The Best Car Battery Chargers
No one wants to be stranded with a dead car battery — that's why it's best to be prepared. A good car battery charger can revive a dead battery and even provide a quick jump start. Whether you forget to turn the lights off one night or have an extended tailgate party with music, these portable chargers have you covered. They make it easy to help a stranger in need of a jump, as well. Keep reading and we'll go into the top car battery chargers market.
What to Look For
To curate this list, we did the research and searched the market for the top car battery chargers. We considered three important questions: Does it use a battery or electrical outlet? Can it repair batteries or simply charge? And can it jumpstart a car? The ATian smart charger works wonders to repair old batteries thought dead and unusable. For something with its own battery, Nexpow’s lithium car charger takes the cake. It has a huge capacity to provide backup power in case of emergencies. Read on and we’ll dive into each charger in detail.
ATian Smart Car Battery Charger with LCD
Small size, big power
Car batteries are prone to losing their capacity. This is why we love this smart charger from ATian: it uses electrical pulses to repair batteries back to their old glory. It also works in a pinch when batteries drain accidentally (from leaving lights on, for example). We like that this charger works on all types of vehicle batteries, from lawnmowers to golf carts. The smart circuitry automatically adjusts the voltage and amperage for optimal charging.
Pros:
- This smart charger works with lithium, lithium-polymer, and acid batteries. And most importantly, it detects when to stop charging to avoid any damage.
- The handle folds down, so the whole unit stores away easily without taking up much space. It’s compact enough to carry with one hand.
Cons:
- This charger requires an electrical outlet to work.
Ably Automatic Smart Car Battery Charger and Maintainer
Electric intelligence
Replacing a car battery can get pricey. This affordable battery charger offers a great alternative. It can restore old batteries as well as recharge them. Best of all, it’s a portable charger, perfect for long road trips. Its advanced circuitry prevents short circuits and detects the optimal charging speed for your battery.
Pros:
- Because this charger can output 24 volts, it can work with two 12-volt batteries in series (as long as they’re the same material and charge level). The positive terminal from one battery connects to the negative terminal of the other, and the remaining terminals connect to the charger.
- It’s lightweight and easy to maneuver, therefore easy to position. The clamps are strong enough to fit on most battery terminals.
Cons:
- If a battery is completely dead, you may need a traditional charger to jumpstart the charging process.
Schumacher SC1281 Automatic Smart Battery Charger
More user controls for less
Vehicles with large-capacity batteries need a heavy-duty charger to match. This powerful car battery charger from Schumacher is up to the task. Not only does it charge batteries, but it also provides a jump start. The smart circuitry keeps batteries from overcharging, and it won’t start charging if the leads are incorrectly connected.
Pros:
- This is a four-stage charger. That means it uses a method of bulk, absorption, equalization, and desulfation to repair and charge batteries.
- This works well for all weather. It detects the temperature and adjusts accordingly, especially important for batteries in extremely cold or hot weather.
Cons:
- This charger requires an electrical outlet.
Nexpow Lithium Jump Box Battery Charger with USB QC3.0
Supercharged backup
We don’t like to be on the road without a good backup charger. With this lithium car charger from Nexpow, all of our devices are covered. It even has an LED light in case of emergencies. This battery pack boasts a whopping 12.8 amp hours, enough for a car battery, smartphones, and more. And if we just need a quick jumpstart, it’s capable of that as well. Since we make a lot of road trips, this kind of device comes in handy quite often — both for ourselves and others who may need a jump.
Pros:
- This has plenty of capacity for multiple uses. It can be used for many road trips.
- There are safety measures built-in to prevent short-circuits and accidental sparks. This means less risk of shocking ourselves with a jumpstart, for example.
Cons:
- This car battery charger doesn’t come with a wall charger for its own internal battery.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does it take to charge a fully depleted car battery?
Since all car batteries and chargers have different specifications, charging time can vary greatly, from a few hours to half a day or more. To find out how long it will take, first find out the amp hour rating on your battery (usually around 50 amp hours). Next, divide that by the amperage of the charger — a 10-amp charger would then charge a 50 amp hour battery in five hours.
What do amp-hour and watt-hour mean?
Amp-hour and watt-hour refer to the capacity of the battery. They determine how many amps or watts the battery can output for one hour. For example, a two amp hour battery can power a two amp device for one hour, or a one amp device for two hours (watt-hours are simply the battery’s amp hours times its voltage).
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