How To Charge Power Wheels Battery Without Its Charger – 3 Methods Worth Trying

In recent years battery-powered toy cars and motorcycles have become very popular. Of course, at some point, you may find that the one you have purchased isn’t working as well as it should. Usually, this is because the battery isn’t providing enough power or is completely dead.

Then when it comes to you needing to recharge the battery on such a toy, you find that the charger seems to have gone missing. Well, don’t worry, there are a few ways to recharge the battery in such a toy without the original charger.

Below we take a look at 5 ways to recharge the power wheels battery in your child’s toy car.

3 Best Solutions For Charging A Power Wheels Battery Without The Charger

Method 1 – Use a car battery trickle car battery charger

You can set up a connector that will allow you to use a trickle car battery charger to charge up a Power Wheels battery. But you need to be careful to make sure that you don’t burn out the battery. 

Before connecting the Power Wheels battery to the car battery, you need to check the voltage first. Today, most toy cars are fitted with a 12V battery that can be charged up to 15 volts without any problems. But be careful as any battery beyond two amps could cause the battery in your child’s toy car to overheat and expire.

Simply connect cables from the car battery to the toy car battery. Make sure that you connect the positive terminals to each other, and the same goes for the negative terminals.

Tip: Make sure that you carefully monitor how the charging is going. If the Power Wheels battery starts to get hot, then disconnect immediately. Also, only charge at a rate of no more than 30% of the battery’s capacity.

Method 2 – Use a 12v power supply

If you’ve lost or mislaid the original charger for your child’s toy car battery, you can use a 12-volt power supply instead. Below we show you how to do this.

Step 1 – Gain access to the battery and remove it from the toy car.

Step 2 – Look to see how many volts are needed by the battery.

Step 3 – Find an old battery charger that comes with the same volt output as the battery.

Step 4 – Cut off the existing charging tip, then split the two wires and to each of these add a connector.

Step 5 – You now need to find out which wire is positive and which is negative. Typically you will find that the positive wire has a white stripe on it.

Step 6 – Now connect the new charger you’ve made to the Power Wheels battery. Remember to attach the positive connector to the positive terminal and the negative connector to the negative terminal.

Step 7 – Plug the charger into a mains power supply and leave the battery on charge for around 8 hours before testing it with a battery meter.

Method 3 – Use a mobile phone charger with a DC to DC step up module

Firstly, see the details of how to charge a 12V battery without a charger in theory here:

If you like and you feel you can, you can make your own battery charger. To do this, you’ll need battery clips, a wire set, a DC-DC step-up board module, and a 5 volt 2 amp mobile charger and cable. 

Some DC-DC step-up modules you can buy:

To make a battery charger:

Step 1 – Connect the battery clips to their coordinating colored wire.

Step 2 – Now, solder the other ends of the battery clips wires onto the DC-DC step-up board module. Important to solder the positive wire to the positive terminal on the board, and the same goes for the negative wire.

Step 3 – Connect the charger to the step-up board and plug it into a mains power supply.

Step 4 – Test to ensure that power is going to the battery clips using a battery meter.

Step 5 – If the clips receive the power, you must adjust the voltage to 13 volts to charge the 12-volt battery. You do this using a battery meter and turning a small screw on the side of the step-up board.

Step 6 – Check whether the terminal on the Power Wheels battery is positive and negative. You can do this using a battery meter.

Step 7 – Now connect the battery clips to the associated terminals on the battery.

Step 8 – Leave the battery connected to the charger for up to 8 hours and then test it with a battery meter to see if it is charged.

Recommendation: It is good to place a fuse on the positive wire, so should the fuse blow, the whole circuit will be cut. Then you don’t need to worry about leaving the battery to charge overnight.

How to use a 5V phone charger to charge a 12v power wheels battery:

Buy WGGE WG-026, eBoot 1M Clips here:

In case you have a high voltage charger, try to use a DC to DC Buck Converter instead of a DC-DC Boost to adjust the higher voltage to 12-13V.

2 Other Ways To Solve A Problem Power Wheels

Recharge battery at an Auto repair shop/ Authorized service center

If you do not have the appropriate equipment for carrying out the above ways to recharge the battery in your child’s toy car, then remove it from the vehicle. Once removed, take it to an auto repair shop or an authorized Power Wheels service center. 

A quick search online, and you should be able to find a service center or repair shop near you that can carry out this for you.

Long-term method: Get a new charge for a power wheels battery

The methods we’ve discussed above only provide a temporary solution to your problem. If you aren’t careful, you could end up overcharging the battery and result in you having to replace it.

So it would be better if you purchased a new charger instead. It will ensure that it offers the correct amperage and voltage. Plus, it will come with certain safety features that protect the Power Wheels battery from overcharging.

Also, you’ll find that investing in a new charger will result in you being able to recharge the Power Wheels battery in your child’s toy car faster.

Find purchasing options for 12 Volt Power Wheels Batteries Charger online:

How To Tell If The Power Wheels Battery Is Charging?

One way is to use a smart charger, as the charger that comes with the battery cannot test the battery’s charge. But be aware that a smart charger won’t always provide you with the right results. It can occur when the battery in your child’s toy car has been sitting idle for a few months.

Also, it is a good idea to use a smart charger to verify if the battery has any power or not every 2 or 3 months.

But the quickest way of telling if a Power Wheels battery is charging is to connect it back up to the toy in which it is used. Then see if the toy will start or not.

What Should I Do If The Power Wheel Battery Is Not Charging After Changing The Charger?

You can do a couple of things if the battery isn’t charging after you’ve changed the charger.

Jump start your power wheels battery

If the battery is drained below the voltage that the charge can recognize, then give it a quick jump-start.

Simply connect a fully charged battery of a similar voltage to the Power Wheels one.  Then attach the charger and leave it all connected until the green light comes on; you can disconnect the second battery.

Then leave the original Power Wheels battery connected to the charger and leave charge for a few hours until once again the light goes green.

Replace your power wheels battery

If the battery in your child’s toy car is over 2 or 3 years old or has been used constantly for over a year, then you need to replace it. Make sure that you replace it with a battery with the same voltage and ampere as the vehicle.

It is easy to buy replacement Power Wheels batteries these days; simply go online. You’ll find Amazon sells these, and best to go for the Power Wheels 12V rechargeable replacement battery.

See Power Wheels 12V, Power Wheel 6V Battery for sale:

The last thing you need is having to buy a replacement battery for your child’s toy car. But with the information above, you should be able to continue using the same battery that came with the vehicle for at least 2 to 3 years.

So if you cannot find the charger for the battery, then it is worth considering giving some of the ideas above a try.