The Best Trickle Chargers of 2024

The Battery Tender Plus is a good basic car battery charger available at a great price. Maintaining a variety of vehicles has never been easier than with this trickle charger in your arsenal, and it’s useful for ATVs, boats, and everything in between. It should be noted that the Battery Tender Plus is meant only to maintain the charge of cars and boats and is not for use when a battery is completely depleted, though it will charge and maintain smaller vehicles at 3 Volts and up.

With 1.25 Amps and 12-Volt capability, the Battery Tender Plus is compatible with lead acid, AGM, and GEL batteries. At 2.2 pounds, it’s extra portable and can easily be stored in the trunk of your car or a saddlebag for emergency use.

Users should pay close attention to the instructions for this trickle charger before use to avoid annoyances other users had to work through, like the fact that this charger isn’t meant to charge a completely dead battery, or the different light readings. While the majority of users have been satisfied with this charger, there are some minor qualms, including the fact that it has a pretty short cable and that the clamps are small. But these are preferences, not major inconveniences, and shouldn’t deter you.

Built-in temperature compensation makes the CTEK trickle charger a safe option to take on any outdoor adventure. Users like that this charger is lightweight and easy to use with simple plug and play operation. All you need to do to start charging the battery is select the program and mode and let the charger do the rest.

The CTEK charger comes with clamps and a practical eyelet connector for easier access to the battery, as well as a handy storage bag to keep your charger safe from damage. It also regulates the voltage charge so you won’t have to worry about damaging any electronics in your vehicle.

The minimum battery voltage is 2V, so there does have to be some life left in your battery in order to get it going, but as long as you remember that you shouldn’t have any issues. This trickle charger is suitable for a 12-Volt battery, up to 160 Amp-hours. And it’s easy enough to use; once battery types are chosen, the charger will kick into gear and begin charging through each mode.

While this charger is a favorite among many users, some mention issues with its manual, so you’ll want to plan some extra time into your first use to avoid frustration with the reconditioning portion. In spite of this, CTEK is said to offer fantastic customer support for any issues that you may run into.

With a pair of battery maintainers, the NOKO Genius is a more expensive trickle charger, but as such it does come with more capabilities. Unlike other trickle chargers out there, the Genius has start voltage, detecting batteries down to 1V, as well as force mode, which will start a charge from zero.

Designed to withstand hours underwater in even the most extreme conditions, an integrated thermal sensor has the ability to detect ambient temperature and alters the charge to eliminate over and under-charging and is operative from negative four to 104 degrees Fahrenheit.

Folks utilize this trickle charger for marine, boat, starter, and deep-cycle batteries without any issues, and seem to appreciate the two-bank battery charger as a point of convenience. And it’s good for use with all types of lead-acid and lithium-ion batteries.

The included auto-memory feature automatically resets back to last selected mode, making for easy use charging the same types of batteries and NOKO’s short manual is easily understood. The Genius is 5.3 pounds in total, making it heavier than other trickle chargers but still easily transported.

Safe and reliable, the Shumacher SC1281 includes reverse-hookup protection to ensure the charger won’t operate if clamps are reversed, making this a great choice in terms of safety features. Meant for use in larger batteries such as SUVs and trucks, this trickle charger automatically adjusts amperage rates to charge and maintain batteries including standard, AGM, GEL, and deep-cycle.

A battery and alternator tester provides charge levels and helps to diagnose electrical problems automatically during multi-stage charging, a feature that other trickle chargers lack. Another selling point for the SC1281 is the fact that this charger can be used as a 100-Amp jump starter, making it a great asset when out on the road.

Weighing just over 12.5 pounds, the clear display and accessible controls aid in the simplicity of this charging unit. Just toggle to the desired mode and it will begin applying charge power, engaging the automatic shutoff once the battery is fully charged—which will prevent overcharging.

The only negative people mention with this charger is that the written manual could be better, but this doesn’t deter from use. This is a great, simple choice for those looking for a heavier charger for larger vehicles.

A popular name in working gear, it’s no surprise that the Black and Decker battery charger is a popular choice among trickle chargers. Large in size, this type of charger’s dimensions are 10 by 6 by 12 inches, so it’s not as portable as other chargers on the market even though it only weighs 5.5 pounds.

The BC15BD is a 15-Amp bench charger meant to maintain and charge any AGM, GEL, or WET 12V battery (automotive or marine) using three-stage charging—switching from fast charge to top-off to trickle automatically. This is another trickle charger with jump-starting capabilities, as it has a 40-Amp engine start to get you going within 90 seconds. An easy-to-read LCD screen displays charging status with straightforward icons, so no more wondering about progress as your batteries charge.

What sets this charger apart from others on the market is its patented alternator check, which indicates whether the alternator is maintaining battery level. That’s helpful if you’ve ever experienced the annoyance of a failing alternator. One thing users don’t like about this charger, however, is that if it detects low voltage it’ll automatically default to recondition mode, which can be frustrating for some. As with other trickle chargers, reading the manual ahead of time ensures ease of use and prevents frustration.