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An RV battery monitor is like the little battery icon on your smartphone or the fuel gauge on your RV or truck.
With a battery monitor, you can properly track your battery’s condition and energy usage and stay on top of your electrical system with automatic alerts.
When you’re on the road for long periods, you depend on battery power to keep you plugged in. Without it, RVing would be a very different experience.
Using a good battery monitor, you always have an eye on how much energy you have available and if there are any issues with your batteries.
In the guide below, we’ll dive into some of the best and most used battery monitors by RVers as well as covering frequently asked questions, such as:
- Do you need a battery monitor for your RV?
- How do you check the health of your RV battery?
- And what drains an RV battery the fastest?
First, let’s talk about our recommendations for a few of the best RV battery monitors.
3 Best RV Battery Monitors
Below are our top three picks for the best battery monitor models, separated into three major categories:
- Best all-around pick
- Budget-conscious
- And portability (i.e. compact)
We decided our top picks based on:
- Product reviews and ratings
- Brand reputation
- Features and overall construction
- As well as taking into account the most popular RV battery monitors with RVers, which is the best indicator of what actually works long-term
With all that taken into account, we found three brands that were mentioned far more than any other, and had the reviews, features, and brand reputation to back that up.
Here are our top picks for the best RV battery monitors:
1. Best Budget Pick: AiLi 350 Amp Voltmeter
One of the best budget picks on this list, the AiLi 350 does all the basic things you’d want from a battery monitor.
The AiLi doesn’t have an app you can use to monitor, but it does have a decent gauge display that works about as well in addition to solid construction and a somewhat compact size.
The biggest benefit of the AiLi, however, is the price, with it coming in at several times cheaper than the average battery monitor. If you want to pick up a monitor but don’t have a big budget, this is a great one to consider.
Check out the AiLi 350A on Amazon
2. Best All-Around: Victron Smart BMV-712
The first of two Victron options on this list, the Victron Smart BMV-712 is one of the most used battery monitors in the RV community.
It’s a bit on the pricey side, but you pay for what you get. The BMV-712 offers a wide range of features without giving up much of anything in return.
It offers a large easy-to-use gauge LCD display along with access to the Victron Connect app, giving you two ways of monitoring your batteries.
Check out the Victron BMV-712 on Amazon
3. Best In a Compact Package: Victron Smart Shunt
The second Victron model on our list, the Smart Shunt is a smaller unit that combines the controller and shunt.
It makes some concessions in the name of affordability and size, lacking a property display, but nowadays that’s not really a negative given you can connect to the Victron Connect mobile app to get the same information more conveniently.
With that said, the display is the main factor to consider if you’re deciding between the Shunt and BMV-712.
Other than that, the Shunt does everything the BMV-712 does including monitoring voltage of multiple batteries, alerts, and automatic updates.
Check out the Victron Smart Shunt on victronenergy.com
What Does an RV Battery Monitor Do?
A battery monitor does an assortment of things related to monitoring battery performance and works on many different types of batteries, including lithium batteries and lead-acid batteries.
Some typical features include:
- Monitoring voltage levels
- “State of charge” or battery level (i.e. how much power your battery has, typically displayed by way of a percent like your typical electronic device)
- Alerts for when battery voltage or charge level drops to a certain point
- Power consumption (how quickly you’re drawing power from your battery)
- Charge rate when charging your battery
Do I Need a Battery Monitor for My RV?
A battery monitor isn’t a necessity, but it’s a good idea to have one particularly if you’re on the road for long periods of time, especially for boondocking.
How Do I Check the Health of My RV Battery?
The first and most common way to check the health of your battery is by checking the voltage, which you can do with a battery monitor.
Check the voltage and make sure it’s where your battery manual recommends. Every battery is different, from construction to capacity, so refer to your battery’s official documentation to be safe.
What Drains an RV Battery the Fastest?
Lots of things can drain an RV battery fairly quickly, but the biggest culprits are large appliances that require 120v AC power.
That means most of your power-hungry devices sit in the kitchen: the fridge, oven, microwave. But that also includes the AC, which is a huge power siphon as well.
Make Keeping an Eye on Your Batteries Easy with a Battery Monitor
A battery monitor is an inexpensive way to get a little extra insurance and peace of mind.
With a monitor, you can keep an eye on your voltage levels, battery power, and performance to ensure that your batteries are always filled and in good working order.
If you’re unsure of what battery monitor to choose, go with any of the ones listed above.
Each will allow you to clearly and easily monitor everything straight from a display or your smartphone, which is the main benefit of a battery monitor.
And once you have that handled, take your RV power game to another level by learning more about solar panels: How Much Solar Power Do You Need to Run an RV Fridge?
This post may contain affiliate links. Check out our disclosure for more information.
