Einhell CE-BC 5 M LiFePO4 Charger
(5 reviews)
The only charger in our selection under sixty euros that handles a lead-acid car battery and a LiFePO4 lithium pack equally well.
Characteristics
- Output: 5 A max, automatic battery-type detection
- Chemistries: LiFePO4, gel, AGM, lead-acid
- Modes: Trickle, power supply, reconditioning
- Protection: Overload, short circuit, reverse polarity
- LiFePO4 lithium support for about fifty euros
Detailed overview: Einhell CE-BC 5 M LiFePO4 5 A battery charger
A lead-acid battery and a lithium iron phosphate battery are not charged the same way. Lead accepts an end-of-charge voltage around 14.4 volts, followed by a maintenance phase at reduced voltage. LiFePO4 works over a much flatter voltage range, refuses prolonged compensation charging, and carries a protection circuit that can disconnect the battery if the voltage is unsuitable. Using a lead-acid charger on lithium therefore gives at best an incomplete charge, at worst a battery that trips into safety mode.
The CE-BC 5 M LiFePO4 settles the question by analysing the battery before sending any current. Its electronics identify the type and state of charge, then select the matching profile. You can therefore use the same unit for your car's lead-acid starter battery and for your motorhome's lithium pack, with no special handling.
The five amp maximum suits batteries up to around a hundred amp-hours, with the usual durations for this class of domestic charger: expect a night for a deeply discharged pack. The LCD continuously shows measured voltage and progress, which lets you follow the recovery of a doubtful battery.
Three modes round out the package. Trickle charging, the classic one, lets you leave the unit connected out of season. The power supply mode turns the charger into a stable current source, useful for keeping a vehicle live while its battery is replaced so the onboard electronics keep their memories. The reconditioning mode finally applies pulses intended to break down the sulphation on a tired lead-acid battery.
If your batteries are exclusively lead-acid, the CE-BC 4 M covers the same need for some fifteen euros less, with IP65 sealing into the bargain. And to understand what really separates these chemistries, our solar section covers the LiFePO4 batteries used in off-grid installations.
EAN: 4006825671520
User manual / Instructions for use (PDF)
Comparison
Under sixty euros, lithium compatibility is rare. Here is how this CE-BC 5 M sits against its lead-only sibling and the catalogue's two premium references.
| Criterion | Einhell CE-BC 5 M LiFePO4 | Einhell CE-BC 4 M | Noco Genius5 | CTEK MXS 5.0 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Max current | 5 A | 4 A | 5 A | 5 A |
| LiFePO4 lithium | Yes | No | Yes | No |
| Power supply mode | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Sealing | Not declared | IP65 | IP65 | IP65 |
| Observed price | ≈ 56 € | ≈ 39 € | ≈ 79 € | ≈ 97 € |
The direct rival is the Noco Genius5, which also offers lithium support, a power supply mode and IP65 sealing, but twenty-three euros dearer. If the budget is tight and the charger stays dry, the Einhell does the same job. If it has to live outdoors or work hard, the Noco is better armed. As for the CTEK MXS 5.0, excellent on lead-acid, it does not handle lithium: not the right choice for a modern motorhome. Finally, if none of your batteries is LiFePO4, the CE-BC 4 M remains the best value in the selection.
Our tester's review: Christophe Delpuech
This model answers a very concrete problem faced by motorhome and boat owners: their leisure battery has moved to lithium iron phosphate, but the charger in the garage only knows how to charge lead. Connecting a lead-acid charger to LiFePO4 is not harmless: end-of-charge voltages differ, and some chargers do not even detect a protected cell that has tripped into safety mode. Einhell offers here the cheapest way to cover both worlds, with automatic battery-type detection that removes the risk of a wrong setting. The five amps place the unit a notch above the CE-BC 4 M, which partly offsets the slowness inherent to this class of domestic charger. The power supply mode is a clever addition, usually reserved for far dearer models: it keeps the vehicle's electrical circuit live while you disconnect the battery, so a modern car does not lose its stored settings. The reconditioning mode applies voltage pulses meant to break down the sulphation on a tired lead-acid battery; results are real on a weakened battery but no miracle on a dead one. Two reservations. The first is track record: with only fifty-five reviews and a 4.4 rating, this recent model lacks the history of its sibling and its two thousand four hundred reviews. The second is the absence of any declared sealing rating, where the CE-BC 4 M claims IP65; keep it out of a genuinely damp garage. If you own no lithium batteries, the 4 M remains the better buy. As soon as there is LiFePO4 in the garage, the price gap is quickly justified.
Frequently asked questions: Einhell CE-BC 5 M LiFePO4 5 A battery charger
Yes, that is precisely its purpose. The electronics detect the type and state of the connected battery, then apply the matching charging profile. You move from the car's lead-acid starter battery to the motorhome's LiFePO4 pack with no manual setting.
Because charging voltages differ and lithium does not accept the prolonged compensation phases used for lead. At best the charge stays incomplete, at worst the battery's protection circuit trips into safety mode and cuts everything off.
To keep the vehicle's electrical circuit live while you disconnect the battery. On a recent car this avoids losing the stored settings of the radio, the electric windows or the ECU, which would otherwise need resetting.
It applies voltage pulses meant to break down the sulphation that forms on the plates of a lead-acid battery left discharged. On a merely tired battery the gain is real. On a battery with a shorted cell, no charger will work miracles.
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Published on 26/07/2026