Best Portable Car Battery Charger Reviews

A car battery is the part of a car that you can never count on completely. Any extreme weather takes place, and the battery suddenly loses charge and stop working. This is why each driver should always have a battery charger in the truck, and it is advisable to keep the best portable car battery charger which can sustain harsh climates without affecting the battery.

You may think that such issues are mostly familiar to drivers who still use old batteries, while you will never face this sort of trouble as you’ve recently bought a new and powerful battery. Unluckily, obsolete and brand new batteries are both vulnerable to discharge which can result in deterioration or death if no remedy is applied on time.

A high-power maintainer or booster is able to revive your vehicle as well as guide you to the right way if you have gone astray. Likewise, a small and compact charger does not take lots of space in your car but serves a strong safeguard against getting discharged when you are in a rush and cannot waste a minute to bother with charging.

If you do realize all the dangers facing a driver without a battery charger, it is high time to gain an insight into what a high-end and reliable charger looks like. Read on to discover top 5 portable car battery charger reviews that tell about merits and demerits of all popular smart chargers. You will learn the latest protective technologies that a good starter has to adopt as well as which peak power is enough to start a truck engine in an instant.

Portable Car Battery Chargers Reviews

DBPOWER 600A

This high-power portable battery charger for car is a sensible choice for users who have to maintain their vehicle and equipment and try to extend their life service.

The 600A is not only an effective charger but an excellent booster with 600 peak amps too. You can start any gas or diesel engine in no time. Likewise, the high charge capacity of 18000 mAh lets you maintain lots of electric devices on a single charger. The built-in LCD display helps the user keep track of the energy level. The output voltage is adjustable and allows for connection with a larger variety of devices to be maintained. The illumination is programmed to operate in 3 modes, including SOS that is of great value when you urgently need to call for emergency aid. The compass is another big advantage for those drivers who got lost on their way.

The charger housing is made of endurable and firm material so you are unlikely to have it damaged, even with active use. The user’s safety is further reinforced with jumper clamps that serve to protect from reverse polarity, short-circuit, over-voltage, overcharging, and similar hazards. Besides the DBPOWER 600A, you will receive two 12V chargers, jumper clamps, and a yellow case for easier transportation.

The only thing to remember is that the 600A booster has to be fully charged to start an engine. If the remaining energy is below 30%, you can use it only as a charger.

NOCO Boost Pro GB150

This Noco product has every chance to become the best automotive battery charger owing to which the user is able to start any engine with the capacity of up to 10L.

This 12V booster features an unparalleled high peak power of 400 Amps which suffices to instantly start not only common cars but an enormous truck too. The charge capacity is expected to provide 80 jump starts, which makes the GB150 perfectly fit users involved in long-distance driving. You will be satisfied with the charging time that usually takes 3 hours for a the full charge and makes the booster even more user-friendly.

The NOCO features LED lighting programmed to operate in 7 modes, including emergency SOS. The lights can function during 6 uninterrupted hours and are extremely bright for such a small display. With the built-in USB ports, you are free to exploit the booster for other non-automotive purposes, including the charge of laptops, phones, and other electronic gadgets.

The housing is made of firm and reliable plastic which lessens the risk of damage and enhances durability. The design integrates the modern protective technologies saving the user from the most widespread hazards such as reverse polarity, overcharging, or explosion.

The GB150 comes bundled with a number of cables that are long enough to enable solid connection with highly displaced engines.

Battery Tender Plus 021-0128

The Plus 021-0128 is another valuable option that lots of drivers would consider this potentially the best car battery charger for its ability to maintain a battery safely and without causing damage.

The charger operation is based on a 4-stage program that involves the analysis and continuous monitoring of a battery condition. The charger is designed to switch to floating mode automatically, which eliminates the risk of overcharging and explosion. Unlike trickle chargers, this one works with the latest safety standards and provides a charge in a reliable and secure manner.

The housing is hard and features red and green lights that are aimed at indicating the status of charging. The charging time is pretty fast, and you won’t have to wait for long to have your battery recovered and fully charged. This characteristic is particularly important for those users who usually start charging their equipment just one hour before they leave.

The product is user-friendly and comes bundled with a number of ring terminals and alligator clips that are properly insulated to avert reverse polarity and other hazards related to current. Besides, the user will get a couple of power cords that allow reaching difficult areas.

The last major distinction to emphasize is that the charger is compatible with various types of batteries, including AGM, gel cell, lead-acid, and flooded ones.

Aickar 800A

This portable auto battery charger is a must thing for drivers who work with vehicles. With the ability to start both gas and diesel engine, the starter provides the user with protection against car battery troubles on the road.

The peak power of 600 Amps lets the aickar 800A act as a powerful booster that can recover any type of battery instantly and so fits all kinds of transport, including automotive, RV, marine, etc. However, the user is free to use it to charge any electrical equipment equipped with a USB port too. The LED lighting helps watch the remaining power as well as serves as a source of bright light when the user is forced to work in a dark area. It can be switched into SOS mode to call for emergency services if the driver gets into an accident.

The starter box is so small and compact that can be easily stored in the trunk. The design is focused on providing the starter with enhanced durability and increased safety. The unit is protected from typical charge-related hazards such as reverse polarity, short-circuit, and overcharging. All these features make the use of a charger completely safe for the driver who faces no risks during every charge.

JACO BoostPro 600A

When choosing a new automobile battery charger, you should also think of the JACO BoostPro 600A that works with any kind of vehicle.

The booster has an incredibly high peak power of 600 Amps that can revive any dead battery and can provide from 20 to 30 jump starts on a single charge. What also you should be glad about is increased safety backed by LED lights. The lighting helps the user watch the road better and can work in SOS mode in case the driver runs into a traffic accident.

The housing is super-hard and resistant to breakage so the odds that you will damage it while driving are very low. The built-in LCD screen shows the remaining power and improves product usability, as the user is able to monitor the level of energy and control the charging process. The housing has two USB ports too. Both are needed to provide charge for a variety of electrical devices, including phones and laptops.

The JACO design involves smart technologies that minimize safety risks for the user. In particular, the starter and corresponding accessories will securely protect your equipment from reverse polarity, overheating, and overcharging that are all typical of earlier chargers.

I’d recommend the JACO starter for all people who are in need of a portable car charger that involves minimal risks and provides optimal performance and high-level usability.

Buyers Guide

What to consider before buying a car battery charger?

Battery type

Not all chargers are versatile and can charge all types of batteries. For instance, a gel cell battery commonly requires an individual charger, while other batteries, including lead-acid or AGM can be served by the same maintainer. So you should think carefully before making the final purchase decision. If you store a variety of unlike batteries in the garage, it is more reasonable to go for a small car battery charger that is capable of maintaining them alone.

Battery rating

Battery rating is calculated in ampere-hours which indicate how long a battery charger is able to sustain the current before getting fully discharged. An average car battery is rated at 50 amp-hours. For instance, if you have a 25 Amp charger, the charging time will be 2.5 hours until the charge is complete. But if your battery is deep-cycled with the rating of 200 amp-hours, the same charger will take 10 hours to revive the battery from a dead condition.

So you should know in advance which battery rating suits your batteries best so as to minimize the charging time and get the most benefit from the charger.

Auto battery working principle

Based on all the auto battery charger reviews above, you must have noticed that any smart charger is underpinned by the same working principle. The point is to provide the electric current to a car battery which in turn gives it to the engine making the car move. When batteries approach self-discharge, the alternator is required to do the battery job too. This leads to premature alternator failure. If you are not ready to risk your vehicle, here is only one thing to follow – you should always carry a good battery charger or booster in the truck.

Why is a battery charger more reliable? The average battery capacity is about 48 amps-hours, which means that it can supply 1 Amp to the engine during 48 hours or 6 Amps during 8 hours when the engine is completely dead. A charger consumes AC power and then transforms it into DC power to provide for the battery. The DC current is always supplied at a low voltage, especially when it is the dead battery that is going to recover. High voltage is prohibited at the first stage of charging as it may entail the increased formation of hydrogen gas which heightens the risk of explosion, especially when the battery is not tolerant to overcharging and overheating.

The ideal approach to dealing with dead batteries is to use a charger working at low voltages because fast charging is never safe and best to be avoided under normal circumstances.

What is the charging time of a car battery?

Normally, the charging time of an auto battery is dependent on the amperage of a charger. If the charger has high amperage, you can expect a fast charge of the charger, while the charger with low amperage makes you wait a little but instead provides a safer and less risky charge.
You can use chargers with different amperages to provide energy for your batteries.

2 amps

A 2 Amp battery charger will need about 24 hours to get your battery to full charger. This level of amperage is fit to situations when you need only to maintain your battery.

4 amps

A 4 Amp battery charger works somewhat faster and lets you charge the battery within 12 hours. It is yet not enough for quick charge, but this type of chargers work best for small batteries like those in motorcycles.

40 amps

This amperage is what you can see in any top rated automotive battery charger that acts as a maintainer and booster at the same time. High amps are ideal to quickly start a 6L engine or charge a battery with a large capacity in less than an hour. The only dangerous thing to remember about high-power chargers is that you should not apply them for long periods of time because some batteries are not programmed to deal with overcharging.

How to provide a fast charge to a car battery

There are two main factors that define the charge time of any battery.

This first one is how much a battery has been discharged. On average, a few hours are enough to get your battery to full charge, but if you are going to charge a dead battery, it will take more hours to bring it to normal condition. Keep in mind that fast charging rates are not recommended because they shorten the battery life span.

The other one is the amperage of a charger. As you’ve learned above, high amps lead to faster charge and allow charging batteries with any capacity quite rapidly. However, a high-amp charger may be dangerous for low-quality batteries. If you opt for the best portable car battery charger though, it is able to limit the voltage and amperage after the battery enters floating mode, which makes the charging process entirely safe and highly efficient.

Can an auto battery charger start a car engine?

A car battery charger is not able to give a jump start to your car because of low amps. Normally, a car needs the amperage between 36 and 72 amps to recover quickly from self-discharge. Battery chargers usually have lower amps that are too weak to return a dead battery to normal operation. The amount of current it is able to supply in a short time is not sufficient to jumpstart a car.

In short words, a smart car charger is user-friendly and completely safe for the user but still is not aimed to boost engines affected by self-discharge. If you are in search of a device to boost a dead engine, stick only to starters that can maintain electrical equipment and also provide a jump start if necessary.