Due to old age or any other reason, at some point you will need to purchase a new battery for your car. When buying a new battery, you should consider the following four factors.

Age of the battery

Batteries get old even when they are lying in the store unused. To be on the safe side, you should ensure that you do not buy a battery that is more than six months old.

You can easily get the age of the battery from the code that is usually placed on the battery. Most manufacturers put the codes in different formats. The most common formats used are the use of letters (such as months of the year) or the use of numbers (1, 2, 3….). A manufacturer may use a code such as A9. This means that the battery was manufactured in January 2009.

Group size of the battery

The group size describes the dimensions of the battery. In addition, it describes the terminal orientation of the battery. When buying a new battery, ensure that the group size of the new battery is the same as that of the old one. To avoid making the mistake of buying the wrong size, it is good that you go with the old battery to the retailer.

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CCA measures the number of amperes that a battery produces (within 30 seconds) at zero degrees Celsius. The rule of thumb is that a good battery always has a higher CCA. When a battery has a higher CCA, it has higher chances of starting the car even in cold weather. You should buy a battery that has a higher CCA or with the same CCA as the old battery.

Reserve capacity

This is probably one of the most important factors for you should consider. Reserve capacity allows you to determine the length of time that the battery will run if the alternator dies. To determine reserve capacity, you need to check the amount time (in minutes) that the battery takes to hit 25 amps.

While noting the time that the battery takes to hit the required amps, you should also check and ensure that the battery maintains a stable voltage at a minimum of 10.5 volts the entire time.

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Conclusion

These are the factors for you should consider before you buy a new battery. Put the factors into consideration and you will most definitely buy a splendid battery.