Choose a charger that suits your needs
Will the battery charger be used for maintenance charging or for charging a discharged battery? Will it be used for jump starting? Or all three? Before choosing a battery charger, you should decide what you need it for and what functions would be most helpful to you, since there are many different battery chargers on the market today. Some are simpler, while others have many different helpful functions such as jump starting and overcharge protection.
Battery type is a crucial factor
What type of car battery do you have? Some battery chargers cannot be used to charge certain car batteries, so you should therefore find out what type of battery is in your car. The most common battery types are lead-acid batteries, AGM batteries, EFB batteries, gel batteries, and lithium batteries.
Battery charging rate
The amperage you need from the charger is determined by what you will use the charger for. A battery charger that provides under 5 amps slowly recharges the car battery, which works great for maintenance charging. If you maintenance charge your car battery, you won’t need to worry about whether the car will start.
If you want your battery to charge quickly instead, you will need a battery charger with higher amperage – more than 5 amps. Some battery chargers with higher amps can also jump start your car if needed.
FAQ - Battery charger
How do I charge my car battery with a battery charger?
Connect the battery charger to the car battery and the nearest electrical socket.
How does the battery charger connect to the car?
It varies from charger to charger. Some chargers can be plugged into the cigarette lighter socket, while others connect directly to the battery using crocodile clips.
What size battery charger should I get?
It depends on how fast you want to charge the battery. The higher the amperage, the faster the battery will charge. A normal car owner usually does not need a battery charger that provides more than 10 amps.
