When traveling on the road or maintaining vehicles at home, there’s so much to consider. Could there be anything worse than trying to start your vehicle for a trip, and your battery is dead?
So what are your options?
There are many options for a solar car battery charger, and there are many more options for your home, but not necessarily on the road.
It makes sense to have something to help you from being stranded on the road or at home.
There are some excellent solar car battery chargers on the market that can help you avoid an emergency.
So what’s the best solar car battery charger for you?
Our Top Picks
| Product | Details | ||
|---|---|---|---|
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Best Overall: SUNER POWER Solar Car Battery Charger | An efficient and powerful solar car battery charger for whatever vehicle you have. It’s all about power in a small package. | Check Price |
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Best Durable Case: POWAI Solar Car Battery Charger | Thoughtful design and durability make this solar car battery charger great in most weather conditions and is waterproof. | Check Price |
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Best In Cloudy Weather: Sunway Solar Car Battery Charger | Keeps charging even if it gets some cloud cover. Unique design makes it easy to place in the windshield for maximum sun exposure. | Check Price |
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Best For Charging Power: TCXW Lightweight Solar Panel Kit For Car | If you’re looking for maximum wattage and power in a solar battery charger, this is it! It’s lightweight and easy to mount. | Check Price |
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Best Small Charger: ALLPOWERS Solar Battery Maintainer | Perfect to plug in and keep your battery topped up when you’re stuck in traffic, construction zones, or road closures. | Check Price |
How We Chose the Best Solar Car Battery Charger Kits
While searching for the best solar car battery charger, we considered top brands known for their ease of use, durability, sturdiness, and tech support.
We also wanted solar car battery chargers that were compatible with most vehicles.
We started by looking at solar car battery chargers that experts recommend. We made sure we understood what qualities are important in a safe and effective solar car battery charger.
We then looked into design innovators.
Some brands like Sunway, Noco, and Sunner have distinguished themselves by adding design enhancements to durability and sturdiness.
We wanted to include a range of prices, designs, and shapes to help you better decide what would work for your vehicle.
We also considered durable solar car battery chargers for all types of vehicles that would perform in different weather conditions, like rain and snow.
According to Electronics B2B, A charger is as important as the battery because it can extend the life of a battery. This is extremely important in bad weather.
Finally, we searched the internet for top-rated solar car battery chargers that owners love for ease of use and function. We looked at products from online retailers like Amazon and Walmart.
We finally chose 7 of the top chargers and tested them. We loved 5of them enough to recommend and added 2 as honorable mentions.
We’ll get right down to business and tell you what solar car battery charger we loved and why.
Best Solar Car Battery Charger Kits Reviewed
1. Best Overall: SUNER POWER Solar Car Battery Charger
Product Ratings
| Easy to Use | 5/5 |
| Durability | 5/4 |
| Sturdiness | 5/5 |
| Tech Support | 5/5 |
Dimensions: 17.28 x 9.88 x 1.85 inches | Weight: 3 pounds| Compatible: With most vehicles | Wattage: 8 watts
What We Liked
- Customer reports of excellent customer service
- The case is rugged and durable
- The battery comes with multiple connection options
- Trickle charges batteries to keep them full
What We Didn’t Like
- Does not have enough solar panel voltage to charge a completely dead car battery
- The suction cups can fail
- There have been reports of a 50% restocking fee
First up is The Suner Power Solar Car Battery Charger which is definitive of good things that come in small packages.
This low-wattage solar car charger is a great way of maintaining your battery’s charge without overcharging it.
The Suner also comes with multiple power options to ensure that you have what you need.
The center comes in 5, 10, and 12 watts so just so that you can choose what’s exactly right for your vehicle.
We loved the fact that it was compatible with most vehicles. It is easy to mount, is durable, and has good tech support.
This solar-powered battery charger is a trickle charger and will not quickly charge your battery. It is not designed to revive dead car batteries.
It’s intended to keep car batteries full so the car is ready when you need it. It’s also the heaviest of all the solar charger options on this list, weighing 3 lb due to the rubber protectant around the edges.
See Price on Amazon2. Best Durable Case: POWOXI Solar Car Battery Charger
Product Ratings
| Easy to Use | 5/5 |
| Durability | 4/5 |
| Sturdiness | 4/5 |
| Tech Support | 5/5 |
Dimensions: 16.8 x 10.4 x 2.5 inches| Weight: 2.79 pounds| Compatible: With most vehicles | Wattage: 8 watts
What We Liked
- Comes in a 3.3, 7.5, and 9 watts for your specific needs
- This charger has overcharge protection for your car battery
- Comes with an extended 12 months warranty and lifetime technical support
- Battery maintainer for car batteries and deep cycle batteries
What We Didn’t Like
- Can not revive a dead battery
- The suction cups do not always adhere to the window
- There have been some issues with the waterproofing rubber
Next up is the Powoxi Solar Car Battery Charger. This one checks a lot of our boxes. It’s durable, reasonably sized, easy to transport, and waterproof.
Coming in at 2 pounds, it’s still easily transportable, although you may not want to use the suction cups over a long time.
The rubber bumper makes it very durable and is perfect for overwintering your vehicles and maintaining battery power while they’re parked.
This product is meant to hold up to harsh weather, so you don’t have to worry about it. This 7.5-watt battery isn’t meant to charge a completely dead battery but will help maintain a charge.
The Powoxi Solar Car Battery Charger is a trickle charger.
This battery charger does not come with a solar charge controller. It is meant to be monitored by you regularly. So, if you’re overwintering, please be aware of this.
See Price on Amazon3. Best in Cloudy Weather: Sunway Solar Car Battery Charger
Product Ratings
| Easy to Use | 5/5 |
| Durability | 4/5 |
| Sturdiness | 4/5 |
| Tech Support | 4/5 |
Dimensions: 14.9 x 8.3 x 0.6 inches| Weight: 2.7 pounds| Compatible: With most vehicles| Wattage: 8 watts
What We Liked
- Comes in with a built-in diode to prevent reverse charging
- Sunway Solar offers a 12-month warranty
- The charger comes with interchangeable connectors for flexibility
- Trickle-charges batteries to keep them full
What We Didn’t Like
- There are customer concerts about the charger being weatherproof and splashproof
- This doesn’t necessarily charge a dead battery
- The charger doesn’t always work well in colder weather
Here’s our pick for the most affordable solar car battery charger. Even with a budget price, the features are sufficient for the task.
This trickle charger has suction cups and a plaster bumper around the solar panel.
The amorphous solar panel can keep charging your car battery even in overcast weather. As with all the others, this is a trickle charger, so it can’t charge a dead battery, but it can help keep your battery ready to go even in inclement weather.
It’s lightweight and can be used with most vehicles.
It’s highly waterproof although not submersible and has multiple and interchangeable connections for whatever your needs may be.
The Sunway also has a long cord that can be threaded through the closed door to reach the battery.
See Price on Amazon4. Best for Charging Power: TCXW Lightweight Solar Panel Kit for Car
Product Ratings
| Easy to Use | 5/5 |
| Durability | 5/5 |
| Sturdiness | 3/5 |
| Tech Support | 5/5 |
Dimensions: 20.47 x 13 x .01 inches | Weight: 1. 32 pounds| Compatible: With most vehicles| Wattage: 30 watts
What We Liked
- This charger comes in a range of wattages from 60 to 100 making it more powerful than other options on the list
- TCXW Is very lightweight and weighs around 1 pound
- The design is frameless and the panels are semi-flexible which makes installation easy
- It can charge a car battery in overcast weather
What We Didn’t Like
- The charger has a large surface area that spans two feet making it awkward to move around
- The TCXW needs a charge controller to prevent overcharging your battery
The TCXWLightweight solar panel is the most powerful charger on this list! The solar panels range from 60 to 100 W, giving you enough power to charge a larger vehicle.
We loved the power that came with this charger and actually like its size. Beware, you can’t fit this charger just anywhere.
Coming in at a very light 1 lb, you can move the panel around but be careful because the panels are quite fragile.
These panels are designed to be used as part of a solar panel charging station in your yard or mounted on the roof to constantly charge your battery.
We love these because they can be combined to turn any car into a solar-powered car!
This product needs a charge controller because of the power. You want to avoid overcharging your battery.
Because of the power and the need for a charge controller, this charger is one of the more expensive options on the list, but it is also a powerful charging option and not a simple trickle-charger.
See Price5. Best Small Charger: ALLPOWERS Solar Battery Maintainer
Product Ratings
| Easy to Use | 5/5 |
| Durability | 5/5 |
| Sturdiness | 3/5 |
| Tech Support | 4/5 |
Dimensions: 13.46 x 5.59 x 1.54 inches | Weight: 11.4 ounces| Compatible: With most vehicles | Wattage: 10 watts
What We Liked
- The charger comes with interchangeable connectors for flexibility
- This charger will not overcharge your battery
- This charger is weatherproof making it durable
What We Didn’t Like
- There is no internal mounting to keep it from warping
- The battery being charged cannot be less than 60% so you will need to monitor the battery
- There have been complaints about the customer service
Here is our final entry of the best solar car battery chargers. The ALLPOWERS is an easy-to-use, easy to set up charger, and has 10 watts of output.
To use the charger all you need to do is to plug it into your car’s 12 volt lighter socket or use the alligator clips to connect directly to your battery. What could be easier?
We loved the speed and output and thought it was steady and reliable. This product is water resistant and will take some rain drops and cold weather.
It’s also made with a built-in blocking diode so that it will not drain your battery during the dark hours.
This battery does come with silicone cups to mount to your dashboard or windshield so that it can catch maximum rays.
The issue we had with the ALLPOWERS is the lack of internal mounting, and it doesn’t come with plastic or rubber mounts or linings to support the freestanding panel. Because of this, it can warp.
See Price on AmazonComparison Chart
| Suner | Powoxi | Sunway | TCXW | Allpowers | |
| Easy to Use | 5/5 | 5/5 | 5/5 | 5/5 | 5/5 |
| Durability | 5/5 | 4/5 | 4/5 | 5/5 | 5/5 |
| Sturdiness | 5/5 | 4/5 | 4/5 | 3/5 | 3/5 |
| Tech Support | 5/5 | 5/5 | 5/5 | 5/5 | 4/5 |
The Winner
The winner is the SUNER POWER Solar car battery charger because of its excellent customer service, connectivity options, and the fact that it’s small and durable.
This is a great trickle charger that comes in 5, 10, and 12 watts so that you get exactly what you want and need in this great little trickle charger.
How to Choose the Best Solar Car Battery Charger
Although many solar car battery charger kits have a lot in common, there are also some things that differentiate them.
Paying attention to the small features that vary in quality and usage is just as important.
Uses
Car camping, on a wilderness road trip, on a boat, as a backup battery starter for emergencies, with your RV, the options are endless.
Going off the grid is easy with a rechargeable battery that can charge other batteries.
That also means that your combination of needs could be endless but most battery chargers will be used outside for camping or charging small ATV-type batteries, or used inside the vehicle on the dashboard.
If you’re planning to use the car battery charger kit outside, you want it to be waterproof and dustproof, and have a robust cover to make sure it doesn’t fall apart.
You also should consider if it will be outside in the sun for long periods mounted to something or not.
Some solar panels may warp if they spend a lot of time against a warm surface (as well as heating up themselves), so choosing one that will not warp if you do not mount it should be a priority.
Space
If you need a small charger, but you don’t want it to be so small that it doesn’t do any good. You need a small charger that is efficient.
By efficiency, we mean chargers that have some sort of feature that makes them fit better, like suction cups for mounting the charger to your windshield to maximize space.
Efficiency in functionality would be the most powerful solar panels in the smallest amount of space.
If you need a lot of wattage from a battery charger, then choose the solar car battery charger that is going to give you the most power.
The more power you need from the charger, the bigger the charger, so be aware of that.
There are a few thin and wide options, which allows them to maximize the sun that they receive and, therefore, are more powerful. If you have the space for it, this is a great option.
If you’re somewhere in the middle, then you can manage to marry efficiency in design and functionality while taking advantage of the extra space you have.
You can go for the option that best combines the two, but keep in mind, you might pay extra for it.
Other Features
Now that you have thought where you are taking your chargers and what space you have, you will need to consider some of the following:
- Waterproof or water resistant design
- Multiple connection options
- Performance in different weather conditions
- Wattage needed
- Tech support availability
- Customer service reliability
