You must know that the car battery is the most important thing your car houses and it’s responsible for the functioning of the various other elements of a car.
It’s so vital that you won’t even turn on the car without a battery and use its various features.
And at times, your car battery may go dead or suffer from other issues, which may leave you with no other option other than buying a new one.
If you’re in the market searching for a new car battery, how much does a car battery cost? It is the most obvious question that’ll strike your mind.
Interestingly, nowadays, the batteries’ price ranges are so wide today than what it was earlier that you wouldn’t return home empty-handed.
Hence, I’ve prepared this article to help you with the cost of a new car battery and other things you’d know in the context of it. So, let’s start.
How much does a typical car battery cost?
Compared to other repairing or replacement tasks concerning a car, replacing a car battery is still inexpensive.
A typical car battery can cost you around $60-$120 or $45-$100 depending upon a range of factors like battery size, type, capacity, car model, battery’s brand, etc.
If you are purchasing a premium battery, it can cost you much more than the above estimates, say, $90-$200. Hence, keep a flexible budget while you’re shopping for a car battery.
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Factors that can affect the price of a car battery
So, now that you know how much it costs to replace an old battery with a new one, you should keep the following factors in mind that tend to influence the price of the same. These factors include:
The battery size
It is the most common cost-defining factor of a car battery. Depending upon the engine size and its power, you’ll get an idea of which battery’s size will go well with the car.
For example, a standard battery will be better for standard car sizes with smaller engines as smaller cars’ power and torque requirements aren’t high.
Hence, a smaller battery is likely to cost way less.
However, for expensive and more extensive cars housing a bigger engine, smaller batteries won’t do any good to the car.
It is because such cars require high power and torque, which can only a bigger battery provide. So, in this case, the battery costs will skyrocket.
The brand of the battery
Next comes the brand of the car battery you tend to purchase. Since the car battery industry is large enough globally, you can find an ample number of battery manufacturing brands in the market.
Each brand has its separate manufacturing process and utilizes different sorts of materials of varying quality; the price ought to vary from brand to brand.
For example, cheaper brands may or may not use premium or at least standard quality materials.
Due to this, their costs generally revolve around $45-$100. On the other hand, more premium brands will always use premium quality materials in the manufacturing and will cost you more than the former.
It’s also worth noting that batteries from cheap brands tend to invite more repairing and maintenance costs in the future than those manufactured by premium brands. So, choose wisely.
Battery installation costs
You might belong to a mechanical background and know-how to install a car battery on your own, but the same isn’t possible with other car owners.
Hence, others may need to get the battery installed by a professional. Now, this additional cost in the form of installation cost will get added to your battery’s cost.
The installation cost further depends on the car’s battery location (i.e., back or front) and how long the installation process takes. Still, assume to pay another $20-$75 for installing a car battery from a professional.
The reserve capacity of the battery
First, let’s understand what reserve capacity is in the context of a car battery.
In simple terms, a car battery’s reserve capacity is the amount of time the battery takes to reach a full discharge under a varied set of conditions. Higher the reserve capacity, the higher the battery costs.
As a thumb rule, always go for batteries with higher reserve capacity than ones with a lower capacity.
The lifespan of the car battery
Like every other car component, your car battery, too, has a fixed lifespan that can fluctuate based on its maintenance and care level.
While batteries from non-premium brands can last for around four years, those procured from expensive brands can live for up to 5-6 years.
Battery weight
Yes, your battery weight is another crucial cost-defining factor. For example, a lightweight car battery will cost you way less than the one with more weight.
If you keep the cost factor aside, you should always prefer lightweight batteries over the other as they tend to put less load on your car.
Battery type
The type of battery your car needs will also cost you extra on the battery. For example, a typical lead-acid battery of 12V sells for around $125-$135 in the open market.
While if you’re looking for premium batteries, one of them is the 12V absorbent glass mat battery (AGM). This type of battery costs more than $150.
So, these are the top factors that determine the cost of a car battery.
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How often do you need to change the battery in your car?
So, you know how much a car battery costs and what factors influence the same.
But you might also wonder how often the battery needs replacement. As more the replacements, the higher the costs. Right? Hence, let’s understand this in a better way.
According to automobile experts, you should replace car batteries once every three years. If not three years, it’s never wrong to replace the battery every four-five years.
However, since the battery lifespan varies significantly from battery to battery, you should consider other factors like the below.
A battery may or may not seem to need replacement after a quick external inspection at times. In such cases, consider the possibilities of the following signs.
- Do you require frequent jumps starting with the current battery?
- The car lights seem dimmer than usual and die all of a sudden at times.
- There are frequent power fluctuations.
- You sometimes find it difficult to turn on the engine.
Based on the above signs’ frequency, you can figure out how you need to replace your car battery. Plus, the other factors that can influence the replacement period of your car’s battery include:
- How often do you leave the lights on when the engine is off?
- How frequently do you use AC?
- How often do you take your car to extreme weather conditions?
All these factors are equally responsible for the battery’s replacement period.
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Conclusion
It sums up the article revolving around car battery costs and other helpful information regarding the same.
To summarize, a car battery is the most crucial element of any car or vehicle responsible for functioning the other elements of the car or vehicle.
Since a battery has a limited lifespan, you’ll need to replace it with a new one in the future, which will invite a considerable cost.
Interestingly, nowadays, the batteries’ price ranges are so wide today than what it was earlier that you wouldn’t return home empty-handed.
Today’s batteries come in different sizes, types, warranty periods, brands, reserve capacity, and much more to simplify this. And these factors significantly govern the final battery costs.
