The Best Snowmobile Battery Chargers – Reviewed and Tested

A battery charger is important because all the snowmobiles have an electrical system that requires a battery. Yes, the electrical system can work without a battery, but that would completely rely on the alternator. Using a snowmobile without a battery can damage its electrical system. Most importantly, you will not be able to use the self-start feature in your snowmobile.

Keeping a charger will make it easy to charge a dead or weak battery and have fun snowmobiling. And, if the charger has a maintainer (or trickle charging) option, you can even keep your snowmobile’s battery healthy in the summers.

What size snowmobile batteries are out there?

Usually, snowmobiles have 12 Ah to 20 Ah batteries. The largest battery I have seen in a snowmobile is a 30 Ah battery by POLARIS. Conventional batteries do not work in cold weather. That is why snowmobiles have specially designed batteries.  

Similarly, you will need a charger that works well in cold weather. Below I have mentioned the best and the most reliable battery chargers I have personally tested thoroughly and/or used well.

If your budget is under $50

For $36 on Amazon, I have found the BMK 5A charger the best in its league. It can charge up to 20 Ah batteries. If you are buying this charger in the off-season, it might cost you only $30 on Amazon. It has basic protections such as reverse polarity protection and short circuit protection.

One good thing is that you will get two sets of DC cables. One of these has clamps, and the other has eyelet terminals at the end. This charger will also tell you if the battery is not good and does not hold a charge.

My only gripe with this charger is that it can not charge the battery to a complete 100% in extremely cold conditions. But, I am not going to complain much about this at the bargain price of $36. It is really a steal.

My upgraded pick

If you are going to use a battery charger outdoors or in extremely cold conditions (-10℃), I recommend NOCO GENIUS 2. I bought this charger for $50 from Amazon, but I have seen it as low as $40.

In my testing, it can charge an empty 12 Ah battery in 9.4 hours. This charger also offers basic (and most important) protection features that include short circuit and reverse polarity protection. I can blindly recommend this charger to anyone who has a small-medium-sized snowmobile battery.

In short, GENIUS 2 from NOCO is my top recommendation when it comes to choosing the absolute best budget charger for snowmobiles. And, it works flawlessly even in sub-zero temperatures. 

If your budget is around $100

At $90 on Amazon, INOCO GENIUS 5 is the best bang for the buck battery charger. It can charge 12 to 20 Ah batteries with ease. And I have often seen this charger for $70 on Amazon in off-season.

When I tested this charger on my snowmobiles battery (which was almost completely dead), it took 5.6 hours to completely charge an 18 Ah battery. Like my previous recommendation, it also has basic protection features like reverse polarity protection and short circuit protection. And, you can also charge 6V batteries with this charger.

It can also charge 6-volt standard batteries. It has a battery repair option that is used to repair old, idle, or sulfated batteries.

If you can scrape around 5 more dollars, CTEK 40-206-MXS is another good option at $105 on Amazon. Please note that the product I am linking to is designed for 110V ac power. If you live in Europe, or have 220V ac power, please buy that specific version.

If you have an SLA, flooded, or an AGM battery, this charger will work perfectly for you. In my testing, this charger charged my snowmobile’s 18 Ah battery in 6.8 hours.

You might be thinking that it is downgrade from NOCO GENIUS 5, which is also $15 cheaper. Ok, hear me out first. Yes, when it comes to charging time it is a downgrade, but the extra features it brings to the table are worth the price in my opinion.

This charger has multi-stage charging indication LEDs. Many manufacturers claim that their charger has a multi-stage charging system. But this is the first charger that I have seen that indicated each stage almost exactly. Another pro of this charger (over NOCO) is there are separate DC cables, both with alligator clamps and eyelet terminals.

There is no lithium battery support in this charger. But this should not be a buying-decision maker for most or if you do not plan on upgrading to a lithium iron battery anytime soon.

If you want a long-lasting charger, you have to spend about $125 on Amazon for NOCO GENIUS 10. When I bought this charger, it cost me $100, and I have seen it as low as $65.

It is powerful and full of features. In my testing, I have found out that this charger can charge a 20 Ah battery in 3.2 hours only. It supports all types of 12-volt batteries. It can also charge 6-volt standard and AGM batteries.

Just like any other charger from NOCO, it includes all the basic (and very important) protections that include reverse polarity protection and short circuit protection.

Everything about this charger is impressive. Except for the charging cable length.

The jump starter and battery charger combo

If you want a jump-starting feature too in a battery charger, Schumacher SC1281 is the right choice. It will cost you $130 on Amazon. And if you buy it in off-season, you can save up to $50 to $60 on this charger.

This charger clearly does not win any design awards. But it has decent set of features and reliability that made me recommend it to you. It has a digital screen that tells the battery percentage and its voltage. But the interface is confusing, and you need to look the manual before using it.

It has reverse polarity and short circuit protection. It can give a maximum of 30 Amp boost current to charge a battery. The charger is automatic, and it decreases the amperage according to battery’s charging state. There is 100 Amp jump start mode. It can start a medium to large-sized snowmobile’s engine with ease, but the charger must be connected to the battery of the vehicle and mains power at the same time.

It can charge 12-volt and 6-volt batteries but unfortunately, that only includes standard SLA, flooded, and AGM batteries. It does not support lithium batteries.

Forget about money, this charger is the absolute best.

NOCO GENIUS PRO 25 is the absolute best charger I have ever used. Sure, it is expensive at $500 on Amazon but an all-rounder for every vehicle’s battery you have. For me, it has proved every time that it is worth that much. It may sound crazy and you might think that I am fanboying, but, trust me, you will never regret buying it.

It has all the features that you may ever need. Ever.

It works on 100 to 240 mains AC, and it delivers 25 Amp current. For smaller batteries, it has a 5 Amp charging mode. I borrowed this charger from a friend. In my testing, it charged my snowmobile’s 20 Ah battery in 6.4 hours. A snowmobile’s battery is small, so I used it in 5 Amp charging mode. I also tested it on my Ford F-150’s 65 Ah battery. It took 4.2 hours to completely charge it. 

It has all the basic protection, like short circuit protection, and reverses polarity protection. 

It supports all types of batteries (including lithium batteries) with 6-volt, 12-volt, and 24-volt. The charger and its cables are sturdy. They do not take any effect of the weather. This makes the whole-package itself, durable and long-lasting.

It can provide 12 and 24 volts in supply mode. It also has a force mode for batteries that are below 1 volt or complete dead. And can even repair SLA or flooded battery that is sulfated.

Why do I always recommend NOCO in the first place?

First, I want to get this out. I am not getting paid by NOCO to mention their chargers, And I am sure that NOCO have no idea that this blog exists. Sure, I get small affiliate commission from Amazon, but that does not change pricing for you, or my opinion about the chargers.

Truth is that when it comes to charging a snowmobile’s battery, NOCO never disappointed me. Usually, all battery chargers perform almost the same. But when it comes to charging a battery in cold weather, NOCO is the king. It does not mean that other chargers fail.

I have (always) preferred battery chargers from NOCO because it supports all types of batteries. You can use this one charger for multiple vehicles. I have a lithium battery in one of my snowmobiles, and only NOCO’s chargers have impressed me. It is all based on my experience over the past decade.

BMK 5A 12V – The cheapest reliable battery charger

BMK 5A 12V is a 5 Amp rated charger for 12-volt batteries. It can charge an 18 Ah battery in 5.6 hours.

I tested this charger on a 20 Ah battery, and it took 6.2 hours to completely charge it. Sometimes the charger gets warm but not too much.

The charger is made of plastic, not the best. It is durable but does not test how much it can bear. The quality of the wires is good but not as much as NOCO gives. The AC wire comes out of the box and directly plugs into the wall socket. The DC also comes out of the box but has a connector at the end. You can connect alligator clamps or eyelet terminals with the connector. Both wires come with the charger.

It has reverse polarity protection, short circuit protection, and a bad battery indicator. Both protect the charger if the polarity of the terminals is reversed or the battery has an internally short. It has overload protection and over-charge protection to keep the battery safe.

It charges a battery in four stages. First, it diagnoses the battery if it is short or damaged internally. Then comes the bulk charge stage, where the charger gives maximum current till the battery is 80%. After that, it reduces the current, but the voltage remains the same till the battery is 100%. At last, when the battery is fully charged, it starts to maintain the battery.

It can charge lead-acid, flooded, gel, SLA, and AGM batteries. It can not charge lithium batteries. The pictures on Amazon show the DC wires have a fuse harness. But the DC wires are not fused. These are my only complaints about this charger.

NOCO GENIUS 2 – Absolute Gold for $50.

NOCO GENIUS 2 is a 2 Amp rated charger. This charger can charge a 12 Ah battery in 9.4 hours from 0 to 100 percent.

I have tested this charger on a 12 Ah battery by Yuasa, and it took 9.4 hours to completely charge the battery.

The charger is small and portable. It is made of high-quality plastic that will not break or crack easily. The clamps are made of metal but covered in plastic. They are sturdy, and they grip the terminals hard. The wire is durable and can bear hot or cold weather without getting damaged. The positive wire is fused to prevent any damage to the charger.

It has reverse polarity protection. If the terminals are reversed, the charger will notify you and prevent any damage to the battery or the charger.

It has temperature compensation technology. It checks the ambient temperature and alters the charging current. It prevents overcharging and undercharging due to temperature difference. If the temperature is above or below the operating temperature of the charger, it will automatically turn off. Once the temperature gets back within the operating limits, it will automatically turn on.

It can charge lead-acid, marine, deep cycle, flooded, SLA, AGM, and lithium batteries. It can also charge 6-volt batteries but not the AGM 6 volt or lithium 6-volt batteries.

It is completely automatic. If the battery does not hold the charge, the bad battery LED will glow.

It is also a battery maintainer. Once the battery is 100 percent charged, it will start working as a battery maintainer. You can use this charger to keep your battery charged and healthy in the summer.

For some situations, the wires are short. Although you can buy an extension, I recommend using an extension AC wire. 

This charger is only recommended for batteries up to 12 Ah. If you try to charge bigger batteries, it will get hot.

It is a good option only if it costs $50. If there is no discount and it costs $65, then there is a better option. By spending $25 more, you can get NOCO GENIUS 5 for $90, which is mostly on discount on Amazon for $70.

NOCO GENIUS 5 – Upgraded power and a versatile snowmobile battery charger

NOCO GENIUS 5 is a 5 Amp rated charger. It can charge an 18 Ah battery in 5.6 hours and a 20 Ah battery in 6.2 hours. 

I have tested this charger on a 20 Ah Polaris battery, and it took 6.2 hours to charge it.

It is small and durable. It is made of high-quality plastic. The clamps and the wires are well built and do not feel cheap. The clamps are made of metal and are covered with plastic. There is a fuse installed in the positive wire, which prevents any damage to the charger.

It has reverse polarity protection that comes in handy if you have wrongly connected the terminals.

It can charge 6-volt and 12-volt batteries. Only standard 6-volt batteries are supported. For 12-volt batteries, you can charge an SLA, lead-acid, flooded, deep cycle, gel, AGM, and lithium batteries.

It has a desulfation mode. The charger automatically detects if the battery is old or sulfated and starts repairing it. In this mode, the charger gives 15 to 18 volts to the battery for a short time.

It has a temperature sensor that keeps the charger aware of the ambient temperature. So, the charger prevents the battery from overcharging or undercharging due to temperature.

The only shortcoming this charger has is the length of the wires. You can solve this by using an A/C extension cord.

This charger is an excellent choice for a snowmobile for $70. If there is no discount, then it will cost about $90. Then I recommend checking out the GENIUS 10. If you find that on discount, it will cost you $10 more with more features and the best reliability.

CTEK 40-206 MXS 5.0 – More features than NOCO, but as reliable as NOCO.

CTEK 40-206 MXS 5.0 is a 4.5 Amp rated charger. I thought it was 5 Amp rated, but that is just the model name. It can only charge 12-volt batteries.

It will take 7.2 hours to completely charge a 20 Ah battery and about 6.6 hours to charge an 18 Ah battery to 100%.

In my testing, it took 7.4 hours to charge a 20 Ah battery. It is almost the same as I calculated.

The charger is well built, and the plastic is durable. The wires are well-built and long-lasting. Both the DC and the AC wires come out of the box. The AC wire has a plug for the wall socket. The DC wire has a connector that can be connected to alligator clamps or eyelet terminals. Both the alligator clamps and the eyelet terminals are well built. They are included in the box.

It has reverse polarity and short circuit protection. The DC wire connector is covered with plastic to prevent sparking.

It is IP65 rated, which is very rare for battery chargers. It has a temperature sensor that automatically turns on or off the charger if the temperature goes out of the operating range.

It can charge lead-acid, SLA, marine, automotive, and AGM batteries, but only at 12-volts. It has eight-step charging. There are 8 LEDs on the charger to indicate what step the charger is doing.

It is a good charger for snowmobiles as it does not get affected by cold weather. It does not support lithium batteries, and I wish it could do that.

NOCO GENIUS 10 – Supports desulfating old, dead batteries.

NOCO GENIUS 10 is a 10 Amp rated charger. It can charge a 20 Ah battery in 3.2 hours and a 30 Ah battery in 4.7 hours.

I tested this charger on my friend’s battery, which is 22 Ah rated by SKIDOO. The charger took about 3.5 hours. The charger was warm but not extremely hot.

It is about 3 inches longer than the GENIUS 5. It is made of hard plastic. The build quality of this charger is sturdy and does not feel cheap in any way. 

The wires are soft and do not feel like they are going to break in cold environments. The clamps are made of metal and covered with plastic, just like all the NOCO clamp wires. 

It has reverse polarity protection to prevent any damage in case the terminals are reversed. It has a 12-volt repair mode that is used to desulphurate the battery. It automatically detects if the battery needs to be repaired and switches to the repair mode.

It has a 12-volts supply mode, so you can use this charger to power up any 12-volt accessories. It can give up to 10 Amps in supply mode.

It has a force mode that is used to charge batteries that are very low or almost dead. You need to manually put the charger in this mode. This mode is manual, so the reverse polarity protection does not work in this mode. 

It can charge 12-volt batteries that include SLA, lead-acid, flooded, AGM, marine, deep-cycle, gel, and lithium batteries. It can also charge 6-volt standard and AGM batteries.

It is the most reliable and long-lasting charger that I have used. The only thing that can be improved is the length of the wires.

The reliability and the features justify the price of $125. If you still need the best of the best, I recommend you to go for NOCO GENIUSPRO 25.

Schumacher SC1281 – Battery charger, that is also a jump starter.

Schumacher SC1281 is a 30 Amp rated charger. It can charge 6-volt and 12-volt batteries.

It will take about 1.2 hours to charge a 20 Ah battery and about 1.6 hours. But this is what it should do.

In my testing, the results were completely different. It took about 6 hours to charge a 20 Ah battery. The reason behind this is, it is automatic, and if the battery is small, it will decrease the amperage accordingly. Although, it can provide up to 30 Amps if a big battery is connected. It is good because if it gives 30 Amps to 20 Ah battery, the battery will become very hot.

It is bulky and does not look good. But it is well built with hard plastic. The clamps are strong and sturdy. Both the AC and the DC wire are coming out of the box. The AC wire has a plug for the wall socket. The DC wire has crocodile clamps at the end. They are not removable, and there are no eyelet terminals. As the wires are coming out of the box, you can not attach any aftermarket wire.

It has reverse polarity and short circuit protection. It can charge lead-acid, deep-cycle, SLA, Gel, flooded, and AGM batteries.

It has a built-in jump starter to crank up any engine. It proves 100 Amps in jump starter mode. Make sure you only use the jump starter mode when the battery is connected with the vehicle, and you connect the clamps to the battery. There is a big start/stop button in the middle, which is a good option that I have never seen in other chargers. 

The interface might confuse you, so read the manual thoroughly before using it. It does not support lithium batteries. The clamps do not open enough to grip big terminals. It is difficult to connect them with a big terminals. These are the only two shortcomings of this charger.

NOCO GENIUSPRO 25 – The absolute beast of a battery charger.

NOCO GENIUSPRO 25 is a 25 Amp rated charger, 12.5 Amps for 24-volt batteries. It will charge a 65 Ah battery in 4.2 hours.

As I calculated, it should take 1.3 hours to charge a 20 Ah battery. But practically, it will damage the battery. Giving 25 Amps to a 20 Ah battery will heat the battery. The cells inside the battery might get short. S, there is a 5 Amp mode for small batteries.

My friend told me about this charger, and I thought it was just a waste of money. Still, I borrowed it from him, and I tested it. The results were amazing, or I should say they impressed me. It took 6.4 hours to charge my snowmobile’s 20 Ah battery. I used the 5 Amp mode. A day after, I tested it on my Ford F-150’s battery. It took 4.2 hours to completely charge it. The charger was slightly warm but nothing to worry about.

It is made of high-quality plastic. It is hard, heavy, and feels like something professional grade. The charger has two female connectors to connect the AC and the DC wire. There are four AC wires with four different plugs (EU, AU, UK, NA). The wires are made from high-quality silicone and does not get affected by temperature.

The DC wires are the same as AC wires, but they are nylon braided to take heavy loads. You will not see any fraying of wires like with other chargers. There are crocodile clamps with a fused positive wire. The clamps are connected to the DC wire. 

If you need eyelet terminals, then you can unscrew them from the clamps. There is a carrying case in the box. You can carry the charger and all its accessories in it. The case of the charger is made with the same plastic as the charger itself.

It has reverse polarity protection and short circuit protection. It automatically detects battery sulfation or acid stratification and starts the desulfation process. 

It can charge 6-volt, 12-volt, and 24-volt batteries. It supports all types of batteries including lead-acid, SLA, flooded, deep-cycle, gel, AGM, and lithium.

It has a battery repair mode that works for all 6-volt, 12-volt, and 24-volt batteries. It is automatic and works well. It has temperature compensation which charges the battery according to the environmental temperature. 

It has a completely manual force mode. If the battery is down to zero volts, turn on the force mode by pressing the mode button for 7 seconds. The charger will charge the battery at high voltages for 5 minutes, and then it will come back to normal charging mode. As this mode is manual, make sure the terminals are not reversed. 

When the battery gets fully charged, it starts maintaining it. Even if you leave the battery for a day or two hooked up with it, there is no need to worry.

It has a supply mode that can give 12 or 24 volts to connect any accessory. It has high and low-temperature protection to keep the battery safe. It only charges the battery at a suitable temperature.

There is a carrying case in the box. You can carry the charger and all its accessories in it. The case is made with the same plastic as the charger itself. The AC and DC wires are very long, and I have never seen this many long wires with any other charger.

I have used it for a week, and I have not found anything against it. Everything and every feature is perfect and reliable. Not only for a snowmobile, but it is also a perfect charger for any car, bike, truck, or RV battery. It has been more than a year, and my friend is still using it. I have a plan to buy one for myself next month, as this is the best for any battery in any weather.

3 Things you should check before buying a battery charger for your snowmobile:

Or else, you won’t be getting the best performance for your money.

Extreme cold temperatures

Many chargers fail to charge batteries in cold temperatures. It is because the flow of electrons slows down in the cold, resulting in an undercharged battery. There are chargers with temperature compensation features to prevent undercharging in cold temperatures. Look for operating temperatures on the charger. If the temperature of your city lies between the range, you can go with that charger.

TIP: Never charge a snowmobile battery outdoors. In winters, the extreme cold temperatures are going to harm both the charger and the battery. In most cases you will end up with a half charged battery. And if you want to use the charger outdoors, buy the charger that is rated operateable for sub-zero temperatures.

Durability (clamps, wires, charger body)

Usually, chargers are made of plastic. In cold weather, the plastic gets brittle and sometimes gets cracked easily. Similarly, if the wires of some chargers are made of poor quality polymers, they will become brittle, and even a minor turn or twist can cause cracks. Hence, the wires will start to fray and might cause short circuits.

Carefully examine the wires of the charger. If they feel soft and get damaged easily, they will surely fail in the cold. Look for silicone wires. In my experience, they do not get damaged by extreme cold or heat and are less prone to tangling.

Loose or uncovered clamps can cause sparking or short circuits. Good-quality clamps are always covered with plastic to prevent short circuits. The clamps must be hard to pinch, so they will grip the terminals properly and prevent sparking.

Battery Type

Usually, snowmobiles have lead-acid, SLA, AGM, and lithium batteries. All these types are different and require specific chargers. If the charger does not support a lithium battery, then you can not charge a lithium battery with that charger. So, always buy a charger according to the battery type of your snowmobile.

Some chargers can charge all types of batteries. I prefer such chargers because they give me versatility to charge all my vehicle’s batteries with one charger.

Main Power

Most of the battery chargers run on 100 to 240 volts AC. But some chargers can only run on 100 to 120 volts AC.

You must carefully look at what charger you are buying and if it is compatible with your mains power. If not, the charger might blow out or even catch fire as soon as you plug it and turn it on.

In the end

A charger for a snowmobile’s battery must work well in cold conditions. Based on my experience, I selected a few chargers that I recommend to my friends and other snowmobilers. 

To make it simple, I have divided these chargers into four categories. It will make it easy for you to choose according to your needs.

The budget picks

NOCO GENIUS 2 and BMK 5A are the best chargers that you can get for $36 to $65. BMK can not charge a lithium battery, whereas the GENIUS 2 can. But BMK has more amperage output when it comes to charging SLA or flooded battieries. 

The best for All

NOCO GENIUS 5 and CTEK 40-206 MXS are two powerful chargers for $70 to $90. The GENIUS 5 can deliver 0.7 Amps more than the CTEK 40-206 MXS. The CTEK does not support lithium batteries, while the GENIUS 5 does. 

The upgraded picks

NOCO GENIUS 10 and SCHUMACHER SC1281 are versatile chargers for snowmobiles, cars, bikes, or truck batteries. They lie between the price range of $100 to $130. The SCHUMACHER does not support lithium batteries, but it has a jump-start feature (100 Amps) that you can use to crank up any engine. GENIUS 10 can charge lithium batteries, and it has a force mode to charge batteries that gives less than 1 volt.

The Premium pick

NOCO GENIUSPRO 25 is the best charger for every situation. It is long-lasting. It will cost you $500. You can use it for your snowmobile, car, truck, or RV’s battery. It delivers 25 Amps for large batteries and 5 Amps for small batteries. It is rugged than any other charger I have used. Even the wires are made of high-quality silicone.

I hope this way you will find the best charger for your snowmobile.