Which is the best car battery?
Car batteries are vital to a car’s operation, yet they are one of those oft-neglected items that only come to mind when they fail. The question of which battery is best for your car requires an answer that is a little more complex than you might imagine.
Positives and negatives
Which is the best car battery you can buy? The answer depends as much on the car you own, as it does regarding the application of good old common sense. Motorcars have batteries specified by their manufacturers, which take into account the amount of discharging or drain on the battery’s stored energy that is likely to occur over the life cycle of the car.
A lot also depends on how the car is used. Cars that are used infrequently (or for short trips only) are likely to place a greater demand on a battery. The reason for this is that a car’s battery is drained of energy every time you crank the starter motor to start the engine, or when you use the car’s lights, radio, or other electrical systems.
Related: Can electric car batteries explode?
A car’s alternator is designed and set to recharge the battery at a fairly slow rate. This is to prevent damaging the battery by quick re-charging. But it also means that many batteries in cars which are used infrequently, or only for short trips, are operating under conditions where their state of charge is below the ideal level.
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A battery that is allowed to discharge fully will be damaged
If left alone for a long time, a battery will naturally discharge. This is why it is a good idea to disconnect the earth terminal of the battery if you planning a long trip away, where your car will stand idle. Modern cars in South Africa normally have devices such as immobilisers and alarms that draw energy from a battery at a slow rate, and this energy drain will eventually lead to a battery being discharged below its specified voltage level. If this occurs regularly, the battery will be damaged. To complicate matters, even a disconnected battery will slowly discharge, due to the internal resistance of the battery.
Which is the best replacement battery?
The best replacement battery is one of the same size and specification as listed by the manufacturer when the car is new. Different cars require different sizes and configurations of batteries, depending on the power needs of the starter and the car’s electrical system. They may also have their positive and negative terminals located on different sides of the battery, and if you try and fit one of these to your car, two things might happen: The battery will not fit into the housing designed to hold your battery firmly in place, or the cables for the positive and negative sides of the battery will not reach, as the terminals are on opposite sides of the battery.
Related: How to change a car battery
Before buying a battery, check your car’s Vin Number
Check your car’s VIN number (Vehicle Identification Number), giving you the exact make and model year. You will need to quote this accurately to a battery supplier to ensure you are getting the right battery for your car.
Should you hand in your old battery?
Yes. Many battery suppliers require that you hand in your old battery for recycling. In fact, you will pay more for your new battery if you can’t supply an old one in exchange.
Another benefit of handing in the old battery is that the supplier can then see exactly the specification of the battery that you require, in terms of size, configuration, as well as the battery current ratings for your car.
Some precautions that should be taken when removing and transporting batteries
Old batteries can be covered with fine layers of corrosive battery acid that are not immediately visible to the naked eye. Battery acid is extremely corrosive and will burn holes in clothing very quickly. So wash off and dry your old battery thoroughly. Then, transport it in a stout cardboard box to the battery sales outlet. Batteries should always be transported in an upright position. Even so-called sealed batteries can leak acid through the vent holes.
What brand should I buy?
There are a vast number of battery brands in the South African market. The brand with far and away the most consumer awareness is Willard, which has earned its reputation here over the past 35 years. Willard’s sister brand, SABAT, also has excellent brand awareness, due in part to a long and successful association with motorsport. The Raylite and Excide batteries, produced locally by First National Battery, enjoy good reputations as well and are fitted as OEM equipment by many cars sold locally.
Another locally-produced brand that is enjoying good sales is Dixon, manufactured by a Vanderbijlpark company, and one which has been producing batteries for a number of decades. Other brands that you might consider are Bosch, Energizer, Delkor and Deltek, as well as Optima and Varta.
What about pricing?
Good quality batteries these days generally range in price from about R1 200 to R6 000.
Why the huge price discrepancy?
The more expensive batteries are designed to cope with modern stop-start systems in cars, where the engine automatically cuts out and restarts at stop streets and red traffic lights. These systems impose a huge load on a battery, and consequently, manufacturers like Willard and First National Batteries have designed special batteries to cope with this extra load. These batteries are known as AGM batteries, the letters standing for Absorbed Glass Matt technology.
What are AGM batteries?
These batteries employ a system of absorbent glass matting between the plates, that immobilises the acid in the battery and enables a far greater number of discharge-charging cycles than a normal battery. But this technology is expensive to manufacture, which leads to a higher price tag.
There are concerns in the battery industry that, when the more expensive cars with stop-start technology fall out of warranty and require replacement batteries, these AGM batteries will be replaced with less-expensive conventional lead-acid batteries, which will fail more regularly, due to the voltage draw imposed by the start-stop systems.
Verdict
The best car battery you can buy is the one that is recommended by the OEM for your car. Different manufacturers will extoll the virtues of their batteries but if your car doesn't need a deep cycle high amperage discharge battery then there is no need to buy one. Rather follow the manufacturer's recommended make and model to ensure seamless operation for your ownership of the vehicle.
