How Often Do You Need to Replace a Car Battery?

Ask most auto experts how often to replace a car battery, and they’ll likely tell you every 4 – 5 years. What’s important to remember is that there are several factors that can affect how long your particular car battery will last. In the guide below, our service team answers how to know if your car battery needs to be replaced, how much is a replacement car battery going to cost, and other common questions.

Find Out How to Know If Your Car Battery Needs to Be Replaced

If you experience any of the following issues while driving in North Charleston, your car battery may be on its way out:

• Headlights losing their brightness
• The engine isn’t as quick to start when you turn the key or press the push-start button
• Increased need for engine revs or jump starts
• The interior lights, gauges, touchscreen, etc. are showing odd power fluctuations

Why Do Car Batteries Deteriorate?

Each time you start your car and drive it in Mount Pleasant, the battery goes through a charge cycle. It can only withstand a certain number of cycles before it dies completely. Most car batteries die out naturally with time, but there are other factors that may affect how often to replace a car battery:

• Climate: The liquids inside a car battery are prone to evaporate when it’s hot outside. Thus, if you live in a consistently hot climate, your battery may wear out faster.
• Shaking: Sometimes a battery’s hold-down clamps become loosened, which can cause the battery to rattle around when you’re driving. The internal battery components might wear down faster as a result. Driving on rough roads can have the same effect.
• Jump-Starting: Each time you jump-start your car, the life of the battery can be shortened.

With proper maintenance, you should be able to get the full predicted lifespan from your car battery. If you’re unsure what that lifespan is, you might find the answer in your owner’s manual.

How to Test a Car Battery Without Professional Help

We always recommend having your car battery tested by a professional at least twice per year. If you want to test your battery at home in-between appointments, there are two easy ways to do so:

How to Test a Car Battery Using Your Headlights:

1. Turn your car on, leave it in Park, and turn your headlights on to full brightness
2. Rev the engine, observing the glow of the headlights as you do so
3. If the headlights glow brighter when you rev the engine, it could indicate that the current is too weak to maintain full brightness when you’re just idling

If your car fails the headlight test, you should schedule a service appointment to have the battery inspected.

How to Test a Car Battery Using a Digital Multimeter

1. Starting out, the voltmeter should be set to 20 DC volts
2. Pop the hood and connect the negative battery terminal (black) with the negative meter probe (also black)
3. Connect the positive battery terminal (red) with the positive meter probe (also red)
4. Get a buddy to turn the headlights on, at which point you can check the voltmeter reading
5. At 80℉, a fully charged battery should read at 12.5 volts or higher. At 12.3 volts you have a 75% charge, and at 11.8 volts or lower, you have 25% or less charge.

How Much is a Replacement Car Battery Expected to Cost?

The average cost of a new car battery is around $75 to $120, or up to $200 for premium batteries. The cost associated with hybrid car batteries is a different story. Because they need to work harder than a traditional car battery in a gas-powered car, a hybrid battery can range anywhere from $1,000 – $6,000.

Visit Our Parts Center for a New Battery

Searching for genuine Chevrolet batteries near James Island? Look no further than our parts department. Expert help from our Chevy specialists is just a short trip away in Charleston, and you can look forward to budget-friendly battery prices thanks to our rotating parts specials!