 5-year limited warranty
- Compatible with lead-acid, flooded, and sealed maintenance-free batteries
- Available from 0.75 amp to 1.25 amp
Cons:
- Can take up to four days to charge a fully dead car battery
- Features a single, “80% Charged” indicator light
Black & Decker BM3B Fully Automatic Battery Charger
Charge Without Being Charged a Ton
Offering convenient charging for both 6-volt and 12-volt batteries, the Black & Decker BM3B has all the quality you expect from the Black & Decker brand but with surprising affordability. Featuring a dual clamp system – either O-ring or standard alligator clamps – the BM3B plugs into any wall socket and connects easily to your car battery. A red indicator light warns if the connection is incorrect, while a green indicator shows when your battery charging is complete. It even includes advanced safety features, like a built-in circuit protector that guards against overcharging, reverse polarity, and short-circuiting.
Pros:
- ETL certified for performance and safety
- Mounting bracket included for easy placement
- Durable plastic casing
Cons:
- Not waterproof
- O-ring cable is very short
Tower Top Smart Battery Charger
The Leaning Tower of Awesome
Sometimes, smart is also simple. Just hook up the clips to your battery, press the on button, and the Tower Top Smart Battery Charger will guide you through the rest with its 7-step charging program. With steps including desulphation, soft start, bulk charge, absorption, battery test, recondition, and floating, the Tower Top delivers optimization of battery power, without overcharging or damage. The safety features are just as extensive, featuring over-voltage, over-heat, short circuit, and reverse polarity protection, just to name a few. Best of all, with its Advanced Start aid, the Tower Top can start your car’s dead battery in about 2 minutes.
Pros:
- Bright digital LCD
- Great for motorboats, lawnmowers, and more
- Available up to 25 amp
Cons:
- Not made for batteries that have gone under 3 volts
- Meter only shows amps (not volts) during charging
Schumacher SC1280 Fully Automatic Smart Battery Charger
Safety First
Perhaps the biggest safety hazard when charging a car battery is securing the alligator clips on the proper terminal ends, positive and negative. Done incorrectly, it could cause an arc, which can lead to a fire or even worse. Thankfully, the Schumacher SC1280 features reverse hook-up protection to ensures the charger will not operate if clamps are reversed. Once you’re set up properly, the powerful 15-amp charger can fully juice your battery in a shorter time than the standard 12-amp models, make the Schumacher SC1280 both safe and fast.
Pros:
- Automatically adjust amperage rate to charge and maintain
- 2-year warranty
- Good on any lead-acid, STD, AGM, Gel, or deep-cycle battery
Cons:
- Not for jump-starts
- Display “sleeps” during charging
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does my car battery die so quickly?
There are many reasons why this could be happening. Some of the most common reasons include structural malfunction, corroded battery connections, charging problems, persistent electrical drains, and consistently demanding more power than the alternator can provide (i.e, plugging four mobile devices into your car at one time). Short drives can also be a problem, as they don’t give the alternator enough time to recharge the battery. Extreme weather is another culprit: below-freezing temperatures can literally suck the life out of a car battery.
Are the red clamps positive and the black clamps negative or the other way around?
The red one is positive, the black one is negative. Dad gave us this tip to help memorize it: “I red a positive review of your book”. When connecting battery clamps to the terminal ends, connect positive first, then negative. When disconnecting the cables from the old battery, disconnect the negative first, then the positive.
Can a car battery catch fire? Explode? Open a portal to another dimension?
Generally speaking, car battery chargers don’t just catch on fire and explode. That being said, you are dealing with electricity, sulphuric acid, and hydrogen, so you should absolutely practice every precaution when charging a car battery. We highly recommend “smart” chargers, as they have a built-in mechanism that will stop sending voltage to the battery once it is fully charged. This helps prevent fires that can spark from hydrogen build-up. Never charge a car battery indoors (like in your kitchen) and always have a fire extinguisher at the ready.
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