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What to Look Out for When Buying a New Car Battery

Winter is here, and that means your car must work a lot harder to start. One of the components that are under a lot of stress this time of the year is the battery, which tends to die during extreme temperatures, especially if it's old.
Jumpstarting a car 6 photos
Photo: Daniel on Unsplash
A car battery on its trayA car battery mounted in reverseVarta batteryOptima BatteryBosch battery ratings
It all starts during hot summers when small quantities of the all-important electrolyte bath evaporate, diminishing the battery’s recharging ability. When winter comes, the engine must work harder due to the low temperatures, requiring more power out of the battery, which may lead it to stop functioning.

Buying a new battery yourself instead of going to the nearest dealership can save a lot of money, but there are important factors to consider. Here's what you should look for.

Battery Size

The measurements are extremely important since batteries come in many sizes. Some vehicles have a wider tray that enables the use of a bigger unit, while others have little room to spare.

You can check your owner’s manual for the precise dimensions, or you can just measure the old battery yourself. We recommend taking it out of the tray to easily determine the exact size.

Type of Batteries and the Position of Terminals

A car battery mounted in reverse
Photo: Karolina Grabowska from Pixabay

Vehicles use different types of starting batteries. Conventional engines can use a regular lead-acid unit, which delivers a large burst of power for a short time as needed for normal engine starting.

However, vehicles equipped with a start-stop function require a gel or absorbed glass mat (AGM) battery to cope with the significantly higher number of engine restarts.

Another extremely important factor is the position of the positive terminal. In most vehicles, it is located on the right side, but others can have a reverse terminal, meaning that the positive is placed on the left. Be sure to check the old one and remember its exact position before you buy a new one.

Reserve Capacity and Amp per Hour (C20) Ratings

The RC indicator refers to the extent of time that the battery can run without the help of the alternator before it discharges. It indicates how many minutes it can deliver a constant current of 25 amps at 80 degrees F (26 C) without dropping below the minimum voltage necessary to keep the vehicle running.

Amp Hour (AH) or C20 indicates the amount of energy stored in a battery. It is the power that it can deliver constantly for 20 hours at 80 degrees F (26 C) without falling below the 10.5-volt minimum.

Bosch battery ratings
Photo: Robert Bosch GmbH
You can find these ratings on the label, and it’s important to choose a new battery that has the same or higher values.

Cold Cranking Amps (CCA)

This rating is used to describe a battery's ability to start an engine during cold temperatures. It refers to the number of amps it can deliver at 0°F (-17 C) for 30 seconds while maintaining the required voltage.

Never replace an old battery with one that has a lower CCA rating, and if you live in a cold climate, you want to buy one that has a higher rating. That's because it will have to deal with many more cold starts than it was usually designed to withstand.

We recommend choosing a new one from a premium manufacturer like Varta, Bosch, Exide, Optima, ACDelco, or DieHard, just to name a few, and always make sure to check the warranty information.

Finally, to avoid being stranded with a depleted battery, we also recommend checking it at least once a year. You can ask your mechanic to measure its health when you visit for an oil or tire change.
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About the author: Vlad Radu
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Vlad's first car was custom coach built: an exotic he made out of wood, cardboard and a borrowed steering wheel at the age of five. Combining his previous experience in writing and car dealership years, his articles focus in depth on special cars of past and present times.
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