A charge-air cooler is simply an all-encompassing term, meaning that it cools the turbo's air charge before it is routed into the engine. Usually a charge-air cooler means an air-to-air cooler where the heat is rejected using ambient air flowing through the heat exchanger, much like the engine's coolant radiator.

In general, an intercooler or aftercooler is said to be a Charge-Air Cooler.