What Is the Longest Lasting Car Battery You Can Use in Your Vehicle?
When evaluating the longest lasting car battery designs, it’s important to note that there are many available options you can consider. Depending on your practical needs and what you want your battery to excel at – for example, starting your vehicle more efficiently and operating fewer electric and electronic loads, rather than offering more amps and supporting large, powerful audio systems – the life expectancy and the overall performance of a car battery can differ greatly. Also, you’ll find that it’s very important to make sure that the battery you get is fully suited to your vehicle and to the conditions you’ll use it in the most. Learn which battery is right for your vehicle.
Lead-Acid Batteries, Their Life Expectancy and Practical Benefits
The lead-acid battery design is not the longest lasting car battery that you can find, but it certainly has its practical qualities. Modern-day dry cell batteries are more practical and somewhat longer lasting than the classic wet-cell lead-acid battery, although you still can’t expect to get more than about 4 years out of it. The great thing about lead-acid batteries is that there are many available constructions you can choose from for every application, every performance level and every number of cycles you might need. Also, despite their obvious environmental concerns, lead-acid batteries are the easiest to recycle, which can make them a more favored choice overall.
Advance Auto Parts stores offer free battery testing and installation*.
Are Deep Cycle Batteries a Viable Option?
One might believe that deep cycle batteries are among the longest lasting car battery designs because of their ability to ensure a greater amperage per cycle. However, while this setup works in the case of golf carts and some marine applications, it doesn’t do much when you’re trying to start and run a car. The battery will typically go through its cycles fairly quickly, and it will only be able to ensure about 300-400 cycles. Depending on the design, a single cycle might not last more than one day, which means you’re looking at a life expectancy of only one year – far less than that of even the cheapest, $50 car batteries.
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Lithium-Based Long Lasting Car Batteries
New lithium metal technologies primarily using iron and magnesium are designed to last longer than your typical car battery. They are currently considered among the longest lasting car battery products aside from lithium ion batteries, which are currently only used in electric vehicles or high cost racing cars to supply added performance. Newer types of lithium metal and lithium ion batteries are known to last more than 5-6 years depending on the design and the type of car you’re using it for. Unfortunately, with lithium battery costs far exceeding lead-acid and some AGM batteries, they are often not a good option for car owners.
Choosing the Right Car Battery for Your Vehicle
Selecting the right battery for your car isn’t easy. You have to keep track of the standards regarding CCA ratings, size, amperage and design of the battery. Trucks and SUVs might require slightly altered designs, and a battery offering similar CCA performance will differ in its lifespan depending on the vehicle it’s used on. Ultimately, the best way to maximize life expectancy is to use a newer design, find the best supplier for your car, aim for a discount, and track down a few reviews to decide which specific model is the longest lasting car battery available on the market for your vehicle.
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*Car battery testing and installation available on most automotive vehicles, at most locations, unless prohibited by law.
