4 Harbor Freight Battery Chargers With The Highest User Ratings

Nobody wants to have their car battery die. Thankfully, car battery chargers have become an increasingly more popular way to either prevent — or, at least, significantly delay — that from happening. These chargers are useful if your car has been parked for a long time without moving, if it sits frequently in a cold environment, or simply because you have a dead battery. A number of these chargers can also act as a jump starter, replacing the traditional jumper cables that you would use to connect your car battery to someone else's for a quick boost of energy.

Several factors go into selecting the right battery charger for your vehicle, but no matter what kind of battery it may be, Harbor Freight is probably going to be able to provide you with what you need. The retailer currently offers 10 different battery chargers of various sizes, prices, and power capacities, giving you a decent number of choices. We've selected four of the highest-rated car battery chargers available from Harbor Freight, reflecting the range of products the retailer has to offer. This includes options from both the Viking and Cen-Tech brands that Harbor Freight offers. We also made sure that these had at least 1,500 reviews each, to ensure that the high ratings reflected a consistent level of positive feedback from people who've actually purchased and used these battery chargers.

The other battery chargers on this list can fully charge your battery, but they do not have the ability to jump-start your vehicle's battery. Harbor Freight does make and sell jump starters, but they are typically separate from battery chargers. That is where the Cen-Tech 200 Amp, 6/12V Wheeled Automatic Battery Charger with Engine Jump Start sets itself apart. Not only can this charger act as a charger for both 6V and 12V batteries with an adjustable charging rate between 2 and 40 amps, but it can also generate 200 amps to jump start a battery.

This Cen-Tech charger is much larger than the others on this list, weighing 32 pounds. However, it is reasonably portable thanks to the wheels attached to the bottom and the large top handle, allowing you to roll it like a suitcase. Due to its size and power, it has built-in cooling fans that prevent the charger from overheating and burning itself out far too quickly. Harbor Freight notes that this charger is more suited to professionals or serious enthusiasts. 

Those who have purchased it are quite happy with it, giving it an overall customer satisfaction score of 4.3 out of 5 stars based on over 1,840 ratings. Even with a price tag of $159.99, customers have found it to be a great value, and though it has a potentially intimidating size, people have found it to be easy to use as well. This Cen-Tech charger isn't for everyone, but it's well-liked by those who need serious power.

The Viking 2/8/15 Amp Automatic Microprocessor-Controlled Battery Charger is, in many respects, this is a larger version of the 4-amp charger the brand also makes, but there are some significant differences in how the two operate. First off, this charger is exclusively for 12V batteries. The more important difference, though, is the multiple ways it can charge your battery, as it operates in three different modes depending on your battery's needs. 

The first is a trickle charge that uses a constant, low 2-amp stream to charge the battery. This is different than a float charge or maintenance that automatically turns on once the battery is fully charged, which this charger also does. The second mode is an 8-amp quick charge. This is for dead or near-dead batteries that need to be operational relatively quickly. Lastly, there is a 15-amp boost charge mode for batteries that need to be operational even quicker.

Harbor Freight customers are big fans of how easy this Viking charger is to use, and many reviews highlight the benefits of its features, such as the various charging modes. Nearly 2,500 customers have given this charger an overall satisfaction score of 4.6 stars out of 5. Once again, value for the price is consistently cited as a positive, though this model is more expensive than most, coming in at $69.99. Despite the higher price, few Harbor Freight customers are finding issues with this Viking battery charger on the whole.

While some battery chargers are great for a variety of different scenarios, some of them excel in one particular area. That is where a charger like the Cen-Tech 0.75 amp, 12V Deluxe Battery Maintainer and Float Charger comes into play. Harbor Freight specifies that this charger is best suited for 12V batteries that are in need of long-term charging or maintenance. This typically happens if you have a car that you don't use very often; this could be a car that's in a garage that you rarely have access to, for example, or a dedicated vehicle at a second home that you only visit occasionally. Instead of an LED screen, there is a simple LED indicator to let you know if the charger is actively charging or maintaining, with an indicator for any charging errors (if present). 

This Cen-Tech battery charger has 4.7 out of 5 stars from nearly 3,200 individual ratings. The charger's price is one of its biggest selling points: it sells for just $19.99, dropping to $14.99 for members of Harbor Freight's Inside Track Club. It is the only battery charger that can get a discount through the Inside Track Club. While the Cen-Tech's charger's utility is limited compared to other chargers, customer reviews show that the vast majority are perfectly happy with how it accomplishes its dedicated function.

For those looking for a compact battery charger, the Viking 4 amp Fully Automatic Microprocessor-Controlled Battery Charger is a highly rated option to consider. This is a 4-amp battery charger compatible with both 6V and 12V batteries. Most car batteries are 12V, but this charger's 6V compatibility means that you can also use it for something like a golf cart or a kid-sized motorcycle that utilizes a 6V battery.

With a weight of just 1.25 pounds and a length of 6.25 inches, this Viking charger is portable and will comfortably fit under the hood of your vehicle. Its size makes it easy when switching between those 6V and 12V batteries you may need to charge. Importantly, this charger is also a maintainer. That means that it will automatically switch to a maintenance mode once your battery is fully charged to avoid overcharging and possibly damaging the battery.

Harbor Freight customers have given this particular charger an overall rating of 4.7 out of 5 stars. That is based on nearly 5,700 individual ratings, which is by far the highest number of ratings for any Harbor Freight battery charger. Many customers feel they are getting great value from the charger, since Harbor Freight retails it for $39.99. Customers also praise its ease of use. Part of that can likely be attributed to the LED screen on the front of the charger that tells users exactly what mode it is in, the voltage, the battery's capacity, and notifies the user of any errors.