What does your battery test result mean?

Here are a few brief definitions of what your battery test is telling you about the health of your battery. 

1.) Cold Cranking Amps (CCA)
Cold Cranking Amps (CCA) is the recognized industry standard for rating a battery’s performance.  As the CCA rating increases, it indicates a higher-powered battery.  If a vehicle utilizes many accessories and consumes a high amount of power, a higher CCA is recommended.  

2.) “Good Battery”
Your battery is measuring within the manufacturer’s specification for required CCA, the measuring standard of battery power.  Your battery should reliably start the vehicle.

3.) “Good – Recharge”
Our battery tester has determined that your battery is in good condition, but the voltage or charge level is low.  Your battery can recover with a full charge.  A full charge can be restored with a battery charger.  A full charge cannot be restored by simply driving the vehicle.

4.)  “Charge and Retest”
Our battery tester is unable to complete an accurate test because the battery voltage is low.  It is unknown if your battery has gone below a point of full recovery or not, but after a full recharge the battery’s condition can be determined with another test.

5.) “Replace Battery”
While the vehicle may have started, (particularly under extreme weather conditions) there is the increasing likelihood of your vehicle malfunctioning due to battery failure in the near future.  We highly recommend replacing your battery before it fails at an inopportune time.

6.) “Bad Cell – Replace”
This reading indicates a failure in at least one or more of the six cells inside the battery.  A failure means simply that the electrical connection can no longer allow a free flow of power to the vehicle.  We highly recommend replacing your battery.