Battery Chargers Tested

The latest smart chargers care for your car’s battery as they restore full power. We put eight to the test

Auto Express Car Reviews

February 2011

Modern battery chargers have followed vehicle electronics in becoming ever more complex. No longer do they just ram life into a cell regardless  of its condition; many now check it before charging, altering the rate at key points throughout the cycle.

This is kinder to the battery and, because it lasts longer as a result, ultimately easier on your wallet.  Plus, as most of these devices use inverter-based  electronics, they’re much smaller than previous  models, which had heavyweight transformers.

Despite the sophistication, it’s still important  to get the basics right. Short leads can be a hassle when connecting to a powerpack still in the car, and strong and fully insulated crocodile clips will prevent accidental sparks and shocks. If you want to keep a charger in place long term – on a vehicle that’s used infrequently, a classic or a commuter scooter ridden only in the summer – the ability to connect easily via a permanently attached flying lead is very useful.

So which is the charger to breathe new life into your battery? We hooked up eight to find out.

The Test

First we checked just what you got for your money, looking for long leads, decent clip insulation and claimed performance. Then we put these claims to the test. A 12V battery was discharged to 2V, and  we checked the rate at which each unit revived it.

At the end of the process, we looked for units which turned themselves off (automatic), or those that entered a conditioning cycle. We preferred the kinder pulse conditioning here. Ease of use and clear instructions also played a part. Our final factor was price, and the figures quoted exclude delivery costs.

Verdict

Top-performing CTEK 3.6 retains its crown, offering everything you would want from a charger for a sub-£50 price. The Ring SmartCharge +4 kept it honest, though – only a few niggles held the newcomer back.

If you want a full-on, copes-with-anything charger, CTEK’s 4003 Multi XS pips the Ring SmartCharge +8 and Optimate 6, narrowly overcoming its opponents’ features with performance and that great warranty.

Top 3

CTEK MXS 3.6
Ring SmartCharge +4 RSC504
CTEK Multi XS 4003

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3 Comments

Optimate 4 £40 ??

I bought the Optimate 4 for £40 does everything you could want from a battery charger and cheaper then the Optimate 6 you have chosen to compare with the other chargers, seems a bit scewed to knock a more expensive model down to 3 stars on the basis of cost ?

By squashyorange on 17 February, 2011, 6:46pm

Agree with Squashyorange! Poor review!

We purchased an optimate 4 for similar price, the reviews also forget to mention that 'Gel" batteries need a different type of charger of which the optimate 4 / 6 are best suited. Gel Batteries can be damaged if a standard charger is used on these. Amazon sell for £40.99 (opti 4) and £78 (opti 6) but better prices assured if searched. Disappointing review and would disagree with the confusion over the lights, they are self explanatory?

By CarlyWarly on 22 February, 2011, 8:30am

Good review, would have liked a little more detail though.

I have the Halfords charger reviewed here and it is the best for a quick boost to my caravan batteries, these are deep discharge 110 leisure batteries AGM.
I also have two other chargers purchased at ALDI (Auto-xs) Frankly these seem to be exactly the same as the CTEK and only cost 12.99 Bargain.

By Dreadly on 26 February, 2011, 1:28pm

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