Guide to Buying a New Car Battery

Without a car battery, your car won't start - that's how important a car battery is.

However, as it nears the end of its lifespan, it starts to lose the ability to hold a charge. It becomes unreliable as it starts to falter and fail to meet the power demands of your car.

Battery failure can be a real snag if it happens when you least expect it. To avoid getting caught in such a fix, you must know the lifespan of your car battery and the signs telling you when your car battery needs replacing.

Getting the right car battery replacement can be challenging if you don’t know which battery type works best for your vehicle.

To give you an idea about where to start first, here’s a crash course to the different types of car batteries. 

Car Battery Types and Sizes

There are various kinds of car batteries available in the market, and below we discuss the most common types.

Most Common Car Battery Types

Valve Regulated Lead-Acid (VRLA) Car Batteries

VRLA batteries are available in gel cell and absorbed glass mat (AGM) versions. They are dry and sealed to ensure no leaks or spills happen. VRLA batteries last longer than the flood cell type, and they recharge quickly.

• Gel Cell - The electrolyte in gel cell batteries contains a silica additive that gelifies the electrolyte and lowers the amount of discharge. This model is ideal for hot weather or high thermal conditions, such as for use in high-performance or heavy-duty vehicles that generate a lot of heat.
• Absorbed Glass Mat (AGM) - Unlike gel cell models, AGM batteries are built to withstand high drainage and repeated recharging cycles. Today, they are standard in most cars since advanced features built into new vehicles require a lot of battery juice.

Flooded (Wet Cell) Lead-Acid Car Batteries

Flooded lead-acid batteries have been around for a long time and are considered one of the more reliable battery models available in the market. Just like VLRA batteries, they're available in two variations. 

• Serviceable - The serviceable type requires you to periodically refill it with distilled water when the level of the electrolyte goes down.
• Maintenance-Free type - The maintenance-free type operates with the electrolyte fluid they come with for their entire life. 

Different Car Battery Sizes & Car Battery Terminal Placement

Knowing the type of battery your car runs on isn't all. Since they come in different sizes, you need to find out the car battery size that fits and meets the power requirement of your automobile.

Not only that, the dimensions must fit in the battery tray and hold-down bracket. Refer to your owner manual for the right size of the battery to use for your vehicle. If you can't find your car's manual, you may check the internet for an online copy or read the marks on the dead battery in your car.

The placement of the terminals should also match; otherwise, the cables might be too short to reach the points of contact. The car battery terminals are placed in three ways as you will see in the chart below.

Here is a general car battery size guide:

Other Factors to Consider When Buying a New Car Battery 

Brand

There are various car battery brands in the market, but many of these are built by the same manufacturers. For instance, DieHard, Duralast, and around 20 others are produced by Johnson Controls for various brand owners. Exide and Delphi are the other major manufacturers who produce their own brands and also build for other brand owners. NAPA and Bosch car batteries are made by Exide, while AC Delco car batteries are produced by Delphi.

Ideally, you should stick with the brand specified in your car manual, although that may not always be possible. If you ever need to choose a cheaper car battery brand, make sure that it meets the recommended specs per your owner’s manual. 

There are various car battery brands in the market, but many of these are built by the same manufacturers. For instance, DieHard, Duralast, and around 20 others are produced by Johnson Controls for various brand owners. Exide and Delphi are the other major manufacturers who produce their own brands and also build for other brand owners. NAPA and Bosch car batteries are made by Exide, while AC Delco car batteries are produced by Delphi.

Ideally, you should stick with the brand specified in your car manual, although that may not always be possible. If you ever need to choose a cheaper car battery brand, make sure that it meets the recommended specs per your owner’s manual. 

Car Battery Freshness

You will know this by an alphanumeric code - the letter signifies the month and the number refers to the year of manufacture. For instance, A/6 means January 2016. 

Buy a car battery that is not more than 6 months old from its production date. A two-character code typically represents the age of car batteries. 

The first character is a letter representing the month, that is, A for January, B for February, and so on. It skips the letter I to avoid mixing up with the number 1. So M is for December. 

The second character represents the year, that is, 0 for 2020, 1 for 2021, and so on, resetting every decade. 

A car battery with the code that says D0 means it was manufactured in April 2020. If you get one today with an age code of D2, beware! That’s a way, way old battery (produced April 2012). 

The problem, however, is that build date coding can be quite cryptic and is not universal across the industry. The number could come before the letter. 

Also, some battery brands may follow a numeric code system for the month, in which case, the age code may have three characters, with or without a hyphen. The best thing for you to do is to search for the brand you're interested in and find out how they code their products.

Reserve Capacity

Reserve capacity (RC) is a battery rating expressed in minutes. It refers to how long a fully-charged battery can run your car after the alternator or charging system fails. 

It may also be interpreted as the maximum time you can leave your headlights on (not intentionally, of course) and still be able to start your car without jumpstarting. 

In other words, your battery has a standing power for that long. A good battery should have a high RC to enable it to withstand situations such as alternator failure. So, you should buy a car battery with the highest RC, right? Wrong! 

You should refer to your car owner’s manual for the recommended RC, and make sure to choose one within the range.

Power Requirement

Cold Cranking Amps (CCA) and Cranking Amps (CA) are ratings that define the power requirement of car batteries. Cold-cranking amps refer to how reliably the battery will start an engine in cold conditions without repeated cranking.

A car battery’s CCA rating measures its ability to start your car in freezing conditions (-18-degrees C). The CA rating, on the other hand, measures the battery's ability to start the vehicle at 0-degree C. Both ratings are expressed in amperes.

CCA is a popular industry benchmark but is more applicable in countries with frigid weather. In Australia and other warmer countries, it is ill-advised to follow the popular notion that ‘the higher CCA, the better’. The CA, which is based on 0-degree C temperature, will be a more relevant rating to consider. 

So, when shopping for a car battery to buy, be guided by the automaker’s recommendations in the car owner’s manual and take note of the specified ratings. There’s no need to go overboard.

Maintenance

There are two types - the low-maintenance and the maintenance-free type. Maintenance-free batteries pack an electrolyte that runs through the battery's life. Low-maintenance types, on the other hand, remain unsealed and require you to top up with distilled water when the electrolyte level falls. 

Warranty

Go for a battery with a long period of replacement. The warranty period is calculated by a figure combining the free replacement period and the prorated period. The prorated period allows for a partial refund of the purchase price for a specified time. 

Battery capacity

It is measured in Ah – Ampere hour. A higher Ah implies that the battery can handle a load for a longer time, which translates to a low chance of your battery running out.

Qualities of a Good Car Battery

There is no perfect car battery available in the market, but you can always choose the best one for your car. Aside from the type and fit as discussed above in the section on Car Battery Types and Sizes, it must have: 

• an extended warranty period and a prorated refund if the battery fails after the warranty expires
• high reserve capacity to make sure it doesn't conk out quickly
• ample cold-cranking amps 
• long lifespan that will save you from worrying about battery failure or frequent replacement 
• a handle, though not a top priority, for fitting it back to its compartment

Questions to Ask Yourself Before Buying a New Car Battery

The answers to the following questions will come handy later, so it’s best to answer them before visiting an auto repair shop or battery specialist.

What car battery size do you need?

Size may sometimes apply to several makes and models. If you are not sure, check on the internet or look it up in the car's manual. Alternatively, you can find it marked on the current battery.

What is the weather and climate condition in the place where you live or drive most of the time?

Batteries are designed to endure different heat conditions. For instance, those designed for cold conditions have higher cold-cranking amps.

What type of performance do you require? 

If you need a high-performance battery, your best bet is the advanced glass mat battery. It is suited for cars with features such as power outlets for mobile devices and high-tech systems that use up a lot of car power.

What is the terrain like where you typically drive?

Some battery types have fragile plates that may weaken or even crack when subjected to heavy vibrations.

What’s the car battery brand that came with your car?

The new battery doesn’t have to be the same car battery brand that your car came with. Just take note of the brand and other specs as a handy reference in case the salesperson asks you about those details.

Although most people replace the battery when the car cannot start, this is not always the ideal time. The average lifespan of car batteries is between 3 and 5 years and so should be replaced within this period.

Conclusion

Keeping a car battery clean and corrosion-free helps lengthen its lifespan, but its end-of-life will come eventually. You will undoubtedly want to buy the best car battery replacement, one that will last long. 

However, sometimes a limited budget gets in the way and requires you to think more creatively. Choosing supercheap car battery options could be one solution but not always the best decision. 

Hopefully, with the short guide outlined above, you will know what to look for. Of course, ‘where to buy’ would be another matter. Fortunately, that’s an easy one. 

You can use a car part finder, fill out a request form, and wait for quotes from various sellers. You will then have access to multiple sellers without even picking up the phone. This works not only for car batteries but for other auto parts that you may need as well. 

Request for an auto part now and start receiving quotes!

By Sam O.