If you are a golfer, then you know how important it is to have a charged golf cart before hitting the course. But how long does it take to charge a golf cart?
It takes between 8 to 15 hours to fully charge an empty golf cart battery, depending on the age, amp-hours used, starting charge, type of battery, and type of charger being used.
We’ll explain all the factors that go into how long golf carts take to charge in our guide, as well as some tips on how you can speed up the process.
How Long Does It Take To Charge A Golf Cart?
Most golf carts take between 8 and 15 hours to fully charge, with the battery’s age, capacity, amount of starting charge, and charger all affecting how long the process will take.
Factors That Affect How Long It Takes To Charge Golf Cart Batteries
There are four key components that determine how long charging your golf cart will take:
Battery Quality
The quality of the golf cart battery will have the biggest impact on how long it takes to charge.
Newer, higher quality batteries will take less time to charge than older, lower quality ones.
Amp-Hours Used
The more amp-hours a battery has used, the longer it will take to charge.
This is because a battery that has been discharged completely will require more energy to bring back up to full capacity than one that has only been partially discharged.
Starting Charge
The amount of starting charge in a golf cart battery also affects how long it takes to charge.
Batteries with a higher starting charge will take less time to reach full capacity than those with lower starting charges.
Type of Battery
There are two types of golf cart batteries: lead acid and lithium ion.
Lead acid batteries take longer to charge than lithium ion batteries.
Type of Charger
There are different qualities of chargers that have separate charging cycles that will either speed up or slow down the charging process.
The faster and higher quality the charger is, the less time it will take to charge a golf cart battery.
Most golf cart battery chargers offer three cycles: bulk, absorption, and float.
The bulk cycle charges your golf cart battery at the highest amp hours and does the majority of the charging.
The absorption cycle holds consistent voltage to get more amperage in the battery, tapering off at the end.
The float cycle drops the voltage while filling the rest of the battery’s charge.
Read more: how to pick the best golf cart battery charger.
How to Speed Up the Golf Cart Charging Process
Although most golf carts require between eight and fifteen hours to fully charge, there are ways you can speed up the process:
Use a Fast Charger
If you have a fast charger available, use it to speed up the charging process.
Always make sure the voltage output matches the voltage of the battery you’re charging.
Don’t Fully Discharge Battery
Try not to fully discharge your golf cart battery before charging it.
Partial discharges will cause less wear on the battery and make charging quicker.
Keep The Battery At Normal Temperature
If possible, keep your golf cart battery cool or at room temperature while charging.
This will help the battery charge more quickly.
Golf Cart Charging Times By Voltage
Now that you understand how golf cart charging times are determined, let’s take a look at how long it will take to charge your golf cart battery based on the voltage.
How Long Does It Take To Charge A 12 Volt Golf Cart Battery?
If you have a 12 volt golf cart battery, it will take between eight and twelve hours to fully charge.
How Long Does It Take To Charge A 24 Volt Golf Cart Battery?
A 24 volt golf cart battery will take between twelve and fifteen hours to fully charge.
How Long Does It Take To Charge A 36 Volt Golf Cart?
A 36 volt golf cart battery will take between fifteen and eighteen hours to fully charge.
How Long Does It Take To Charge A 48 Volt Golf Cart?
A 48 volt golf cart battery will take between eighteen and twenty-one hours to fully charge.
Golf Cart Charging Times By Brand
We’ll hear our readers ask us: how long to charge an EZ-GO golf cart takes, or you can substitute that for whatever brand they’ve got.
No matter if your golf cart is EZ-Go, Yamaha, Club Car, or another brand, the brand does not affect how long it takes for a golf cart to charge.
What affects golf cart charging times is the factors we mentioned above: battery type and quality, remaining charge, and the quality of your charger.
Can You Overcharge Golf Cart Batteries?
So can you overcharge a golf cart? Yes, you can overcharge a golf cart, and doing so will damage your battery.
Ultimately, overcharging your battery will deplete the golf cart battery water level, leaving the plates exposed and causing the batteries to overheat, leaving them damaged or possibly requiring a full replacement.
Golf cart batteries are not cheap, so it’s critical to pay attention here!
Read more: how much are golf cart batteries?
Use a golf cart battery charger that has an automatic shutoff to prevent this situation if possible.
If you must use an old golf cart charger, make sure you’re consistently checking on it and turn it off once your batteries are full.
Read more: Making sure your golf cart battery water level is good.
Wrapping Up Our Guide To Golf Cart Battery Charging Times
Now that you understand how golf cart charging times are determined, you can apply this information to your own golf cart and charger to get an accurate estimate of how long it will take to charge your battery.
Remember that factors like type of battery, voltage, and how much charge is remaining in the battery will affect how long it takes to charge a golf cart.
Charging your golf cart battery at home is a process that doesn’t have to be difficult if you know what you’re doing.
We hope this guide was helpful! What kind of golf cart and batteries do you have, and how long does it take yours to charge? Let us know in the comments below.
Be sure to check out our other helpful golf cart guides while you’re here:
- The best golf cart bluetooth speakers
- The best golf cart locks
- Installing a golf cart roll cage
- How to install a golf cart car seat
- How much does a golf cart weigh?
- Golf cart dimensions
