CTEKMXS 5.0 Battery Charger with Automatic Temperature Compensation, Black

Works extremely well. It managed to charge my old car battery without any issue, and one of the key features was used to recondition it. Instructions were clear to follow, and I'd recommend the product to anyone who wants a versitile, intelligent, battery charger that an breathe new life into old batteries.

This is a brilliant product, as a car guy with more than one car, you can connect this up and leave it forever gently charging your car battery. No noise, easy to work, display very clear, never gets hot or over charges your battery. I have two! Good value.

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.

I use this charger very regularly for an old car with a battery that tends to go flat when not used for several days. Easy to use and recharges the battery in just a few hours. Plus it's small size mean that it can fit in the engine bay with the bonnet closed, which is a bonus.

My old Ctek gave up the ghost after 15 years and I had no hesitation in buying a CTEK MXS 5.0 Battery Charger as a replacement especially as it was discounted in the Spring sale. Prime next day delivery was great and upon receipt opened the box to check all parts were there. No problems except for one small thing. The lengths of the power and the connector cables were substantially shorter than my original! So short in fact they did not reach my power socket from the Ctek wall bracket nor did the cigarette connector cable reach the car interior power socket. Upon checking the specification details there is no info on the length of the cables. End result is I’ve had to resite the wall bracket and order a £22 2.5m extension cable at what seems to me to be an exorbitant price.So future buyers be aware, the power cable and the connector cable plus standard cigarette adapter are each about 125cm long.On the plus side I was able to connect the charger, albeit by having it balanced on the drivers door with the window down, and it worked perfectly and I’ve every confidence it will continue to do so for many years. But why are Ctek so parsimonious with a metre of cable? For that reason I have only given 4* for a product which should deserve 5*.