How to look after your car's battery while your car is in storage

Maintain and stay charged with CTEK battery chargers

Repco | 20th June 2022| 4 minutes to read

Do you have a classic car or a weekend driver that needs to go into hibernation over the winter break? Maybe you have a car you only get out and about once or twice a year? Or is it just time to store one of your cars away due to the lack of space at home? Whatever your reason for putting your car away for long periods of time we have a few essential steps you can take to keep your car battery fresh and ready turn over your car when it's ready to drive and hit the open road again.

CTEK maintenance tips

CTEK vehicle battery maintenance chargers are here to help you charge, maintain and forget about your battery so you can keep your vehicle parked up for as long as you want without the worry of coming back to a flat battery. CTEK did a study that identified as many as 51% of vehicles on the roads today have a battery that requires attention, meaning it either needs charging or replacing. Modern vehicles have a lot of computers, security alarms, immobilisers and trackers which have a slow draw on the battery causing it to become flat over time. in-fact a battery simply sitting on a shelf without even being connected to a car will discharge enough that after just 6 months it wouldn't be able to start a car, so imagine how quick a battery can dissipate it's charge with the additional electronics drawing current. Stats from airport carparks indicate that the number of people returning to their vehicle after a one or two week vacation to find their car's unable to start because of a flat battery has increased. This would significantly worsen if vehicles was to be left for months.

Here's some helpful information and tips on how best to look after your car's battery when it's parked up and not being used.

  • If your vehicle is parked next to a power supply, connect a smart CTEK battery charger such as the CTEK MXS 5.0 or MXS 3.8 to your battery for peace of mind charging. All CTEK chargers are fully automatic and will keep the battery charged at optimum capacity, So you can keep it permanently attached while your car is parked up and the CTEK dedicated maintenance modes will do the rest.
  • If you have multiple cars and just want to keep an eye on you battery levels then consider the CTEK Battery Sense Bluetooth Battery Monitor which connects to your phone via bluetooth and on the CTEK app you can monitor you're batteries charge, so you know when it's time to connect your charger to top it up.
  • If you are unable to attach a charger permanently, try to charge your vehicle battery once a month – if you are still using your vehicle for essential journeys consider sitting with the engine running for a little while before driving it to deliver additional charge to the battery.
  • CTEK chargers can be attached to the vehicle for long periods of time, They are fully automatic and will keep the battery charged at optimum capacity. The CTEK dedicated maintenance modes will take care of extending your battery life and maximize battery performance. CTEK Battery chargers are spark-proof and reverse polarity protected so it’s completely safe for the battery, the vehicle and the user too. Please make sure however, that you always follow manufacturer guidelines for charging the battery.

CTEK is a leading global brand in battery care and power management. CTEK's unparalleled knowledge, and continuous investment in innovation, means they push the boundaries of research and development to bring new and unique battery charging technologies to the market.

Check out the full range of CTEK Battery Chargers as well as our range of Battery Accessories and Car Batteries available online or at a Repco store near you.