NOCO Genius 5 UK vs. CTEK MXS5.0
Let’s be clear: NOCO Genius 5 UK vs. CTEK MXS5.0 is without doubt the Messi vs. Ronaldo of the car battery charger world.
And just like those two, there’s plenty of nuance in deciding which one comes out on top.
To be honest, whichever one you choose out of these two, you’ll be fine. They’re both excellent battery chargers, that will consistently and reliably do the job you bought it for.
But still, you must make a choice between them; luckily, we’re here to make that easy for you.
Things that are the same for both the NOCO and the CTEK:
- both are highly reputable companies, and are historic makers, specialised in the field of battery accessories (for example, NOCO also make the best jump starters in the world).
- both models have tons of 5-star reviews online – praising performance and reliability
- both charge all kinds of lead-acid batteries, including AGM , Calcium (here’s a guide to Calcium battery charging), wet, and gel.
- both have excellent ability to recondition old batteries, with a wealth of customers having done this successfully. CTEK has Desulfation as the first of its 8 charging stages, as well as CTEK “Recond Mode“ to fix acid stratification), while NOCO terms it “12V Repair Mode“. Different names but both these modes are desulfator/conditioner functions (read about how to recondition batteries, and consider a desulfator – a device that attaches to your battery and prevents any sulfation forming in the first place, here’s easily the best desulfator).
- both automatically adjust charge according to how hot or cold the surrounding environment is.
- both are similarly priced
- both have advanced charging systems that automatically choose the right charge level at each step, ending up with a trickle charge (and can be used long-term as a trickle charger/maintenance charger).
- both are one of the few battery chargers that have modes genuinely and specifically made for AGM. (You need to be so careful with which AGM charger (here are the best AGM battery chargers in the UK) you get.)
- both have all the safety features needed, such as anti-spark, reverse polarity protection etc.
Ways that CTEK MXS5.0 is better:
(full review of CTEK MXS 5 battery charger here)
- 5 years warranty (compared to 3 years warranty of NOCO Genius5UK and more than the 10 Amp MXS 10‘s 2 year warranty.)
- The CTEK can be used to charge small batteries, down to 1.8Ah, as it can charge at 0.8A. (The NOCO is not recommended for small batteries eg.10Ah, you’d need to buy the NOCO Genius2 for these).
Ways that the NOCO Genius 5 is better
(full NOCO Genius 5 review here)
- also works with 6V batteries, but not 6V AGM (the bigger Genius 10 (10 Amps) model does work with 6V AGM. It also has a 12V Supply Mode, see our NOCO Genius 10 UK Review).
- also works for lithium batteries (the CTEK is not recommended for lithium batteries. Instead, check out CTEK’s lithium-specific charger or their charger for both lead-acid and Lithium batteries, the CTEK CS FREE)
- can charge batteries all the way down to 0 volts with Force Mode (many chargers including CTEK may not work when the voltage is very, very low and is near 0. Note that it’s relatively rare that your battery will discharge to almost 0 volts.). But this isn’t a jump starter, if that’s what you need, see this review of the NOCO Boost GB70.
NOCO vs. CTEK Summary
Both these battery chargers are in our list of the best car battery chargers of 2024 in the UK, you can check it out.
They’re also two of the best battery reconditioning chargers, with proven ability to revive batteries that are heavily sulfated, significantly lengthening battery life.
So use the above info to make your choice.
Maybe you like the increased security of the CTEK MXS5.0’s 5 year warranty?
It could be that you have some 6V devices that could do with charging and therefore the NOCO Genius5UK is the easy choice.
Perhaps you’re happier buying from a Swedish company (CTEK) than an American one (NOCO), or vice versa!
The more technically minded can check out the detailed specs below and make your choice.
Go here to buy the NOCO Genius 5UK.
Go here to buy the CTEK MXS5.0.
Decision made on NOCO Genius 5 UK vs. CTEK MXS5.0?
Go here to buy the NOCO Genius 5UK.
Go here to buy the CTEK MXS5.0.