Ok, that's a bit flippant because, in addition to those scant requirements, I also want it to be wall mounted, with a hard connection to my battery, so I don't have to faff about with crocodile clips.

It’s compatible with lead, gel, calcium, AGM and EFB-type batteries, or, in other words, pretty much all batteries that we use in the UK car market. It has overcharge protection so you don’t have to worry about overfilling and ruining your battery, something which is a major disadvantage of regular chargers. A nicely sized, mains-powered device, you can indicate if it’s cold weather and the device will manage power delivery more intelligently to protect the battery. What’s more, there’s a choice of eyelet or crocodile connectors. From traditional car battery chargers to portable and solar-powered ones, there are options available to suit a range of budgets. However, buying the cheapest doesn’t always mean bagging a bargain. If you’re caught with a flat battery, the very last thing you want to find out is that the tool you’ve invested in to remedy the matter is a dud. There’s also a winter mode to protect batteries during colder temperatures, as well as being ‘smart‘ to not damage batteries that are fitted to Start/Stop vehicles. The RSC806 is literally a plug-and-play sort of deal. All you have to do is connect it and the charger will regulate itself and adjust automatically to a long-term maintenance mode once the battery is full. STOP/START SupportedAnd this one from CTEK is superbly clever. Not only does it do everything you'd expect: charging, recovering, conditioning and maintaining whatever vehicle battery you connect it to (and yes, it does them all, from Lead Acid to Lithium-ion in all wet, AGM, Gel and other forms) – it does it without any programming from you. If you’re only needing a one-off charge, then easy-snap-on crocodile clips might be better. If you’re a flat dweller or your off-street parking doesn’t have convenient access to mains power, you might need to consider a portable or solar power charger.

The whole unit is also IP65 rated, which means total protection from dust and low-pressure water from any direction. Safe to say you could leave the unit outside on the wall of your garage without worry.The solution, of course, is to leave your bike with its battery on charge when it’s not being used. This is particularly true for bikes that are laid up for winter, and in this case, a battery optimiser/maintainer can be useful, as it not only charges the battery but it carries out a series of conditioning cycles. That sinking feeling when your engine won’t turn over is one of the most unwelcome of emotions, but almost every driver has been there at some point or another. While a call to your breakdown service wll fix the issue, the best car battery chargers can help you mitigate the disruption to your day, at your own will.