Most of us don’t think about our car battery until the car refuses to start. At that point, you’re either hunting for jump leads, waiting for breakdown recovery, or wondering why you didn’t do something about it earlier.
That’s where battery chargers come in. They’re not the most exciting bit of kit you’ll ever buy, but they can be incredibly useful if your car spends long periods parked up, if you’ve got a weekend toy, or if winter weather is making your battery work harder than usual.
The CTEK CS One Gen 2 is very much at the premium end of that world. It’s a smart battery charger from one of the best-known names in the business, and this latest version adds app control and extra diagnostics to an already very simple charger.
What is the CTEK CS One Gen 2?
The CS One is designed to take the faff out of battery charging. Traditional chargers usually ask you to select the right mode, battery type, or charging programme before you get going. That’s fine if you know what you’re doing, but it can be a little intimidating if you don’t.
The CTEK does things differently. There are no complicated menus and no buttons to fiddle with. You plug it into the mains, connect it to the battery terminals, and let the charger work out what to do.
It can automatically detect the battery type, size and condition, then apply the correct charging programme. It also doesn’t matter which way round you connect the clamps, which removes another potential worry for anyone who doesn’t spend their weekends tinkering under a bonnet.
It’s a smart black box that takes the responsibility for looking after your battery.
What’s new for Gen 2?
The big upgrade for the second-generation CS One is proper app control. The charger can connect to your smartphone using Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, giving you remote access to charging status, charging history, notifications and extra functions.
That might sound like overkill — and, for many people, it probably is — but it’s potentially more useful than you might expect.
If your car is kept outside, in a garage, or tucked away somewhere that isn’t especially convenient, being able to check the battery’s progress from your phone is genuinely handy. Instead of walking out to look at the lights on the charger, you can see what’s happening from the sofa.
The app also unlocks some of the more advanced features, including a reconditioning cycle for tired batteries, a wake-up function for deeply discharged batteries, and a supply mode for when you need stable power while working on the car.
Is the app actually useful?
It depends on how you use the charger. If you’re only charging a battery once in a blue moon, app control probably won’t change your life. You could argue it’s just another thing to set up.
But if you’re regularly maintaining a battery, especially on a car that’s stored away, it starts to make more sense. Being able to check the charge level, see the history and get notifications makes battery care feel less like a chore.
It’s particularly appealing for cars that don’t get used every day. If you have a classic car (or van, like the 1995 Ford Transit Hallmark we connected the CS One to), a summer toy, a motorbike, a campervan, or even just a second car that spends most of its life on the driveway, a maintenance charger like this can help keep the battery healthy without you needing to think about it too much.
It’s also useful in winter, when batteries are under more strain and cars that sit unused for a few weeks are more likely to struggle.
The price problem
There is one obvious drawback: it isn’t cheap. The CTEK CS One Gen 2 has an RRP of £260, although it’s currently under £200 at Amazon
and available in-store at SportsBikeShop for £200. Either way, that’s a lot of money for a battery charger.
You can buy cheaper chargers for far less, and for many people, those will be absolutely fine. If all you want is something to top up a battery once every couple of years, the CS One is probably more charger than you need.
But if you’ve got a car, bike or camper that spends long periods parked up, the price becomes easier to justify. And, let’s be honest, if you’re running a small collection of classics or a valuable toy, spending a couple of hundred pounds on a quality charger is hardly the most outrageous maintenance cost you’ll face.
CTEK CS One Gen 2: The Verdict
The CTEK CS One Gen 2 is not the cheapest way to charge a car battery, and it won’t be the right choice for everyone. If your car is used every day and your battery is in good condition, you probably don’t need something this advanced.
But if your car spends long periods parked up, or you want a genuinely simple way to keep a battery healthy, the CS One Gen 2 is very easy to recommend.
It takes the guesswork out of battery charging, adds useful app controls, and feels like a properly premium bit of kit. The price will put some people off, but the simplicity, diagnostics and “connect and forget” approach make it a strong option for anyone who wants battery maintenance to happen quietly in the background.
For most drivers, it’s a luxury. For enthusiasts, classic owners and occasional-use cars, it could be exactly the sort of thing that saves a lot of hassle later.
He is the founder of Huff Media, publisher of Professional Pickup, Professional Van, Average Janes, Average Joes, and CALIBRE. His work focuses primarily on light commercial vehicles, pickups, and real-world vehicle use, with much of his time spent on manufacturer launches, industry events, and long-term vehicle testing.