A car battery is required to provide the jolt of electricity necessary to start the engine of your vehicle.
However, the car battery can also fail or die; and when that happens our first reaction is to replace it as soon as possible with a new one.
Well, we all know that car batteries are not like modern lithium-ion batteries, which you can simply just put on charge, they need maintenance from time to time.
And to keep your automobile in a good condition it is important to take care of its battery i.e., car battery.
This not only help you save money but also from the unfortunate scenario of your car’s battery dying unexpectedly. That is where Battery Maintainers come into the picture.
The primary function of battery maintainers is to keep car’s battery in good condition, especially if it isn’t over used.
So, whether you plan to ride your car daily or having it sit inside your garage for a long time, you may need to invest your money in a good quality battery maintainer.
Though, at first, battery maintainers may come off as nothing different than a battery charger, but they serve entirely different purpose and once you start using it you will notice it.
We have made a list of top 10 best battery maintainers available in the market.
If you own a battery maintainer then you already know how important they are, but in case you don’t & you are planning to buy one then you probably have many questions in your mind about battery maintainers.
To save you from all the confusion, we are going to share with you some important things you should know about battery maintainers
Why Buy a Battery Maintainer?
If you are not convinced with the idea of buying a battery maintainer then have a look at following reasons why you should buy one:
1. Keep Your Car Batteries Charged
It is important to keep your car’s battery in check because their lifespan is quietly straightforward. Once you start using it, the charge will only decrease until the battery is all drained out.
A battery maintainer takes care of your car’s battery and keep it topped so you can use it for an extended period of time. Some can look after your two-wheeler automobile’s battery as well.
2. Store Batteries When Not In Use
All batteries tend to lose their charge after a period of time, sometimes, even when they are not in use.
A battery maintainer is an easy & good way to save your car’s battery charge even when it is not in use. And it also provides it from getting overcharged or damage.
3. Restore Old Batteries
While not all battery maintainers can help to bring a dead battery back to life, but the right maintainer & charger combo can help & bring back the old lead-acid batteries back to full charge by alternating the modes to type of battery charging is required.
How Do I Choose the Right Battery Maintainer?
There are variety of battery maintainers available in the market which makes choosing a right battery maintainer a bit tricky.
Thus, there are few things to keep in mind that will help you choose the right battery maintainer for your car’s battery.
First thing you need to consider is the amperage of maintainer, since high amps means fast charging but low-amp models are equally beneficial as they keep the battery full with minimum energy usage.
Other than this, you will need to check for the company’s customer service or warranty period in case you get a faulty one.
There are several other things to look out for such as smart features, exterior protection viz. water proof coating, safety features to prevent overcharging & further damage caused by it.
Also, you can shop by price if you are low on budget but that doesn’t mean you will have to compromise on features.
Top 10 Best Battery Maintainers
Following are the top 10 battery maintainers from which you can choose one:
1. Battery Tender Plus
It is our most favorite product offered by BATTERY TENDER, it is a single-bank smart battery charge cum maintainer combo with a 1.25A charging flow, specially designed to fully charge the battery .
And also to maintain it at steady voltage to avoid the risk of any damage being caused by trickle chargers.
It comes with a quick connect harness, ring terminals & alligator clips with a powerful cord that measures about 6feet in length i.e., 18AWG.
And the DC output cord length is 4.5feet. Its safety features include reverse polarity protection.
An important feature of this product is that it can automatically switch between fast charging & float charging & also between charging & maintenance mode for extended battery support.
It is easy to use even for those who does not have much experience. Lastly, a maximum 10-year warranty period is offered by the company.
Key Features:
- 25 Ampere battery charger with switch between modes,
- Quick connect harness along with ring terminals & alligator clips,
- Switch modes between charging & maintaining,
- Spart proof & Reverse polarity safety feature,
- Impressive 10-year warranty backed up by company.
2. black + Decker BM3B
This is a fully automatic charger-maintainer device that can charge a 6-12volt AGM, GEL or Wet batteries and once the battery is full it automatically switches its mode form charging to float charger or maintenance to support battery’s life.
It’s an affordable easy-to-use device that comes with quick connect battery clips or O-ring terminals. It comes with built-in circuit protection to prevent overcharging, reverse polarity and is spark proof.
Also, it has a built-in mounting bracket to easily place the maintainer carefully when it is in use. It is ETL certified for its performance & safety features.
However, with all the amazing features the company offers a limited 1-year manufacturer warranty.
Key Features:
- Easy-to-connect battery clips or O-ring terminals,
- Charges batteries ranging from 6-12Volt,
- Automatic switch modes,
- Prevents overcharging, reverse polarity & short circuit,
- ETL certified for performance & safety,
- Comes with built-in mounting bracket,
- Limited 1-year manufacturer warranty.
3. NOCO Genius G3500
Next product is a 3.5A battery charger-maintainer device that is compatible with all types of 6V & 12V lead-acid automobile batteries offered by NOCO Genius which a popular brand amongst automobile devices.
This is one of the best battery chargers that keeps your battery fully charged & maintain it at its best especially for a long-term storage.
It is an easy-to-use device, all you need to do is plug it in and NOCO Genius G3500 will do rest of the work i.e., it will automatically monitor as well as maintain your car’s battery while it’s on charge.
And the most important feature of this product is Advanced Repair Mode that aids to reverse the damaging effects if the battery has not been charged for a long period of time.
Its safety features include spark proof technology to prevent any short circuit & reverse polarity protection with a 5-year warranty period offered by NOCO.
Key Features:
- 5A Battery charger-maintainer,
- Works with lead-acid batteries of 6-12-volt,
- Automatic monitoring & maintenance feature,
- Advanced Repair Mode,
- Spark proof Technology & Reverse Polarity Protection,
- 5-year warranty on product.
4. Motorpower MP00205A
This is an affordable fully automatic battery charger-maintainer that works with all types of 12-volt acid-lead traditional batteries.
It comes with a microprocessor-controlled program that monitors charging & once done it automatically stops and changes mode from charging to maintainer or float charging.
It has Built-in Constant Pulse Current Maintenance that prevent excessively charge or discharge of your car’s battery.
Other safety features include overcharging, short circuit, spark proof a& reverse polarity protection.
You can easily connect or disconnect it form your car’s battery by using its harness along with alligator clips or ring terminals. It is certified by CE, RoHS, UL and CEC, plus, it comes with a 2-year warranty.
Key Features:
- Works with all types of 12V acid-lead batteries,
- Entire charging process monitoring,
- Automatic stop & switch mode technology,
- Protection against overcharging, short circuit & reverse polarity,
- Spark proof,
- 2 Quick harness with alligator chip or ring terminals,
- 2-year warranty provided.
5. LEICESTERCN LST Battery Charger/Maintainer
Next battery maintainer is LEICESTERCN LST that works with both 6- and 12-volt batteries and can also be used as an automatic trickle charger which means.
After successfully monitoring the whole charging process of car’s battery, it automatically switches to float mode or maintainer mode.
It is a compact & lightweight battery maintainer that can be used to charge motorcycle batteries.
The product comes with visual feedback & diagnostic information which makes it easy to keep an eye on car’s battery, in maintenance.
Its safety features include protection against spark proof & reverse polarity. The company offers lifetime quality warranty & a 12-month return policy on the product.
Key Features:
- Works with both 6- & 12-Volt batteries,
- Trickle charger that switches between charging & maintainer mode automatically,
- Visual feedback & Diagnostic Information,
- Compact & Lightweight,
- Lifetime Quality Warranty & a 12-month Refund Policy.
6. Optima Digital 400
First thing to notice about this product is its built-in battery health mode which automatically aids to maximize battery life & performance.
The device comes with a hybrid LED battery charging gauge with an LCD screen for easy monitoring of charging process & maintenance.
Plus, it comes with a dual-purpose stand which means it can either be hooked or tilted while in use and with its wall organizer bracket you can hang it as well.
It offers advanced safety features which includes spark proof, reverse polarity protection, and lastly it can diagnose any battery fault to prevent overcharging & damage caused by it.
It is a fully automatic & multi-purpose battery charging/ maintainer device that offers multi-stage performance charging, conditioning, maintaining, and storage reconditioning mode.
It is an 4A charging this battery maintainer is bit on an expensive side. As claimed by the company this Optima Digital 400 is able to recover deeply discharged batteries which is not offered by any other battery maintainers.
Key Features:
- Built-in battery health mode,
- Can recover deeply discharged batteries,
- Hybrid LED Battery charging gauge with LCD Display,
- Safety features: spark proof, reverse polarity protection,
- Dual purpose hook & wall organizer bracket,
- Charging 4A max.
7. Schumacher SC1299
The company offers variety of battery chargers & maintainers which include 0.75A, 0.8A, 1.5A, 2A & 3A so you can choose one depending on the amperage & charge rate of your car’s battery.
The device is powered by a microprocess capable enough to switch or adjust the amperage rate charge and maintain battery’s life.
It comes with multi-stage charging feature that adds to its quality precision, safety & battery life maintenance with reverse polarity protection safety feature which means charger will not be start functioning if the clamps are attached in reversed manner.
It is an affordable battery maintainer by Schumacher with a charging status LED indicator which is a standard feature.
However, other options come with a display with easy-to-use start/stop interface. Also, most of them comes with a float charging option to prevent overcharging & damage.
Key Features:
- Variety of battery charger/maintainer i.e., 0.75A, 0.8A, 1.5A, 2A, and 3A,
- Automatic amperage rate adjusts,
- Multi-stage Charging,
- LED indicator,
- Float mode monitoring
8. BMK Smart Battery Charger/Maintainer
Offered by BMK this one is a 5A smart battery charger/maintainer which is especially manufactured to work with 12-volt automobile batteries.
Its safety features include protection against spark or short circuit, over voltage, over charging, overload and reverse polarity.
This device is constructed using high-quality ABS and offers IP65 waterproof feature. It comes with a built-in Constant Pulse Current Maintenance and a 72-hour safety timer to protect batteries against excessive overcharge or discharge.
Easy-to-use device with quick connect harness and ring terminals.BMK offers a lifetime quality warranty on its battery charger/maintainer.
Key Features:
- 5A battery charger/maintainer works with 12-volt batteries,
- Manufactured from high-quality ABS,
- Safety features: spark proof, IP65 waterproof, short circuit, over voltage, overcharging, overload, and reverse polarity protection,
- Constant Pulse Current Maintenance & 72-hour safety timer,
- Quick connect & disconnect harness,
- Lifetime quality warranty.
9.DieHard 71219
This device is packed with number of features which starts with a fully automatic 5-stage microprocessor-controlled charger/maintainer that works with both 6- and 12-volt batteries with LED indicator lights to show charging status.
Once charging is done device switch to Float Mode to monitor & keep car’s battery at a normal voltage to maintain its charge.
It comes with easy-to-use quick connect harness, 50-amp clamps, permanently attachable ring terminals/connectors or 12-volt accessory plug and a 3-year quality warranty.
If you own a heavy-duty automobile then Diehard a Gold Shelf & Platinum Shelf charger, which you may find a little expensive but if you need something mode heavy-duty you can go for these variables.
Key Features:
- Works with both 6- & 12-volt batteries,
- 5-stage charging system controlled by a microprocessor,
- Fully automatic with LED indicator lights,
- Protection against overcharging & reverse polarity,
- Float Mode monitoring, Quick connect harness,
- Can be used with either clamps, a 12-volt accessory plug or ring connectors,
- 3-year quality warranty.
10. VMAX 12-Volt Automatic Smart Battery Charger/Maintainer
Last but certainly not the least, this is a 15A smart charger that works with 12-volt all batteries whether a gel, AGM, SLA or Wet.
It is fully automatic and once charging is full it switches to float mode to maintain battery’s life with the help of a built-in microprocessor to control this function.
Unlike other products on this list, it is a 7-stage battery charger that will recharge, maintain, reconditions, improves its functioning and also extends its shelf life.
It is highly efficient and is able to charge your battery to full withing 4-15 hours.
The only reason we placed it at end because this product doesn’t come with lomg cables to connect which means you will have them separately.
Plus, with their limited metal contact connecting them to battery becomes difficult.
Key Features:
- 15A seven-stage battery charger,
- Highly efficient,
- Works with 12-volt Gel, AGM, SLA and Wet batteries,
- Float Mode.
FAQ
Q1. How Do I Know If My Battery Is Dead?
The most obvious sign of a dead lead-acid car battery is when your car engine fails to start. You may hear it crank up a little but it won’t be able to reach sustained operation.
Not just the car engine but other electrical functions of your car may also not work properly. That is why it is advisable to keep a battery charger/maintainer in case of need.
Q2. HOW LONG IT TAKE TO CHARGE A BATTERY?
This totally depends on your car’s battery capacity i.e., its amp hours, and the device’s current amps i.e., battery charger/maintainers ampere.
You can also try dividing the battery capacity by the current to get an idea of how long or number of hours it will take to charge it fully.
Q3. Why Is under Or Overcharging a Battery Is An Issue ?
Continuous, unregulated charging tend to deliver more charge than required by the battery which increases the possibility of damaging the charger/maintainer and other electrical parts in relation as well.
To deal with this problem we have smart chargers & maintainers which automatically switch to float mode once charging is done to minimize the danger.
Conclusion
A battery charger/maintainer combo is one of the must buy car accessory that aids to keep battery in good health to save you from the unfortunate scenario of your car’s battery dying suddenly.
Just like any other products, Battery charger/maintainers are also available in a variety each of it with their set of features. Depending on your car’s battery type you can choose & buy a battery charger/maintainer.
