How Long Do Car Batteries Last? A Complete Guide To Car Battery Life
Nobody wants to get stuck with a dead battery, an experience that runs from annoying to sometimes dangerous. Having some idea of how long your battery can be expected to last can help you to avoid these situations, and that's why Germain Cars has put together this helpful guide.
Average Battery Life
The average lifespan of an automotive battery can vary by quite a bit, somewhere between three and five years. Different batteries come with warranties for different periods, and while this can be used as a rough guide for one battery compared to another, the actual life you get out of a battery will have much more to do with environment and usage.
Factors That Shorten Battery Life
Heat – Heat is by far the biggest factor to consider for battery longevity. Some of this is the heat produced in the engine bay, and this is why you'll see some vehicles with heat shields around the battery, or even the battery mounted in the trunk. These vehicles will fair a bit better in terms of battery life, but the bigger factor is climate. Warmer climates are harder on batteries, and hotter southern climates will generally see battery life nearer the three-year end of the spectrum, while colder climates can see something closer to five years.
Vibration – Your battery will certainly be subject to vibration, and this will have an impact on its lifespan. But there are steps that you can take to minimize this, mainly making certain that the hold-down hardware keeping your battery in place is properly installed and snug.
Zero Charge – It's something that happens to a lot of people from time to time, you leave the headlights on after switching off the engine, and when you get back to the car the battery is dead. In many cases, the car can be jumped, and after a bit of driving to charge it back up, it will be running like normal again. But every time the battery is fully discharged, its lifespan is shortened, often significantly.
Battery Service At Germain
While you don't have to throw out your battery as soon as it hits the three-year mark, we do recommend testing it at least once a year when you do hit that mark. Fortunately, Germain can help with that, and can also help with replacing your battery once it becomes necessary.