If you require a quick answer, the best car battery tester is the Topdon BT300P, which is an easy to use device that outputs test results as a readable result on the digital display or paper via the built-in thermal printer. However, if you are on a budget, the brand offers cheaper models that are just as highly rated and provide multiple test modes. Alternatively, if you wish to test the battery and alternator from your car’s 12V port, the Sealey AK500 is a great option to consider.
To rate the car battery testers within our roundup, we based our recommendations on testing multiple devices, the latest research and several factors. Some of the factors that we took into consideration included the display, ease of operation, compatibility with multiple batteries, testing functionality, warranty and value for money.
Best Battery Tester Overview
- Best Overall: Topdon BT300P
- Best All-Rounder: Topdon ArtiBattery
- Best 12V Port Tester: Sealey AK500
- Best Value: Konnwei KW600
- Best Professional: Topdon BT600
- Best Budget: MOTOPOWER MP0514A
Below is a list of the best battery testers that are easy to use and are designed specifically for car batteries.
The Best Car Battery Testers
1. Best Overall: Topdon BT300P Car Battery Tester
Topdon is a brand that has been specialising in car battery testers for many years and the BT300P is their latest model. It features a new and improved design with a 2.4-inch colour screen and even a built-in thermal printer for printing out test results. Whether you need to test GEL, EFB, AGM (flat plate or spiral) or regular flooded batteries, this battery tester provides 99.5% accuracy in just 3 seconds.
- Compatible with most 12V batteries
- Provides battery, cranking and charging tests
- During testing, we were impressed by its high-quality copper clamps
- Insulated ABS shell construction
- Reverse polarity and short circuit protection
- 99.5% accurate test results in just 3 seconds
- Supplied with printer paper and a carry bag
- Relatively expensive when compared to the alternatives
To conclude, the Topdon BT300P is the ultimate car battery tester that’s been designed and developed without compromise. Whether you are a professional mechanic or someone that owns multiple batteries, the BT300P is the best option. The only drawback is the premium price tag but considering its build quality and functions, it won’t disappoint.
2. Best All-Rounder: Topdon ArtiBattery AB101
By far the most popular and highly rated car battery tester on the market is another device by the reputable Topdon brand. It’s known as the AB101 model and it’s a mid-range option that provides easily readable test results and battery troubleshooting to help diagnose any issues.
- Run multiple tests from one button
- Cranking and charging tests
- Supports multiple languages
- Reverse polarity safety protection
- Compatible with all 12V car batteries
- Lacks features when compared to similar priced testers
Overall, the Topdon AB101 is the best battery tester that’s suitable for all 12V car batteries and ticks all the boxes. It isn’t the cheapest tester but the intuitive design and detailed results make it very easy to use. Although the BT300P model above offers extra functionality, the AB101 is cheaper and features the most used battery testing modes.
3. Best 12V Port Tester: Sealey AK500
The Sealey AK500 is a unique car battery tester because it retrieves data via the car’s 12V port as opposed to the battery itself. This makes it far easier to use in order to diagnose basic issues with the battery or alternator.
- Simple two button operation (very easy to use)
- Universal compatibility with all cars that feature a 12V port
- Allows you to test both the battery and alternator
- Clear LCD display that's easy to read
- 25cm long power cable (longer than similar devices)
- The diagnostic data is very basic
If you require a simple to use and accurate device for carrying out tests on your battery or alternator, the Sealey AK500 is perfect. It’s also one of the cheapest testers that’s backed by a reputable brand for complete peace of mind.
4. Best Value: Konnwei KW600 Automotive Battery Tester
Another popular car battery tester that offers plenty of functionality is the Konnwei KW600. It’s compatible with all 12V batteries and provides a range of data such as voltage, internal resistance, CCA, AH capacity and so much more.
- Large digital display that makes reading test data much easier
- Simple four button operation
- Built-in memory card for printing data
- Supports 12 different languages
- Charging and cranking tests
- Voltage waveform analysis
- Works with both 6V and 12V batteries
The Konnwei brand offers several battery testers but the KW600 is by far the best model they produce. The large digital display along with the long list of available tests make it a great alternative to the Topdon alternatives above. Considering its functionality and large display, it also offers outstanding value for the money too.
5. Best Professional: Topdon Battery Tester BT600
Yet another car battery tester by Topdon is the BT600, which is the brand’s flagship model that’s primarily designed for professionals. As you can see from its design, it looks very similar to an OBD2 scanner and the reason why it’s designed in this way is due to the vast amount of functionality that it offers out of the box.
- Has the ability to test both 12V & 24V batteries
- During testing, we found the large 3.5 inch colour screen very intuitive and it made testing batteries far easier
- Reinforced, spark free copper clamps
- Desirable printing functionality
- 5.9 feet cable for testing batteries at a longer distance
- Most expensive battery tester within our roundup
To conclude, if you are a professional mechanic or an enthusiast with lots of batteries, the BT600 is a great investment. The sheer amount of functionality as well as its superior build quality make it worth the extra and you certainly won’t be disappointed when compared to similarly priced alternatives from other well-known brands.
6. Best Budget: MOTOPOWER MP0514A Battery Tester
One of the cheapest battery testers that’s actually worth buying and also comes with a two-year warranty is the MOTOPOWER MP0514A. Although it doesn’t feature a large digital display, it has various LEDs that indicate the battery and alternator status, which during testing we found were more than adequate for battery-testing purposes.
- Fast and accurate test results
- Robust black rubber painted body
- Backed by a two year warranty
- Reverse hook up and over voltage protection
- Lacks a digital display (we personally found the LEDs perfectly fine for testing batteries)
Overall, the MOTOPOWER MP0514A is the best budget battery tester that’s ideal for retrieving informative data from your car’s battery. The only drawback is the lack of a large digital display but this won’t be an issue for most people.
How We Tested & Rated
Although car battery testers are a niche product, they are very popular among those that own multiple car batteries. I for one am certainly someone that owns multiple car batteries and having a battery tester to hand allows me to keep track of their health. Therefore, we have plenty of experience to recommend the devices listed above and we are able to test them out thoroughly due to the fact that we have multiple batteries to hand in our garage.
During our testing of car battery testers, we tested them on several batteries and used all the testing functions they had to offer. To keep up our commitment to reviewing and testing the latest car battery testers (for this article), we are continually testing the latest offerings from top brands in the UK. This means that when we notice a brand has released a new and improved model, we will attempt to buy it and put it to the test (where applicable).
Below is a video that we posted on our YouTube channel that shows us testing our top recommendation, which is of course the Topdon battery tester.
What we really liked about this car battery tester is the fact that it prints out the results at a click of a button. Although it’s more expensive than some of the alternatives, it’s certainly worth the added investment.
As well as our testing and experience using multiple car battery testers, we also based our recommendations on the latest research and several factors. Some of the factors that we considered included the display, ease of operation, compatibility with multiple batteries, testing functionality, warranty and value for money.
Conclusion
When it comes to a faulty battery, most people will often replace it straightaway with a brand-new car battery. However, by performing a few tests on the battery or alternator, you may be able to save yourself a small fortune if it turns out the battery isn’t at fault. All of our recommendations above are relatively affordable and are ideal for diagnosing issues with the car’s battery, alternator and other electrical faults. However, if you require further information regarding our car battery tester recommendations, feel free to get in touch and we will try to provide our assistance where possible.
