The Best Solar Car Battery Chargers (Review & Buying Guide) in 2020

The first model we’re going to look at today is this product from ALLPOWERS. This is a pretty interesting design in that even though it is one of the smaller sized chargers (it is small enough to sit on the dashboard), it is also one of the most powerful on the list.

It achieves this by employing a Mono-Crystalline Silicon panel in its construction. These types of solar panels are some of the most efficient on the market right now. This high efficiency keeps the size down and the power up – it also, as a side bonus, means this device can charge more effectively in lower light situations than some other products.

On the negative side, whilst we do have reverse discharge protection in place on this model, there is no overcharge protection. That means you can’t leave it plugged in semi-permanently, instead just hook it up every now and then to top up the battery level (and keep it supervised).

It’s also not weather proof. The manufacturers state it can survive a few raindrops, but a pile of sugar can survive a few raindrops, and no one is calling a pile of sugar weatherproof. Luckily it’s small enough to fit on the dash and charge inside the vehicle, so it’s not a huge issue.

The tagline for this product from NOCO states that this product is “Lightweight. Compact. Efficient.”

To be fair, it’s hard to argue against any of those claims. This is indeed both lightweight (less than 2 pounds) and compact (smaller than 10 inches length & height).

Efficient is less of a nailed on claim however, as generating a somewhat measly 2.5 Watts means this device is one of the weaker on the list. Still, the film technology used is efficient in the sense that it works in low light conditions, so whilst it may take a while to truly generate a worthwhile amount to power, it is going to be working hard for you all day long, feeding off of scraps of light – a great feature if you live somewhere cloudy.

The device also has built in back current protection, preventing energy-draining out thorough the device when it is not charging (i.e. at night).

On the negative end, the cables are a little short and it’s hard to look past that pitiful 2.5-watt power. For a low-end price though (under 30 dollars) there are some useful features in this compact device.

This is a pretty interesting model from Sunway Solar, which has a price point of around 40 bucks, making it a product from well toward the higher end of the pricing spectrum.

What are you getting for that money? Well, power is one of the main features you’re picking up here – 15 volts of it, on a sunny day at least. You also get a well-designed power cable, that’s easy to change from 12-volt charger adaptor to direct connection clips.

That’s all very useful but the truly impressive feature is the built in LED light, which actively monitors the battery charge level. It blinks whilst the battery is charging, then stays solid when the charge is complete. That’s a very useful feature, and goes a long way to offsetting the fact there is no built in overcharge protection.

The unit is nice and rugged in design and also boasts a glass protector over the solar panel cells. It’s small enough to mount on the dash, but rugged enough to leave out too – just don’t get it soaking wet, it’s not fully waterproof.

It’s not cheap, but there looks to be enough features in this well designed piece of kit to justify that price tag.

We’ll go into it a little more below, but efficiency is definitely one of the standout features you should be looking for in your portable car battery charger. After all, the more efficient the model of charger, the faster the charge, and the less time it needs to be plugged in.

Well efficiency is certainly the name of the game with this product from Suaoki, which boasts a frankly phenomenal efficiency rate of 22.5%. Take it from us, whilst that may not seem very impressive, it is actually pretty fantastic.

One of the ways it achieves this is by having a nice big surface area, with the whole charger (including border) measuring about 16.5 Inches by 11 Inches. It is however extremely thin, which helps keep the weight down. It’s also to wide to pop onto the dash, but it is remarkably durable, and completely waterproof, so you can happily set it up outside.

It also has a built in reverse charge blocking diode, to prevent energy coming out of the battery when charge is not going in – i.e. at nighttime.

This is a really well designed product, with a lot of useful features onboard. Is there a downside? Of course there is, nothing is perfect or toothpaste would taste of steak. This model is the most expensive on the list, that’s its main downside.

Saying that though, whilst it is more expensive than the others, you will still get a little change back from a 50-dollar bill. That means you’re getting a lot of high performance solar charging for your money. 

We end on this product from ECO-WORTHY, and we’ve certainly left one of the best models to last. This is clearly a premium level auto battery charger, and so we have a number of useful features on this product.

First up is the power output – 12 Volts is going to be enough to trickle charge a whole host of battery types, from car mounted ones to motorcycle batteries and everything in between. Operation is easy and straight forward, with the supplied suction pads allowing you to hang it in the window of a vehicle, whilst it’s also small enough to sit on the dashboard, motorcycle seat or just about anywhere else.

A reverse diode stops energy leakage at night, whilst the supplied power cord is a handy 1.5 meters in length and can attach to your vehicle via the 12V cigarette lighter port or direct to the battery terminals with clips.

All in all, a very well designed solar charger with a lot of useful features.  A price tag of over 30 bucks makes this one of the more expensive models out there though.