One of the most frequently asked questions: How long does a car battery last? Well, it depends. And there’s also more to it than you may think.
Car batteries are crucial in starting your car’s engine. However, they will not last forever, and it is essential to know how long a car battery will last under normal conditions.
How long does a car battery last? The expected lifespan of your vehicle’s battery depends on numerous factors, and the list below exposes some of the key elements that affect its health and longevity.
Key Elements that Affect the Health and Longevity of Car Battery
Three key elements that can boost your car battery life are temperature, driving style, and maintenance.
Temperature
The manufacturers specify the same range of temperatures at which a car battery is expected to function.
The temperature range at which the car can be safely driven, and the battery’s lifespan are two different things.
Car batteries are made of lead acid, which is more sensitive to extreme temperatures than other batteries.
They should be kept away from heat sources, especially if you live in a warm climate.
The optimum temperature for a battery is around 65 degrees Fahrenheit, but that does not mean that it will start to fail if it is driven when the temperature is 65 degrees or higher; it only means it will last longer at 65 than at 80 or 100.
A car battery can generally function well even when over 100 degrees outside, but its life span will be shortened. If your car’s engine compartment gets too hot, there are ways to cool it down.
Driving Style
Car batteries are rated to last a certain number of years. The manual for my car says that with everyday driving, I can expect it to last three years.
If I were to drive aggressively, with lots of short trips and hard starts, I could quickly reduce the battery’s life to less than a year.
The implication is that if you drive more gently, your battery will live longer than it otherwise would. But is this true?
I wrote a small program to simulate driving styles to test this idea. It keeps track of how many times you start up the engine, how many times you drive your car each month, and how long each trip takes.
Then, it uses these numbers to estimate how much strain you put on your battery by going in that way.
If you don’t start your engine for a month at a time, there is almost no effect from driving style.
The same is true if you use your car for half an hour or an hour or so every day.
What matters most is how often you use the battery; once you get past one or two days per week, more frequent usage doesn’t seem to matter much.
Maintenance
Cars need batteries for their ignition systems. A car battery is a rechargeable cell, and its life depends on how it is charged and discharged.
Car batteries are designed to provide bursts of power to start cars but must also power the car’s electrical system when the engine isn’t running.
This requires sophisticated maintenance in trickle-charging while the vehicle is running and careful monitoring while it’s not.
Treat your car battery well – take it in for regular checkups and repairs – and it will last several years.
Neglect your car battery or abuse it by letting it run down too far or leaving lights on overnight, and you’ll find yourself replacing it every year or two.
Maintenance is one key element determining how long a car battery will last.
How Long Does a Car Battery Last?
The size and type of storm can give you a pretty good idea of how long a car battery will last.
But it’s hard to know precisely how long it will last, and to find out for sure, you need to try it.
Using it is the only way to know how long a battery will last. That doesn’t mean you must drive cross-country on your battery, but you must use it.
You may find it lasts longer than you think, but you won’t know until you try it.
So, if you have an older car with an older battery, do yourself a favor and keep track of when you need to replace the battery.
Take out your old battery and put in your new one every three years or so. That way, you’ll know before something terrible happens that your battery is weakening and needs replacing.
A car battery is not a significant investment, and it can cost $50 to $100, depending on the size and quality. But you do need to check it from time to time.
You can’t just install it and forget about it; you’ll be sorry if you do. A car battery has electrolyte fluid in a sealed case with lead plates and sulfuric acid inside.
The plates are immersed in electrolytes so that current flows between them when the car is running and the battery is loaded.
That’s what provides power to start the engine, runs the electrical accessories, and recharges itself while you drive.
So, how long does a car battery last? The battery has lead sulfate crystals on the plates that build up as it ages.
The crystals store less and less of a charge until they reach a point where they can’t hold enough to start your engine anymore.
How long a car battery should last depends on how you define “last” and what you mean by “car battery.”
For example, the answer is not very much if you want to know how long a car battery lasts and how many miles it will take.
A car battery lasts between three and five years. Driving 10,000 miles a year means your battery will die in six months to a year.
And if you drive 20,000 miles a year, it will die even faster—between three and five months.
If we’re talking about how long a car battery lasts in terms of its ability to start your vehicle, the answer is a little longer.
You can expect your car battery to start your vehicle anywhere between two and seven years before it needs to be replaced.
How long this period is depends on several factors, including the size of the battery, whether or not the vehicle has an alarm system, and whether or not the car has air conditioning.
It’s also essential to consider the quality of the battery itself because some batteries tend to die sooner than others.
In general, a car battery lasts between three and five years.* Its life depends on how often you drive your car. The more often you drive it, the harder the alternator must work to keep up.
The alternator charges the battery while driving, but if you drive long enough without charging, it will eventually die.
If you have a really old battery, your alternator might not be able to keep up with it.
Signs that Indicate that a Car Battery is Failing
When it comes to the battery in your car, there are several signs your battery is failing.
Some are subtle signs you might not catch at first glance, and you might have to look for indications that something is wrong before noticing the problem.
Several factors must be considered when determining whether or not you need to replace your car battery. One thing to look for is the lights on your car dashboard.
If they start dimming or flicker while you are driving, then this could indicate that the battery is failing.
If your lights seem to be malfunctioning, you may want to test the battery by having someone else start the vehicle and see if the lights work properly when it’s running.
If you have problems starting your vehicle when the engine isn’t warm, this could be another sign that the battery may fail.
Another thing you should do is check for corrosion around the terminals on your car battery.
This can be done by removing one of them from the battery and wiping off any corrosion.
If there is corrosion around the terminal, it could mean your battery needs replacing.
Also, if your vehicle doesn’t start, you have a battery problem. Check the connections to make sure they are clean and tight, but if they are and your vehicle still doesn’t start, then you will need a new battery.
Four Ways to Improve the Performance of Car Battery
If you want to keep your batteries running longer, there are some ways that you can follow to maintain it at its maximum performance:
- Keep it Clean—Always clean the battery terminals with a wire brush before attaching the cables. For any deposits on top of the battery, use a mixture of baking soda and water. Spray some WD40 or similar lubricant to remove any oxidation from the top of each cell cap and terminal post.
- Keep it Cool—Don’t let the battery overheat by leaving it in direct sunlight or areas with poor ventilation, such as engine compartments or trunk areas, for extended periods.
- Keep it Charged—Most batteries perform well when they are fully charged. As such, it is a point of duty to ensure that the car battery is always fully charged.
Another way to improve a car battery’s performance is to use one with a higher CCA rating.
This stands for Cold Cranking Amps, the most important specification of any car battery.
- Note: The most important thing to remember is to be patient when charging a car battery. Car batteries are made up of lead-acid cells, and it takes a certain amount of time to charge them. If you charge a car battery too fast, you can get the gassing effect when the electrolyte in the battery gets over-pressurized. This can cause damage to your battery or even create the possibility of an explosion.
- Key Takeaway: A good way to measure the life of your car battery is to monitor the voltage readings. If your numbers are in the lower end (below 12.9 volts), then it is a sure sign that you need to change your battery. The older you get, the lower your voltages will drop, so you should be aware of that after so many years of use. It’s also a good idea to take care of any other problems like corrosion that might be causing damage to your battery and causing it to stop holding the charge for longer.
In conclusion,
If you want to know how long a car battery will last, read the owner’s manual for your specific model. Today, most car batteries are lead-acid batteries.
While you can’t predict how long it will last, some factors can affect its lifespan. These factors include temperature and your driving habits, as mentioned above.
You have been provided with a satisfying answer to the above question: How long does a car battery last?
