Most of us who own cars have at some point, or another encountered a situation wherein our car battery dies; not only is it frustrating to deal with but it can be tricky to get the car started at that moment.
While jumpstarting with the help of another car or pushing are some of the best ways to make it start, the ideal situation would be to know exactly how strong your battery is, to begin with. Hence, we are here to help you find out how long do car batteries last.
The life of a car’s battery entirely depends on how long it could possibly hold its charge and also how capable it is of being recharged. Once the battery can no longer be recharged, it is fully dead. There are quite a few factors that affect the battery, which include the outside temperature, humidity, and several other environmental conditions.
How Long Do Car Batteries Last?
We really have to admit that it is quite difficult to answer the question of how long a car battery should last. In fact, even the most experienced mechanics have a hard time answering it because batteries these days are maintenance-free and are made of lead-acid that do not always show signs that they could fail or die any time soon. In some cases, they tend to fail at the most inconvenient times.
Nonetheless, you can roughly estimate when it may be time to replace your battery since car batteries tend to give you some sort of indication when it is weak. This would typically be in the form of slow cranking when you try to start your car, but that may not always mean that your car battery is about to fail. Car batteries can be very random; one day they work just fine, and the very next day they just don’t.
While it is difficult to answer that question and since new battery designs do not give you the ability to guess when it is time to be replaced, you must note that batteries will age no matter what.
Whether you are driving it for most of the day or you leave it in the garage for most of the week, your car battery will age. Furthermore, what affects the car battery extensively is very cold weather and the use of several electronic devices—these have a significant impact on the battery life.
With all that being said, most experts will agree with the fact that a battery will last you anywhere between three and five years. Of course, this depends on how much you use it and even the quality of the battery. You will notice that most mechanics recommend that you replace your car battery once every four years to be on the safer side.
Signs that Your Battery Maybe Failing
There are some indications that could possibly mean that your car battery is failing. These will include:
- Dimming headlights when you turn on the car or even while the car is in motion
- The constant need for the battery to be jumpstarted.
- A lot of strain during cold weather
- Power fluctuations more than normal
All of those are sure signs of a dying old-designed battery. Newer designs could also face these same issues, but they are also known just randomly to fail, without warning.
Your Car Battery’s Warranty Details
Every car battery comes with a warranty period as well as a stamp on it that will precisely indicate the specific date the battery was manufactured. Additionally, you can also find some information about the battery in your car’s manual. If you have already replaced the battery once with the same model, then you will be able to guess how long the battery would last.
Experts also say that you can guess the life of a battery on the basis of the warranty the company offers. Almost all car batteries have either a one, two, or three-year warranty period. It goes without saying that batteries that have a one-year warranty are most likely to fail faster than a battery that has a three-year warranty period as they are much cheaper.
Is it Possible to Increase the Life of a Battery?
Like a battery in devices such as a laptop or a cell phone, an automotive battery is rechargeable and is capable of withstanding only so many charges and discharges before it begins to weaken. Fortunately, there are a couple of factors that you can use to adjust and improve the battery life in the long run and to also prevent it from failing soon.
All the vibrations from rough travels can impair the functional capacity of a battery that is poorly secured, so it is best to avoid roads that are bad and always make sure that your car battery’s hold-down clamps are secured tightly and good.
Another method of maintaining the car battery’s life would be keeping the battery fully charged as often as possible, and not leaving the headlights on when you are not driving. Routine maintenance will also aid in prolonging the battery’s life. You can get your battery checked every time you check and change the oil in the car.
Additionally, where you live and how well you take care of your car battery can also contribute to the battery’s lifespan. Even in cold weather, if you care for the battery appropriately, you will easily get a couple of years out of your battery; this is assuming you own a car that is fueled by gasoline or diesel. If you own an electric car or even a hybrid one, proper care and maintenance will ensure that you get up to eight years of battery life.
The End Note
Answering how long do car batteries last is quite a difficult task as you may have read so far. New age batteries are completely incapable of indicating when it may just die on you. However, proper use and service of the car battery will ensure that you get at least a few years out of it.
