Best motorcycle battery chargers in 2024 | Get back on the road or keep your battery topped up

There’s a strong case for dedicated motorcycle battery chargers. Most batteries will become discharged if the bike is left alone for a period of time (sometimes as little as a couple of weeks), and this is particularly true for bikes that have motorcycle trackers fitted, as these inevitably draw power from the motorcycle battery to offer their protection. So although only a small amount of current is drawn, it’s inevitable that an unattended bike will have a flat battery before long – especially if you don’t know how to look after a motorcycle battery.

This can be annoying at best and scrap the battery at worst, forcing your hand in shelling out for a new one. It’s irritating because you come to the garage for your first ride in some time, and the battery is dead. If you’re lucky, you can jump-start it and go for a run – hopefully, the charge you get back into the battery will see you through your ride.

However, in the worst-case scenario, the cells in the battery can become damaged to the point where they simply cannot hold a charge, and the only solution is to replace it. And while motorcycle batteries generally are less expensive than car batteries, for example, it’s still an expense you could do without.

What to consider when buying a motorcycle battery charger

First and foremost, you will want to consider a charger’s compatibility with the various battery technologies. Different types of battery need to be charged in different ways, and while many battery chargers on the market today are compatible with lead acid, gel, and lithium-ion batteries (including all the ones featured in this guide), that’s not always the case. Check what type your battery is, and make sure you get a charger that’s appropriate.

It’s important to consider what safety features are on offer too. Some models can automatically switch between charging and discharging, as well as reconditioning your bike’s battery, which means you can set it and forget it. You may also consider one with polarity detection, so you can’t connect the terminals the wrong way around, or automatic charge rate adjustment optimised on the fly for your battery.

Charging rate is another important consideration, since charging a motorcycle battery too fast can cause it to heat up, damaging it, and reducing its lifespan. Generally speaking, a middle of the road figure between 1-2 amps is a safe range, and look at anything that charges faster with caution.

The best motorcycle battery chargers

Frequently Asked Questions

How to avoid flat batteries on your motorcycle

If you’re leaving the bike for more than a week without riding it, it’s a good idea to hook it up to a battery charger/maintainer to keep the battery in good nick. Any of the ones you see in this list will make sure your bike’s battery is ready to go when you are, and with minimal faff required.

However, the more fun way is to just keep riding your bike – at least once a week, for 15 minutes or more at a time should keep the battery topped up, or longer if it takes a few cranks to start up.

If you’re still getting a flat battery regularly after all that, it’s safe to say something’s wrong with the electrical system on the bike, so time to investigate. It could be an electrical accessory that’s draining the bike’s battery like a tracker or USB plug, or the battery itself could be nearing the end of its life.

Should I charge motorcycle battery at 2 or 10 amps?

As a general rule, you should charge the battery at about 10% of its total amp hour rating to preserve its longevity – for most motorcycle batteries, that’s means a 1 to 2 amp charger is best. That is pretty slow, but any faster and you risk heating up the battery, damaging it, and reducing its lifespan. Check your bike’s manual if you want to charge any faster, to see if the battery can handle faster charging.

How many amps should a 12V motorcycle battery have?

The amperage of a motorcycle battery basically tells you how big it is – the more amps, the more times you can crank the engine over without it going flat. That comes at the cost of a bigger physical size though, and there’s many different sizes of batteries for different kinds of bikes. So, check your bike’s manual to find out which sizes will fit, and grab whichever one is appropriate.

Can you leave a motorcycle battery charger on overnight?

Many modern battery chargers have maintenance functions built in, that allow you to leave them plugged in all the time. If your charger doesn’t have this kind of feature though, it’s a whole different story. You’ll risk overcharging the battery, and that could seriously damage it. So, be sure to check for a maintenance function before you buy.

About the testers

Justin Hayzelden – MCN’s Products Editor and resident bike kit guru, Justin has covered hundreds of thousands of miles on two wheels both at work and in his personal life. In this page, he tested the NOCO GENIUS 2.

Rich Newland – With over 40 years of riding experience and 21 years as a bike journalist, Rich has ridden pretty much every new bike of the last two decades and plenty of others from history – dating right back to machines from the 1930s. In this page, he tested the CTEK CS ONE and CTEK CS FREE chargers.

Gareth Evans – Head of Digital, Gareth made the switch from four wheels to two in 2019 and has never looked back (apart from when he’s racing classic cars…). For this page he tested the Oxford Oximiser 900.

Adam Binnie – Looks after Bauer Media’s product test team, while regularly getting stuck into kit tests for MCN, and has been riding since 2018. For this page he tested the Ring RSC 806.

How MCN tests battery chargers

Here at MCN, we make it our mission to help you find the right kit for you, at the right price for your budget. We test our battery chargers the same way you’ll use yours, by using them on our own bikes. And, we make sure to put them through at least a few months of use before sharing our findings. Our word is backed by hundreds of thousands of miles in the saddle collectively, but our recommendations come from each tester individually.

While testing, we predominantly focus on quality, ease of use, and value. When we write up our full reviews, we’ll give each battery charger a rating out of five stars in each of these categories, and offer a final verdict too. This page is only for the best battery chargers, so every one you’ll see has been awarded at least four stars overall – that’s the passing grade – but here’s what each score really means:

1 star – Poor performance in this category or overall. A battery charger with a single star rating has fallen below the expected standard and should be avoided.
2 stars – Basic performance in this area or overall. A battery charger with a two-star rating has managed to perform to a barely acceptable level, and there is much room for improvement.
3 stars – An average performance in this area or overall. A battery charger with a three-star rating has achieved a basic level of performance and is deemed adequate.
4 stars – A battery charger has performed over and above the accepted averaged in this category or overall. A battery charger with a four-star rating has surpassed expectation and delivered in a particularly impressive way.
5 stars – A battery charger has performed at the highest possible level in a particular category or overall. A battery charger with a five-star rating has delivered to the highest possible level, impressing the tester with its performance. We would happily spend our own money on it.

To find out more, head to our dedicated page explaining how we test motorcycle products.

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