2025 test14 productsJump Starters & Car Power
Which Car Battery Tester Brand Wins?
We compared 14 car battery tester options head to head. Ancel came out on top. See the measured results, the runner-up, the budget pick, and a link to the full test video.
Winner
Ancel
Price shown in test: $32
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Runner-up
Foxwell
Price shown in test: $117
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The measured results
Every number below is read straight from the test. Scroll sideways to see all measurements. Products are listed in the order they finished.
| Product | Specs | Good Battery Test | Bad Battery Test | Cold Battery Test | Agm Vehicle Test |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1MotoPower 514A$13 | 4 to 20 V range, claims high accuracy plus reverse-hookup and overvoltage protection, made in China; described as 'a very basic tester' that cannot read cold cranking amps | read 12.9 V, matching the actual battery voltage (accurate); no cold cranking amp, internal resistance, SOH, or SOC readings available on this basic model | no separate reading clearly attributable to the 514A in this section; see the note below on ambiguity between the two MotoPower units in the bad-battery, AGM, and part of the cold-battery test sections | showed 12.78 V but 'does not indicate whether or not this is a good battery' (no diagnosis capability) | not tested |
| 2OBD Resource$18 | tests 6, 12, and 24 V batteries, claims 99.6% accuracy, 100 to 2,000 CCA range, flooded/AGM/gel, made in China | required manually inputting the battery's rated 830 CCA; read 740 CCA on the first test, 742 CCA on a retest after the unit forgot the CCA setting; internal resistance 3.51 milliohms (first) dropping to 3.5 (retest); SOC 98% (should read 100%); voltage stated as 'stayed the same at 12.84' on the retest, though no explicit first-test voltage figure was given for this unit specifically, only the general pre-test battery voltage of 12.9 V; flagged as an unresolved gap | SOH 20%; CCA 362, the lowest (worst) reading of all 14 testers; internal resistance 7.16 milliohms (close to the roughly 7 milliohm reference reading); voltage 13.24 V, described as 'way off the target of 12.96'; correctly identified that the battery needed replacement despite the inaccurate voltage reading | correctly diagnosed the cold battery as good | 'no surprises... the battery tested as normal' (correct), but the unit 'does not have the ability to test charging and cranking systems' at all |
| 3BT300$23 | works with 12 V and 24 V batteries, claims 99.8% accuracy, flooded/AGM/gel/EFB, made in China | voltage inaccurate at 12.68 V (versus the actual 12.9 V); CCA 826; internal resistance 3.69 milliohms; SOC 100% (accurate); SOH 83.5%. On retest, the unit remembered the CCA setting; CCA dropped to 824, SOH about the same at 83.4%, internal resistance unchanged at 3.69, described as 'pretty consistent results' | SOH 45.2%; voltage 12.71 V ('way off the target of 12.96'); CCA 429; internal resistance 7.2 milliohms (close to the reference reading). No explicit correct/incorrect diagnosis statement follows for the BT300 in this section, unlike most other brands; flagged as an unstated result | 'indicating poor battery performance... the tester did not ask us if the battery was cold, and unfortunately, it made the wrong diagnosis' (incorrect) | 'indicates a poor performance from the battery, which is an error as we're about to see' (incorrect battery diagnosis); also 'did have a problem accurately measuring the voltage' during the cranking test, indicating abnormally high voltage (incorrect); 'did just fine testing the charging system' (correct on that sub-test only) |
| 4Kingbolen$24 | 1.8 in backlit screen, 4.9 to 32 V range, 100 to 2,000 CCA, designed for flooded/AGM/gel/EFB, made in China | internal resistance 3.4 milliohms; CCA 749; voltage correct at 12.9 V; SOH 81%; SOC 98% (should be 100%). On retest, the unit forgot the CCA setting; internal resistance unchanged at 3.4, CCA dropped to 742, voltage still 12.9, SOH dropped to 80%, SOC still 98% | SOH 22%; internal resistance 6.8 milliohms (close to the roughly 7 milliohm reference); CCA 375; voltage 13 V ('a little bit off'); SOC inaccurate at 98%; 'the tester did make the correct assessment that this is a bad battery' (correct) | correctly diagnosed the cold battery as good | 'indicates that the battery is good' (correct, no error noted); has a waveform setting for the cranking/charging test, but 'it's not as informative as most of the other testers' |
| 5Vpeak Veepeak$25 | 100 to 2,000 CCA range, tests SOC/SOH/voltage/internal resistance, designed for flooded, AGM flat plate, AGM spiral, gel, and EFB batteries, made in China | SOH 97%, notably higher than the low-80s readings from the three previously tested brands; CCA 815; SOC 94% (should be 100%); voltage 12.74 V (inaccurate); internal resistance 3.65 milliohms. On retest, the unit remembered settings; SOH unchanged at 97%, SOC dropped a further 2%, CCA dropped by 1 to 814, voltage dropped to 12.72, internal resistance unchanged at 3.65 | SOH 26%; CCA 412; SOC inaccurate at 96%; voltage inaccurate at 12.76 V; internal resistance about 7.22 milliohms (close to the reference reading); 'the tester made the correct assessment that this battery needs replaced' (correct) | correctly diagnosed the cold battery as good | 'really struggled in this test and provided some bad information. I made four attempts and each attempt yielded the same incorrect information' (incorrect battery diagnosis); 'also struggled on the cranking test and indicated low voltage, which is an error' (incorrect); 'however, it did pass the charging system test' (correct on that sub-test only) |
| 6Konnwei$30 | auto battery analyzer for truck, marine, motorcycle, SUV, and boat; 12 V, 100 to 2,000 CCA; claims 99.99% accuracy; made in China | CCA 780; SOH 93%; SOC accurate at 100%; voltage 12.96 V ('off by just a little'); internal resistance 3.74 milliohms. On retest, the unit remembered settings; SOH rose 1 point to 94%, SOC still 100%, internal resistance about the same at 3.73, CCA rose by 2 to 782, voltage dropped 0.02 V to 12.94 | SOH 49%; CCA 396; SOC correct at 100%; voltage 12.97 V ('right on target'); internal resistance 7.36 milliohms; 'the tester made the right call by indicating that the battery does need replaced' (correct) | correctly diagnosed the cold battery as good | 'did just fine with the battery test' (correct) and 'did fine with the cranking system test' (correct), but 'struggled on the charging system test,' indicating the charging system was charging at over 15 V when a multimeter check showed it was actually close to 14.5 V (incorrect on that sub-test) |
| 7Vizdektor Visdector$30 | claims to test both regular and lithium batteries, plus cranking and charging systems; made in China | CCA 790; SOH 95%; SOC accurate at 100%; voltage right on target at 12.9 V; internal resistance 3.69 milliohms. On retest, the unit remembered settings; SOH dropped 1 point to 94%, SOC still 100%, CCA rose by 2 to 792, voltage still 12.9, internal resistance almost unchanged at 3.68 | SOH 50%, described as 'really generous'; CCA 402; SOC accurate at 100%; voltage 12.93 V ('pretty close'); internal resistance 7.25 milliohms (pretty close to the reference reading); correctly indicated the battery needed replacement | 'does recognize that the battery is fully charged, but it says to charge the battery anyway and retest it. It just doesn't make any sense' (effectively an incorrect/confusing result despite detecting the full charge) | 'did just fine on the battery test' (correct) and 'passed the cranking test' (correct), but 'struggled on the charging system test,' incorrectly indicating the charging system was charging at too high a voltage (incorrect on that sub-test, the same type of error made by the Konnwei) |
| 8Ancel$32 | designed for 6, 8, 12, or 24 V batteries, advertises an 'advanced crocodile clip,' not designed for lithium batteries, made in China | SOH 95%; SOC accurate at 100%; internal resistance 3.61 milliohms; CCA 810; voltage 12.87 V ('pretty close'). On retest, every reading matched exactly (SOH 95%, SOC 100%, CCA 810, voltage 12.87, internal resistance 3.61), described as 'definitely the most consistent tester yet' | SOH 22%; CCA 379; SOC accurate at 100%; voltage 12.89 V; internal resistance 7.73 milliohms; 'made the correct diagnosis that the battery needs replaced' (correct) | requested the battery's temperature, then correctly diagnosed the cold battery as good | 'did just fine with the battery test and the battery tested as good' (correct), 'also did a good job with the cranking system test' (correct), and 'also did a good job with the charging system test' (correct); one of the few testers to pass cleanly on all three AGM sub-tests |
| 9MotoPower 515A$35 | 3 in color screen, designed to test starting and charging systems, works with all lead-acid battery types, made in China | voltage inaccurate at 12.82 V (versus the actual 12.9 V); CCA 806; internal resistance 3.93 milliohms; SOH 91.6%; SOC accurate at 100%. On retest, the unit remembered settings; voltage was even more inaccurate at 12.81 V, CCA rose by 4 to 810, internal resistance dropped slightly to 3.91, SOH rose over a point to 92.7%, SOC still 100% | voltage a little low at 12.86 V; CCA 382; internal resistance 8.04 milliohms (1 milliohm higher than the roughly 7 milliohm reference reading); SOH 19.9%; SOC accurate at 100%; 'Motor Power made the correct diagnosis that the battery health is poor' (correct). Note: the transcript refers to this unit only as 'Motor Power' without a model number in this section; assigned here to the 515A rather than the 514A since the readings include CCA, SOH, and internal resistance, features the basic 514A does not have; flagged as an inference. | 'also made the correct diagnosis that the battery is good' (correct), distinguished from the 514A's inability to render any diagnosis in the same cold-battery test | 'says the battery is in great shape. The cranking system test instructions are easy to follow and the voltage tested as normal. The charging system also tested as normal' (correct on all fronts). Same model-attribution ambiguity as the bad-battery test noted above. |
| 10Autool Fix Autophix$48 | includes charging and cold-cranking test, alternator tester for 12 V and 24 V batteries, claims high-quality copper alligator clips, made in China | CCA 814; SOH 96%; voltage 12.87 V; SOC 100%; internal resistance 3.59 milliohms. On retest, the unit remembered settings; CCA dropped by 1 to 813, SOH dropped by 1 point to 95%, voltage dropped to 12.86, SOC still 100%, internal resistance improved slightly to 3.6 | 'says to replace the battery' (correct); CCA 410; SOH 26%; voltage 12.9 V ('a little bit off target'); internal resistance 7.14 milliohms (pretty close to the reference reading) | requested the battery's temperature, then 'made the correct diagnosis, the battery is good' (correct) | 'also indicates that we have a good battery that just needs recharged. The cranking test instructions are easy to follow and the cranking system tested as normal. And the charging system also tested as normal' (correct on all fronts) |
| 11Topdon BT100$59 | tests the cranking system, charging system, and battery; range 100 to 2,000 CCA; alligator clips described as 'definitely much more robust than the other brands'; made in China | SOH 92%; CCA 798; SOC accurate at 100%; voltage 12.88 V ('pretty close'); internal resistance 3.75 milliohms. On retest, SOH rose 2 points to 94%, CCA rose by 5 to 803, SOC still 100%, voltage dropped to 12.87, internal resistance dropped slightly to 3.73 | SOH 24%; CCA 394; SOC correct at 100%; voltage 12.92 V ('pretty close'); internal resistance 7.61 milliohms; 'this battery definitely needs replaced' (correct) | 'also made the correct determination, good battery' (correct) | 'correctly identified the battery is good, but needing charged. The cranking system test instructions are easy to follow and the cranking system tested as normal. The charging system test instructions are also pretty easy to follow and the system tested as normal' (correct on all fronts) |
| 12Topdon BT200$90 | claims a more accurate reading compared to the BT100, made for 12 V and 24 V batteries, 2.4 in color screen, made in China | SOH 87%; CCA 776; SOC accurate at 100%; voltage 12.83 V. On retest, the unit remembered settings; SOH unchanged at 87%, CCA dropped by 1 to 775, SOC still 100%, voltage still 12.83, internal resistance unchanged at 3.87 | SOH 25%; CCA 399; SOC correct at 100%; voltage 12.85 V ('a little bit low'); internal resistance 7.52 milliohms; 'the battery needs to be replaced' (correct) | 'made the wrong diagnosis and says to replace the battery' (incorrect), despite being marketed as having better software than the BT100 | 'the more expensive Topdon tester also correctly identified the battery is good, but needing charged. The cranking test instructions are good and the cranking system tested as normal. The charging system test instructions are also quick and easy to follow and the system tested as normal' (correct on all fronts) |
| 13Foxwell BT705$117 | nice blow-molded case; measures cold cranking amps, cranking voltage, cranking time, alternator output, no-load voltage, and loaded voltage; works with 12 V and 24 V systems; made in China | voltage right on target at 12.9 V; CCA 803; internal resistance 4.53 milliohms; SOH 81%; SOC correct at 100%. On retest, voltage 12.91 V, CCA dropped by 1 to 802, internal resistance unchanged at 4.53, SOH unchanged at 81%, SOC still 100% | 'says to replace the battery' (correct); voltage 12.95 V ('pretty close'); CCA 392; internal resistance 9.05 milliohms, described as 'seems a little bit high' compared to the roughly 7 milliohm reference; SOH 41%, described as 'seems a little bit too optimistic' given the battery's evidently poor condition | requested the battery's temperature, then 'made the correct diagnosis' (correct) | 'correctly diagnosed the battery is good, just needing a charge. The cranking system test is easy to follow and correctly diagnosed the system is normal. There are more steps to follow to check in the charging system with the Foxwell, but the instructions are easy to follow. The Foxwell made the correct diagnosis for the charging system' (correct on all fronts, though the charging sub-test requires more steps than most other testers) |
| 14Midtronics$300 | claims an accurate battery test within seconds; range 1,000 to 1,400 CCA, adjustable only in 20-amp increments (could not be set to the battery's exact 830 CCA rating, set to 820 instead); high/low voltage capture voltmeter mode for starter and charging systems; includes bad-cell detection; assembled in USA from US and foreign content by Midtronics Incorporated; does not test internal resistance or SOH; does not remember previous settings once disconnected from the battery | measured 785 CCA; voltage 12.88 V ('only off by a little'); no internal resistance or SOH reading available. On retest, measured 786 CCA and 12.88 V again (consistent) | measured 393 amps and 12.91 V; no SOH or internal resistance reading available; no explicit correct/incorrect diagnosis statement is given for the Midtronics in this section of the transcript, unlike most other brands; flagged as an unstated result | 'the $300 Midtronics tester made the wrong diagnosis indicating a bad battery' (incorrect) | 'no issues for the Midtronics at measuring the cranking system and voltage and the Midtronics correctly diagnosed the battery is good... the cranking system tested just fine, but unlike the other testers, you'll have to rely on your memory or the written instructions... according to the instruction manual, the charging system tested as normal' (correct on all fronts, but described as having dated, less user-friendly electronics: 'I don't think the electronics in this tester have been updated since the 1980s') |
How it was tested
- known-good, fully-charged battery test with a repeat/consistency retest (voltage, cold cranking amps, internal resistance, state of health, state of charge)
- known-bad battery test (same measurements, plus whether the tester correctly recommended replacement)
- absorbed glass mat (AGM) battery-in-vehicle test (battery test, cranking system test, charging system test)
- cold battery test (battery chilled to approximately 0 F overnight, whether the tester correctly diagnosed it as good)
- reference measurements: carbon pile load tester for cranking amps, dedicated internal resistance tester, and multimeter for voltage/charging system cross-checks
“If it's all about value, the Ancel is the least expensive battery tester that earned A's or passed each test in all graded categories. At a price of around $32, it would definitely be my choice.”