If you have a car, then you’ll no doubt be aware of the problems of keeping it running. If you leave your car idling for too long, then you will soon run down the batteries.
However, one way you can avoid your car battery going dead is with a decent battery maintainer. These devices are something that you’ll need to keep your battery alive and well, not allowing it to run down but rather keeping the battery charged for the long haul.
These battery maintainers will keep your battery running on a low charge, which is perfect if you need to keep it in storage for a while.
A lot of these batteries have great features that will keep you informed of your batteries’ charging status. A lot of these chargers are also built to resist weather conditions such as harsh wind and rain, so you’ll have no problems keeping them in your garage or outdoors.
You can also have additional safety measures such as the prevention of sparks flying. This will also stop your battery from short-circuiting, which will really help maintain it when you leave it unattended for any period of time.
So where can you find the best battery maintainer for your car? What features must they have to keep your battery running for a long period of time? What are the best design features for a battery maintainer? How much will you have to pay for one of these handy devices?
Well, if you are worried about keeping your battery alive, then we would suggest that you keep reading.
We have tested and compiled a list of some of the best battery maintainers that you can currently get on the market. We also have compiled a buyer’s guide that will help you determine what the best battery maintainers are for your needs.
CTEK (56-353) MULTI US 7002 12-Volt Battery Charger
This first battery maintainer is one of the best that you can get for monitoring the progress of your battery.
This comes with an LED screen that you can use to track your battery, with plenty of design features such as waterproof resistance that will keep your battery from shorting out – introducing the CTEK (56-353) Multi US 7002 12-Volt Battery Charger.
This one comes with plenty of amazing safety features such as a breaker that will prevent the battery from short-circuiting. It also comes with reverse polarity, which is fantastic at preventing sparks from flying.
With an impressive amp, this will really help you to charge your batteries a lot quicker than a lot of other battery maintainers on the market.
Pros
- This comes with recognition technology that will hone in on your battery’s lifespan and charge it according to its needs.
- This can detect whether or not your batteries have a full charge, which is very important when it comes to preventing overcharging.
- This can even charge reconditioned batteries, so you won’t have to worry about it restoring your old batteries to a new life once again.
- This comes with an LED screen that will allow you to track the status of your battery accurately.
Cons
- The price – this is a rather expensive unit, so make sure that you’ll definitely want to preserve the integrity of your battery over the long haul.
- Fit Type: Universal Fit
- Included Components: 1 Charger, Clamps, Eyelets
- Includes two interchangeable connection leads, one with clamps, and one with eyelet terminals
Deltran 12V 1.25A Battery Charger
This next battery comes out on top because it comes with a decent warranty of around 10 years, so you won’t have to worry about it breaking on you during that time.
This comes with a very long charging cord, which is perfect if you want it to reach your car battery – introducing the Deltran 12V 1.25A Battery Charger.
This comes with alligator clips with a battery ring terminal that will maintain the temperature of your battery at a consistent level.
Once your battery has reached the full charge mode, then it will cease charging, keeping your battery at an optimum level. This also comes with a smart microprocessor that can detect when your battery is completely full and needs to stop charging.
Pros
- This comes at a decent price, so you won’t be having to break the bank if you are already spending a lot of money on car parts.
- This is one of the more compact charging units, so you won’t have a problem carrying it from one place to another.
- This will have no trouble charging a battery from scratch, so if you are worried that your car battery has died, then we would certainly recommend this charger.
- This comes with plenty of features including reverse polarity, alligator clips and the ability to prevent your battery from overcharging.
Cons
- This does come with a much lower amperage than a lot of other battery maintainers, so you might be struggling to charge a totally dead battery.
- Brand New in box. The product ships with all relevant accessories
See also: Best Solar Batteries: Top Picks and Comprehensive Buying Guide for 2022
NOCO Genius GEN5X1
If you have multiple cars that you need charging, then you can’t go far wrong with this next battery maintainer. This comes with 4 separate banks that you can use to charge your car batteries at the same time.
This comes with a multitude of amperage chargers, giving you plenty of flexibility over how much charge your batteries get – introducing the MOCO Genius GEN5X1.
This comes with plenty of extension cables and other accessories that will make your charging session very flexible.
This battery can charge around 6V to 12V, which makes it a very solid unit for juicing up a heavy-duty battery. If you are working as a mechanic, then this is a great battery charger to have for your needs.
Pros
- The biggest plus point of this battery charger is that you can juice up various different batteries at the same time.
- This comes with a 5-year warranty, giving you plenty of assurance when it comes to cranking up the battery and using it multiple times.
- This comes with intuitive diagnostic information that will accurately tell you the temperature of your battery as well as the level of charge.
- This is great for anyone who works in the automobile service industry, giving you everything that you need for a solid charge.
Cons
- This will be a little heavy-duty for anyone who has one car to charge in their garage. We would recommend something smaller and cheaper for this reason.
- Meet the GEN5X1 - Similar to our GENM1, only better. It's 37% smaller and delivers 43% more power. It's one of the best...
- Multiple banks - A one-bank onboard battery charger rated a 5-amps - 5-amps per bank - for 12-volt batteries, including...
- Charging modes - Independently charge and control each battery bank with selectable charging modes - including 12V, 12V AGM,...
Schumacher SP1297 Fully Automatic Battery Charger
This next charger is another one that comes with an LED screen to help you monitor how much charge you have in your car battery. This comes with a microprocessor that will cut out all the power when your battery reaches full charge.
This will prevent significant overcharging that could really damage your battery – introducing the Schumacher SP1297 Fully Automatic Battery Charger.
This comes with a hook attachment that you can use to hang this battery maintainer from various different parts of your car.
You can be sure that you’ll have everything that you need for a very solid charge, with two sets of insulator cables, one for charging your car battery and one for charging up smaller batteries.
Pros
- This comes in a very sturdy case, which will protect your delicate battery from knocks and impacts that will damage the construction.
- This comes with an LED display that will give you everything that you need for a reliable readout, which is very important for tracking the progress of your battery.
- This comes with a float mode that will kick in when your battery is fully charged. If you want to avoid any overcharging, then make sure to grab one of these batteries.
- This comes with a multi-processor which is perfect for maintaining the utmost level of control over your battery.
Cons
- This does not have a very strong amperage, so trying to restart a dead battery might take you a solid few hours.
- Fully Automatic: The Schumacher SP1297 is fully automatic and microprocessor-controlled with multi-stage charging, float mode...
- Scrolling Digital Display: The Schumacher Electric SP1297’s scrolling digital display provides step-by-step operating...
- Quick Connect: The Schumacher SP1297 gives you two ways to connect with the included battery clamp quick-connect adapter and...
Optima Digital 400 12V Performance Maintainer and Battery Charger
Next up, we have a very complex series of accessories and hubs that come with this charger, giving you everything that you need for a solid output.
This comes with a simple hook that you can use to hand your battery maintainer from while you are charging your battery – introducing the Optima Digital 400 12V Performance Maintainer and Battery Charger.
This is both a maintainer of batteries and a decent charger, allowing you to juice up a low battery quickly and efficiently.
If your battery has sunk to a level of even 1.25V, then this charger will have no worries getting it back up to normal levels. This also comes with an LED display that will help you to monitor the progress of your battery.
Pros
- This can drag your battery from a low charge of around 1.25V, which makes it one of the most powerful chargers on this list.
- This comes built with spark-free technology, which is perfect if safety is your number one priority.
- You can use this on a wide variety of batteries, including car and motorbike batteries, which are often different.
- This will boost the battery life of your car from absolute zero, it also charges quickly and efficiently.
Cons
- This might be a little too heavy-duty and expensive for someone who might only want to charge their battery a few times during the year.
- Automatically maximizes battery life and performance with a built-in battery health mode
- Hybrid LED battery charging gauge with LCD display
- Dual purpose hook and tilt stand design or hang it with the included wall organizer bracket
Schumacher Fully Automatic Battery Maintainer
This final battery is one that is perfect for a whole range of vehicles, whether it is powerboating, cars or motorbiking.
This comes with a much lower amp than a lot of the other batteries on this list, but if you are looking for a solid charge over the course of a few days, then this is a decent battery maintainer – introducing the Schumacher Fully Automatic Battery Maintainer.
This comes with insulated elements that will prevent you from suffering from any shocks. If you are operating your battery maintainer with children around, then this added safety feature will be invaluable.
This comes with a multi-stage processor that will enable you to control the temperature and the power of your battery to a very high degree.
Pros
- This comes with auto-voltage detection, meaning that it will not charge over the full amount of battery power that it requires.
- This comes with reverse hook-up protection, which will allow you to charge your battery to the maximum level of power.
- This is the perfect battery maintainer for smaller batteries, giving you everything that you need for a solid charge.
- This comes with a microprocessor that will be able to accurately monitor the output and input of your car battery, as well as the temperature.
Cons
- This might be a little too low in amperage for your needs, which might result in your batteries taking a long time to charge.
- RELIABLE POWER: Delivers 1.5 Amp maintain to power sport, car, or marine batteries; compatible with standard, AGM, and...
- SMART CHARGING: Microprocessor-controlled automatic amperage rate adjustment and multi-stage charging for added precision,...
- FLOAT MODE: Float-mode monitoring automatically maintains optimum battery life
Buyer’s Guide
When you are thinking about the various features of your battery maintainer, then there will be a few things that you’ll need to be considering.
The amperage, for example, is a very important factor when it comes to determining how quickly you can charge your battery. Here are a few features you’ll need to be looking at:
What Is The Amperage?
This will determine not just how quickly you can charge your car battery, but how much you can get it from the lower charge levels.
Some of these batteries have maximized the level of charge that you can get, so make sure that you have plenty of charge to get your battery to the highest possible level.
How Safe Is Your Battery To Use?
Having the right level of safety protection will be very important when you are trying to determine how resistant it will be to sparking, short-circuiting and other hazards.
If you are operating your battery in the family home, then you’ll definitely want to be looking at the safety features.
A lot of these battery maintainers also have LED screens that will help you to monitor the status of the battery so you can make an accurate decision about when to take it off charge.
This is very important when it comes to having the maximum level of control over your battery.
What Functions Does Your Battery Maintainer Serve?
You’ll need to make sure that your battery maintainer can run diagnostics checks. This usually takes the form of an LED screen that you can use to check the temperature as well as the level of power that you’ve achieved.
These maintainers should primarily run as a charger, but you’ll also want them to act as a booster, bringing your car battery back from the brink of death before you can restore it to full charge.
Your car battery maintainer will be kept for energy purposes, used to keep your battery on charge for the long haul.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Easily Can You Revive A Dead Battery?
This will only really happen if your car battery has been left for a long period of time and has been allowed to run completely dead.
Sometimes in the case of classic car owners, you might leave your car in the garage for a long period of time, during which the battery will run completely dead.
A battery maintainer is meant to keep your car battery charged when not in use.
One of the main features of one of these maintainers will be the ability to keep your battery charging safely, even when you have left it alone.
This is very important if you want to avoid any sparking or breaking of the circuit which could leave your battery beyond repair.
Is It Best To Use Your Battery Maintainer At Home?
One of the brilliant elements of a battery maintainer is that you have the ability to charge your car battery without having to take it to the automobile repair shop.
These devices are extremely portable and lightweight, allowing you to charge in more than one place at a time and more than one car at a time.
Is There A Risk Of Overcharging?
Most of these car batteries should have removed the ability to overcharge your car battery, with built-in safety features that prevent sparking as well as circuit breaking that could damage your battery.
Make sure that your car battery maintainer comes with an LED screen that will be able to accurately tell you the temperature and power level of your car battery.
Our Final Say
We hope that our list of car battery maintainers has helped you to determine which one that you’ll need to keep your car battery power maintained while keeping you safe.
