Battery Chargers Tested

When you turn the key and hear that dreaded click instead of a spinning starter motor this winter, you’ll need a battery charger that’s a match for the complex electronics in today’s cars.

A modern smart charger doesn’t just pump juice into a dead battery. Instead, it’s capable of varying the current to prevent damage and prolong the battery’s life. What’s more, these chargers are so sophisticated they can even restore an older battery – something which will minimise the risk of getting stranded and save cash.

And as this new generation of chargers constantly monitor the battery and vary the charge rate, they can be left attached to it for long periods of time, gently topping it up. This means they’re ideal for rarely used cars and vehicles that are not driven in winter.

All this makes a smart charger an essential buy for your garage. There’s a wide range on the market, but which one should you buy to ensure you don’t become a breakdown statistic? We clamped on 10 to find out.

Our test has been adapted to match the growing abilities of today’s chargers, so as well as checking the printed instructions, leads, clamps and ease of use, we assessed what they could do.

We looked at their ability to charge when cold, recondition old batteries and deal with the various types of battery found in modern cars. We also recorded how fast they charged and how well they worked when in maintenance mode. Plus, we simulated careless use, checking for sparks.

Finally, we wanted to see how flat a battery each would charge. Each charger’s retail price was factored in, too, excluding delivery charges.

Swedish manufacturer CTEK still sets the standard here and its chargers take the top two places. Its MXS 3.6 is a serial test winner. Despite the modest 3.6 amp output, it charges at a remarkable rate. Even quicker charging plus a reconditioning mode earns second spot for the same company’s more expensive MXS 5.0 product, while test newcomer Streetwize completes our top three chargers.

1. CTEK MXS 3.6

2. CTEK MXS 5.0

3. Streetwize Car & Motorcycle Battery Charger

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