MXS 5.0 Battery Charger with Automatic Temperature Compensation, Black

I bought the CTEK MXS 5.0 to maintain the battery on a car that isn’t used daily, and so far it has been very reliable and straightforward to use. The charger is compact, well built and clearly designed for long-term battery care rather than just quick charging. The connection process is simple, with clear indicators showing each charging stage. It’s ideal if you want to keep a battery healthy over time, especially for vehicles that are parked for long periods. If only the cables were longer it would have been perfect. Overall, a well-designed charger. Not the cheapest option, but the quality and smart features make it worth it if you want to look after your battery properly.

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.

Like many, I've found that my car is sitting idle much longer at the moment and during the cold months the battery would run down to the point where the engine wouldn't fire. It was a combination of few short journeys but with lights and wipers on, cold starts in freezing weather, and the slow drain that occurs in modern cars that have security systems running when the car is unused. I had an old style and rather clunky charger bought in the 1990s but it didn't seem to make a long-term difference to the state of the battery. I got to the point of thinking I needed a new battery but then read up about ways to restore a battery and the CTEK chargers were recommended by users on various websites. This device isn't the cheapest in the range but is cheaper than a new battery, and since I figured I'd probably need a charger whatever I do I decided to get this and see if it made a difference before getting a replacement. There isn't a great deal to understand about the unit - just follow the instructions and set to the appropriate requirement you have, ie, small or larger battery etc. Then leave it to run. The indicator lights show where you are in the charging progression. At the end the status lights show if the battery was usefully charged or whether your battery is needing replacement. Happily, mine charged successfully and the difference was noticeable. The interior lights were brighter and the car started easily. I added the supplied detachable lead to the battery so that reconnection is easy but you can just connect with the supplied crocodile clips. All the parts seem well made and instructions are clear. Recommended.

Perfect for the stop start battery on my car that was completely discharged. I had not driven the car for 2 months due to an injury The charger automatically detected the correct type of battery and the charging sequence. I let the charger go through the complete charging cycle which took about 12 hours, then left the battery for several hours. The car started first time, I am very pleased with this purchase

The provided leads to attach to battery clamp posts are nice however they are clad in a very thick rubber which makes fitting the positive and utilising a positive terminal cover cap difficult, I had to use a punch and hammer to bend the post around my clamp so i could secure the terminal cover in my 2012 kia ceed 1.6 crdi. It would be nice if this was fedback to the manufacturers so they could make a better design for a future revision of the charger that slims down the positive for use with terminal cover caps, the fix in place and use as you need it charging cable lead i've just talked about has a removable seal cap which is a nice touch however I discovered the cable length is rather short and for a 270mm wide by 170mm deep battery positioning and trying to secure the very short connector in a suitable place was a pain as I wanted to keep it secured in a little pocket near the front of the engine bay where water will not be able to get to it but due to having to route the cable behind the battery it's too short to reach this location, I could modify the cable to add some length but I don't quite fancy doing that just yet before using the charger so I have purchased the 2.5mm extension and for now just tucked the connector away between my ECU connectors and my airbox which seems like relatively ok position. The charger is very small and the dimensions on this page are not true, it's 17cm long by 7cm deep so it's really quite small which is nice if you're going to charge the battery in place and close the hood of your car and run an extension to it for charging on your property. I bought it in a panic after needing to charge my undervolted battery a few days ago that died on me when trying to leave work, I used a family members charger before this even arrived and once my weatherproof outdoor connection box arrives i'll edit my review of this charger and the 2.5m extension connector with results to see how well it can maintain my battery. It's a very expensive charger, I bought it thinking I had an AGM battery but i do not i have a sealed maintenance free flooded lead acid battery that I most likely will replace in a few months with an upgraded capacity and CCA AGM battery if my monitoring of the voltage over winter gets concerning. For the size and utility provided with the carry bag, the fix in place clamp connectors, and the crocodile clamps i'm relatively happy with my purchase. If you're going to fit the fix in place clamp connectors do consider using some liqui moly battery terminal grease and some grime wipes to not only clean the posts and clamps but also to securely isolate the connection from the outside world to protect it from corrosion and possible shorting.

Easy to use, safe and efficient, lightweight to carry if required, super!

The CTEK MXS 5.0 is a game-changer for my Porsche 911 991.2 Cabriolet, offering professional-level battery care that goes far beyond a standard charger. My Setup: I've implemented a clever charging solution by connecting the charger to an external outdoor socket, with the unit itself stored conveniently in the boot. Instead of directly connecting to the battery, I'm using the car's dedicated charging points, which makes the entire process incredibly clean and convenient. When I'm ready to drive, I simply unplug the charger and tuck it away in the boot - no fuss, no mess. Technical Highlights (from manual): 8-step fully automatic charging cycle Compatible with 12V lead-acid batteries (WET, MF, Ca/Ca, AGM, GEL) Battery capacity range: 1.2–110Ah (up to 160Ah for maintenance) Temperature range: -20°C to +50°C with built-in temperature compensation What impresses me most is the charger's intelligent charging process: STEP 1: Desulphation - removes sulfate from lead plates STEP 2: Soft Start - tests battery's ability to accept charge STEP 3: Bulk Charging - brings battery to 80% capacity STEP 4: Absorption - maximizes to 100% capacity STEP 5: Battery Analysis - checks charge retention Optional RECOND step - revitalizes battery annually Practical Features: Reverse polarity protection IP65 insulation rating Compact size (168 x 65 x 38mm) Lightweight at just 0.6kg For my stop-start Porsche, this charger ensures optimal battery health, preventing the common issues with modern automotive electrical systems. Pro Tip: The charger automatically reduces output at high temperatures and has extremely low back current drain (<1Ah/month). Perfect for precision German engineering! Pros: Advanced 8-step charging Temperature adaptive Comprehensive battery protection Ideal for modern vehicles Flexible installation options Cons: Premium pricing An investment in your vehicle's long-term performance!

Excellent small size high tech 12 volt battery charger, easy to use, requiring little intervention. Good simple instructions. Not the cheapest charger but offering multiple type battery type and degree of environmental protection. Highly recommended