Choosing the Right Car Battery for Your Vehicle

Q: I’ll be needing a new car battery soon. How do I know what is right for my vehicle?

A: Start searching for a new battery by looking at the ratings on the battery that came with the car. The most important specification for cars that will be used in cold weather is probably Cold Cranking Amps (CCA). This tells you the number of amps that the battery can provide for 30 seconds at 0-degrees Fahrenheit. Reserve Capacity (RC) tells you how long a battery can supply a specified current before its voltage drops below a particular threshold. The ampere-hour rating (Ah) tells you how much current can be delivered over a time period. A 70 ampere-hour battery should deliver 1 amp for 70 hours or 70 amps for 1 hour. Don’t buy a battery with lesser specifications than the battery that came with the car. You can, however, buy a battery that exceeds these specifications.

Then, there are the battery types to consider. The most common is the lead-acid battery. AGM (Absorbed Glass Mat) batteries are enhanced lead-acid batteries that have a mat to absorb the electrolyte and are sealed, requiring no maintenance. Enhanced Flooded Batteries (EFB) provide more discharge-charge cycles and are often found in vehicles equipped with stop-start. Finally, lithium-ion batteries are usually confined to battery electric or hybrid vehicles. They are lighter, last longer and are more costly. Still confused? AAA offers batteries and mobile installation.