The Best Car Battery Charger and Maintainer to Keep Your Car Running

Unlike inexpensive trickle chargers, the Deltra Battery Tender Plus can safely remain hooked up to your car battery for extended periods of time to ensure it’s always fully charged and ready to go. This is because it has an onboard microprocessor that automatically switches it to a float charge mode after fully charging the battery. The LED light stays red while it’s charging and then glows green when it’s fully charged.

This product does exactly what it’s supposed to and gives you peace of mind. It’s also very lightweight and easy to store. It includes alligator clips as well as a quick disconnect adapter with ring terminals that attach to the battery terminals. The Deltran Battery Tender Plus is the best solution for drivers that store their cars for the winter or have a sports car that is only driven occasionally.

If you don't need a versatile and fast-charging battery charger/maintainer, but rather something that will maintain the charge of your vehicle's battery over long periods of time, the Battery Tender Junior 12V might be a good option. This compact and lightweight unit is suited for twelve volt batteries only, but is very simple to hook up and use.

You simply hook it up and that’s it until you're ready to use the battery as it won’t overcharge the battery thanks to the automatic charge cycle which will switch to float mode when charging is complete. There’s also an LED indicator light shows the charging stages and a reverse hook-up protection safety feature. Although the Battery Tender Junior 12V is quite slow to charge, it is primarily meant for long term use.

The Schumacher SEM-1562A is a charger/maintainer suitable for both six and twelve volt batteries, making it ideal for maintaining battery charge while the battery is being stored. This model will not charge up a large battery very quickly, making it a much better choice for long term application.

The SEM-1562A includes a microprocessor to make the charging cycle fully automatic. When the battery is charged, it will switch off and monitor the battery to prevent overcharging. Several safety enhancing features are included such as reverse hook-up protection and automatic temperature compensation to prevent overheating. This rugged unit comes with everything you need including both clamps and ring connectors.

The Black & Decker BM3B is a very budget-friendly battery charger and maintainer. Although this unit is not well-suited to heavy-duty use, it’s an affordable and easy to use option to have on hand. The BM3B is a bit flimsier than more expensive models and doesn't have as much versatility, but for basic purposes, most users are perfectly satisfied.

Connection to your vehicle's battery is easy using the included attachments, while featuring built-in protection against reverse hook-up and short circuiting. This battery charger/maintainer also protects against overcharging and will automatically switch to float mode as needed. Suitable for both six and twelve volt batteries, this is an affordable option for basic charging needs.