ANCEL BA101 Car Battery Tester, 12V Digital Automotive Alternator Meter Diagnostic Tool,100-2000 CCA Load Capacity, Charging & Cranking Analyzer for Truck, Boat, RV, Marine Vehicle, and More

I gave this 5 stars because it does exactly what I want a battery tester to do: it takes the guesswork out. Instead of wondering whether the problem is the battery, the charging system, or something else, this gives me a quick answer without dragging out a bunch of other tools.What I like most:It is easy to use, gives clear readings, and covers the information that actually matters. I like that it can check battery health, state of charge, cranking performance, and charging system performance all in one tool. That makes it useful not just for confirming a bad battery, but also for catching alternator or charging issues before they turn into a bigger headache.Useful features:Another big plus is that it works with a wide range of 12V lead acid batteries and supports plenty of battery rating standards, so it is more versatile than a one-trick tool. It also reads internal resistance, which is a feature I really like because it gives a better picture of battery condition than voltage alone. The fact that it can test on or off the vehicle is also very convenient.Why I bought it:I like having a tool like this around because it can save you from replacing parts blindly. A good battery tester pays for itself quickly the first time it helps you confirm whether a battery is actually bad or still usable.Bonus:Project Farm even did a video on battery testers, and that gave me even more confidence in this one. It was clearly one of the standout options in terms of value and real-world usefulness, which matched what I wanted.Bottom lineIf you want a battery tester that is easy to use, gives you more than just a basic voltage check, and helps you make better decisions before spending money, this is a great one to own. Easy 5 stars.

Very simple to use. It provides the necessary information to assess your car's battery condition and helps you determine its state.

This is a quick and easy tester to check your battery and charging system. when I tested my battery witch was less than two years old it told me to replace the battery, since the battery was still under warranty I took it to my dealer they said the battery was fine and just need charging, so I said what about the readings I got on my tester they said maybe because it had a low charge. Well, they charged it and came back and said that they would be giving me a new battery apparently after it was charged their test showed the battery failed so my tester was right after all.

SUMMARY: A very cost effective battery tester that appears to function well. Instructions could use a LOT of improvement, but it is pretty intuitive if you are capable of google searching your battery specs and inputting them. They should make clear you can pass one test and fail another. The Quick Test on it's own is insufficient to diagnose a battery with issues. 4 stars on poorly written instructions but good performance and relatively intuitive operation. Also the leads seem like just about the right length to avoid a bundle of excessive cables under the hood but enough room to test with convenience.PROS-Inexpensive-Allows testing based on battery spec inputs-Takes little space in tool chest...just a small handheld device.-Leads are about maybe 18" longCONS- Quick test is clearly not sufficient to ID a battery with a problem.- Instructions while readable, are not well written- Should make clear you need to do ALL the tests not just one, to properly diagnose a battery- Even then, if you think you have a problem, you probably want to take the battery it to a trustworthy testing facility before deciding to scrap/core a battery and buy another. Remember, auto deaiers and even auto parts stores often have much more capable test equipment. Perform full load testing on the battery to know for sure how it's performing. Not even sure the parts stores can do that.DETAILS - MY EXPERIENCEIt's helping me diagnose a battery problem and correct it, paired with a 1A Novo Genius charger.I have a 3 month old battery that was installed in a vehicle during diagnostics on an engine issue. Unfortunately after the battery installation, discovered the engine problem was catastrophic. So the ENGINE is going to get rebuilt. However, it was sitting for a couple months while exploring options (sell vehicle, top end rebuild, full rebuild, remanufactured engine, etc.) and unfortunately the new battery took a deep discharge when a light was left on for a couple days, maybe more. It damaged the battery and it would not hold a full charge from my regular charger. I tried quick charging with a 75 amp jump start mode, and slow charging with 12A and 2 amp modes. I could get it to test at full charge, but 24 hours later, it would be discharged to voltages that suggested it was damaged.I decided to try this tester, and the 1A Novo Genius charger which claims to provide automatic detection of plate sulfation and acid stratification, and perform high frequency pulse conditioning of the battery to break down sulfate crystals and restore battery health. The two devices cost about $70 in total. A lot to save one battery, but not a lot if I use it in the future on other batteries, and I'm sure I will.Initial testing: This was a little confusing because the "quick test", after inputting my 75aH spec for my battery, indicated a 100% healthy battery and said it was a GOOD BATTERY...but the "in car test" after inputting my CCA spec of 770, showed only 69% healthy and recommended REPLACE BATTERY. Of course I understood essentially this meant it passed one test but failed another and that meant there's a problem.I charged the battery with my OLD charger to a full charge, using the 2A mode (which would be twice as fast as the 1A Novo Genius charger.) Then, I put the Genius on the job to do it's desulfation. It appears to be working. I'm not done yet but after about a day of maintenance on the genius, it's gone from 69% to 87% to 92% healthy...CCA went from 640 to 721 to 740, Internal resistance dropped from 4.57 to 4.05 to 3.95 mOhms. I'll leave it connected and see how much further it can improve. Then, I'll run the full "battery" of tests...quick, in car, out of car, and with every spec and standard I can input.I was able to google my specific battery and get most of the specs, plus it was labelled with the aH and CCA on the label. So that is critical information you want to have to really use the tester effectively.Will I fully trust the result without taking it for testing on much more expensive equipment? And without a combination of completing the cycle, then letting the battery sit untended for 48 hours and testing again? Probably not. It is a maintenance free battery so I can't even open it up and check the specific gravity of the individual cells...but...this tester IS giving real time indication that the other device is improving the condition of the battery.I feel like it was worth what I paid for it. I bought this over a more expensive tester partially based on the recommendation from Project Farm. While he's not a real test engineer and some of his test methods are questionable, he got good results on this tester, it made his top 10 products of the year in 2025, and that is better testing that I could do without a lab full of expensive tools and batteries. So it carried "some" weight. It wasn't worth spending a lot more on testers and chargers to save one battery (that is under warranty anyway) but this price point made it much more palatable to try to revive this battery. Next I'll check out my wife's car. Then this little guy will go on the shelf until the next battery question comes up in a few years. Like my other battery charger, most of the time it sits idle, but when you need it, it's very, very handy to have around.

This is handy. Bright, legible back-lit display, powered by the 12V battery being tested. This more than a simple voltage tester (though it reports that also). I really like it can test batteries while still connected to car or disconnected (you tell tester which way). Included USB cable (old-style mini-USB) isn't for charging, needed only for computer interface if you need to capture or print results (I haven't tried). Settings are a bit confusing with lots of options with how to describe battery capacity, but it seems that once you put one of them in, device starts testing. Built-in cable and clamps are fine. Correctly diagnosed failing battery, suggested "REPLACE" and the new battery tested at 100% happy. I don't think it capable of doing a full load test like the much larger testers, but great for its size and low cost.

I compared this side by side to my Midtronics PBT-200, sold the Midtronics, kept this. Newer and better tech, and easy to use. More info too.

With a 1972 classic car in the garage, this is a handy item to have as part of one’s maintenance and diagnostic tools.

The ANCEL BA101 came highly recommended by a number of people I follow on the off-road YouTube channels. They weren't wrong, it does a number of easy checks to tell you the status of your battery. I cross checked the results with my voltmeter and everything matches up perfectly, it appears to be very accurate (only a lot easier to use than my voltmeter). It is quite light weight and small which makes it very portable if you feel a need to carry it with you. The display is very easy to read with all the info you could possibly need about your battery. At least it was until I put a gouge in the display. This is my only complaint, I am usually very careful with my equipment, I like to buy it once and have it for as long as possible. Not sure how I did it but I must say the plastic on the display must be pretty soft. So I would say heads up about that. I can still read it I'm just more careful with it now. All and all a great unit.

It’s looks really do hide a truly great performing battery tester. A very good range of tests, all carried out with the most important factor - accuracy. Others on the market do ‘look’ better, where this just works as it should, and at a very good price point. The only way it could be improved would be the inclusion of a suitable storage case in place of the small card box it arrives in. Low cost and high performance. Superb little tool to have about.

Just clip it on press a button twice and Bob‘s your uncle , tells battery health and how much charge on hand

This is a solid tester that, from my several tests, gives reliable results. The build quality feels sturdy, and I like the clear and easy-to-read display. The compact size makes it convenient to store and use. I appreciated the simple interface and the accuracy of the readings.One thing I liked is how quickly it evaluates battery health. The ability to test both batteries and alternators was another highlight. The cable length is decent, offering flexibility when connecting to a vehicle. The clamps are durable and provide a good grip on terminals.A small drawback is that the menus can take some getting used to, especially if you're unfamiliar with such tools. It also doesn't come with a carrying case, which would have been a nice addition for storage.Overall, it works exactly as expected and has been a dependable part of my diagnostic tools. It's a no-nonsense, efficient solution for anyone who needs quick checks.

Dies what it is supposed to do

Werkt, moet me multimeter niet uithalen en telkens met de settings zitte spele