CTEK MXS 5.0 Battery Charger with Automatic Temperature Compensation, Black

I've tried simpler 'smart' chargers that would often be connected to a flat battery and refuse to do anything - voltage too low. This CTEK one was purchased because I swap between two cars - one for summer, one for winter, cheaper than running both at once - and the inactive car's battery often needs some assistance when switching over. The 'recondition mode' has already brought 2 batteries back to useful capacity despite being below 10v. I've just given it its biggest challenge - a good-quality Bosch battery that was registering less than 6 volts due to constant drain. The MXS5.0 didn't give up, and after a 12-hour charge, reported it as green. Sure enough, it's holding a steady voltage. Whether the battery will actually start the car after being so badly drained remains to be seen, but I'm very impressed that the charger managed to bring it back to 12 volts. It's paid for itself already, being cheaper than a battery for either of my cars and has saved me replacing both. It's worth noting that both cars have good-quality batteries fitted that are also worth the extra money over cheaper ones, as they can take quite some abuse and be brought back. Its ability to restore a cheaper battery may vary due to the more rugged design used in high-end batteries.The user interface is very simple, just push the Mode button until the LEDs point to the combination you want (motorcycle or car capacity, Absorbent Glass Mat technology, Recondition mode) and let it do its thing. If it's unplugged, it'll resume the same settings on next connection. I think the 5.0 is worth the extra over the 3.8 as it charges faster. The cables, clips and connectors are all good quality, and I bought an extension lead for the 12v end so I can leave the battery in a well-vented area while keeping the expensive charger under cover. The included bag is big enough to fit the charger, manual and extra extension lead in one neat package.When the battery finishes charging, the charger automatically drops to a maintenance mode, monitoring the battery voltage, and will start charging again if the voltage begins to drop. This keeps lead-acid batteries in good condition - the chemistry works well with a small, but constant, amount of power flowing through the cells.In short, this is a brilliant charger to keep handy if you have a car that is seldom used. It may save you replacing the battery many times over.An edit: This charger is still working perfectly in 2025 and has never let me down. It's just resurrected a pair of batteries that were standing for many months and were reading less than 3V total. It took a boost from a solar panel to 'kick start' the charge cycle by bringing the voltage up, but once they were reading 10V, a lengthy charge and recondition cycle followed which has restored both batteries to >90% State of Health according to a battery tester. I've done similar for other batteries, bringing them back from extremely low voltages and coaxing additional life out of them, enough to start the engine and get going. It's not perfect and there will be some capacity loss, but this charger has paid for itself many times over in not needing to replace dead batteries so often. I've lent it to colleagues to run cycles on their cars. The cables are wearing well and the Comfort Connect clips are still holding strong. I also realised that the charger body is IP65-rated waterproof, so can be left outside in the rain safely while charging. This has much simplified charging my cars.Overall, this is exceptional quality and value for money. It has paid for itself many times over in replacement car batteries! I've never had to talk to CTEK support as I've never had a problem with my unit, it's been entirely reliable and dependable. Thoroughly recommended.

Excellent piece of kit. With a plethora of cheap 'smart' chargers out there you could be forgiven for saying "it's only a battery charger". How wrong you would be! Some just blast the cells, others have 3 or 5 step charging and even more have high current. If like me you own several vehicles all with differing size batteries, and one is a gel mat type, then you do not need a sledge hammer charger if you want your battery to give you the life you hoped it would. I wouldn't have chose this model if I had gone on the 'tech specs' as it suggested it wasn't for motorcycles. It arrived and it has a motorcycle battery function and the A/hr rating went sufficiently low to cope with the 10A/hr one on the Honda CBF125.I am not easily impressed, more often than not tech' gear never quite fulfills the grand claims. So when this item can charge a gel battery, low A/hr and then put it into maintenance charging as well as coping with a high A/hr car battery, carry out a deep charge with desulphidation, then give it a float charge followed by a maintenance cycle it has to be a bit special. It has the ooomph to get you to a usable state of charge without being on for days, but does it with care for the battery - or else it tells you that the battery is a duffer!Coloured lights indicate the state-of-play and the unit comes with a remote access charging socket that you can permanently strap across the terminals, meaning no disconnecting the battery. The claim is that the voltage is very low ripple so no disruption to electronics. What is even nicer is that you also get 'plug in' crocodile clips for the vehicles you don't need the remote charge socket for. Additional accessories are easily available and not expensive. I opted for a 'comfort socket' which has three lights on that let you know visually the state of the battery. Great for my daughters bike that may stand for long periods. Highly recommended for its full features, robust construction and ease of buying accessories. AND, if the price makes you wince, consider the cost of a new battery and the inconvenience of going nowhere too soon. My bike gel mat battery cost £45 and a decent size car battery will set you back £100+. This is an investment in having a degree of certainty.