Every auto owner’s worst nightmare is a dead battery. Learn how long it takes to charge a car battery.
“How long does it take to charge a car battery?” is a question that many car owners often ask. In general, the amount of time it takes to fully recharge a 12-volt car battery depends on the charger’s amperage. Your car battery will charge more quickly with a high-amp charger than with a low-amp one.
Let’s take a closer look at the details below to get a better idea of how long it will take to charge a car battery.
Read More: How to Charge the Car Battery Without a Charger? 6 Fixes
How Long Does It Take for a Car Battery to Charge?
With a 20 Amp charger, a typical car battery can be fully charged in 2 to 4 hours; meanwhile, a 4 Amp charger needs 12 to 24 hours to do the same. An additional option is to use another vehicle to jumpstart your car’s battery.
Idling the vehicle can also be used to charge the battery if you can get it to start. The size of the car’s battery and the charger’s power output has a big impact on how long it takes to charge. Less-charged batteries require more time to recharge.
An effective battery recharge typically takes several hours. If a battery is nearly completely discharged, it may take up to 12 hours or longer to recharge. With a 50kW rapid charger, you can, however, increase the range of many electric cars by up to 100 miles in 30-35 minutes.
Other elements affecting how long it takes to charge your car battery include its size and type. The charging process for a larger car battery, for instance, is slower.
The most typical rate for automotive battery chargers is somewhere around 4 Amps. From empty to full, a 52 Ah battery would need to be charged for about 10 hours, but during that time, you could probably start your car.
By looking at it, you can determine how many amps your car battery charger generates. High amps will speed up battery charging in your car. Low ampere charging is preferable for long-term battery maintenance, though.
Read More: How Long Do Car Batteries Last?
Charging Times With Different Amp Chargers
The power output of different car battery chargers varies, and this has an important bearing on how long a car battery needs to be charged. Of course, the time needed to charge various types and sizes of batteries varies, but an average automobile battery can occasionally take about 62 Ah.
- 2 Amp charger: 24 to 48 hours
- 4 Amp charger: 12 to 24 hours
- 10 Amp charger: 3 to 6 hours
- 20 Amp charger: 2 to 4 hours
- 40 Amp charger: 30 minutes to 1 hour
Factors That Affect Charging Speed
- Size of battery.
- State of battery
- Max charging rate
- Max charging rate of charge point
- Environmental factors
Types of Car Battery Chargers
There are four types of car battery chargers:
Manual Battery Chargers
Manual chargers charge the battery to which they are connected, regardless of the battery’s charge level. They do not ride bikes or wander off by themselves.
Automatic Battery Chargers
Automatic battery chargers will stop charging and switch to maintain mode once the battery is fully charged. Because of this, manual charging has a greater impact on battery life and safety than automatic charging.
Trickle Chargers
A trickle charger can be used on a battery for one or two days. They lack a sensor to determine whether or not a battery is charged, in contrast, to float chargers. Like manual chargers, though, they won’t stop sending current until they are unplugged.
Solar Chargers
Solar energy is captured by solar panels and transformed into a usable current by solar chargers to charge the batteries. It’s acceptable to leave solar chargers on cars for longer than a day or two at a time. However, using a solar charger might cause overcharging. For added safety against overcharging in these circumstances, a charge controller is advised.
What Car Battery Charger Should I Use?
You should be aware of the amp rates you require for your charger in order to determine which car battery charger is best for you. Nowadays, there are many user-friendly smart chargers that, once your battery is fully charged, automatically shut off or enter maintenance mode.
More amps are frequently supplied by cheaper chargers than what is stated on their packaging. Therefore, we advise only purchasing reputable chargers from licensed producers. High-quality chargers will preserve your vehicle’s battery and reduce the possibility of vehicle damage.
Pros and Cons of Trickle Charging
Trickle chargers are the best choice if you have the time. They have a number of benefits over 40-amp chargers, the most important of which is that they are less likely to cause battery damage and are better at preserving battery life.
However, trickle chargers typically take a day or two to recharge most batteries, in contrast to a 40-amp charger, which can do so in under an hour. If you can’t wait that long, another tool besides a trickle charger will be required to complete the task.
Advantages
- Less likely to damage your batter
- Preserves battery lifespan
- Typically cheaper
Disadvantages
- Takes significantly longer
- Easier to forget about
Can I Charge My Car by Jump Starting It?
You might believe that you can leave your battery connected to another vehicle using jumper cables to charge up a little if it is dead because your alternator is malfunctioning.
The terse response is: don’t do it. Yes, it will work, but given the number of electronics crammed into modern cars, leaving your running car connected to another car using jumper cables is asking for trouble.
The electronics are easily shorted out, which will cost hundreds of dollars to repair. Although having to replace the battery where the car is located may be inconvenient, you’ll end up saving a ton of money on repairs in the long run.
Last but not least, if your car does indeed have a bad alternator, don’t try to drive it to the mechanic. Your battery will run out of power while you’re moving along the road without a charge, which will snuff out your engine.
Conclusion: Charge Your Car Battery
Now that you know how long it takes to charge a car battery, you would not face problems the next time. Never forget to turn off your car’s electrical systems when not in use. Decrease battery downtime by occasionally keeping your car running.
You only need to drive for about 30 minutes to give your battery an adequate charge if the battery is not damaged and the car is in good working condition.
FAQs
Is 30 Minutes Enough to Charge a Car Battery?
The majority of vehicles require about 30 minutes of highway driving to completely recharge the battery. Keep in mind that 30 minutes is an average. Your battery may take even longer to recharge if it is severely discharged.
Can You Charge a Completely Dead Car Battery?
It is possible to recharge a dead battery, and depending upon the situation you are in, a dead battery is generally an easy fix, whether you are stuck in your garage and can handle it yourself or you are in the middle of nowhere and need professional, quick, and efficient service in the blink of an eye.
What Causes a Battery to Go Flat?
Lights left on, an issue with the electrical system that drains the battery, and defective batteries that won’t hold a charge are just a few of the things that can result in a flat battery. Your battery might need to be replaced or recharged if corrosion, extreme cold, and general wear and tear have caused it to fail.
