How long will my car battery last?

Some people call it "going to the races. " We like to call it "working in the field." However you describe it, getting outside the office often means going to the racetrack and we'll never complain about that. We meet a lot of great folks and hear a lot of great stories about our products, like this YELLOWTOP, which is so old (and still working), the owner couldn't even remember when he bought it.

That does lead us to one of our most-commonly asked questions- How long will my car battery last? The answer is not an easy one and it can vary, based on a multitude of different factors. We can safely say OPTIMA batteries will last up to three times as long as a traditional flooded battery, because we've proven that time and again, both in lab testing, as well as real-world applications. That broad answer does shed some light on how long your battery may last.

Extreme temperatures are hard on all batteries and can significantly shorten battery lifespan. Folks who live in Phoenix may find they consistently can't get more than two years out of their car battery before having to replace it. In an application like that, they could expect to see an OPTIMA battery last four to six years. However, in a more moderate climate, like San Diego, if someone might see four years out of a flooded battery, they could see double or triple that out of an OPTIMA.

How the batteries are used also impacts performance and lifespan. Our batteries can be found in a wide variety of commercial and heavy-duty applications, where extreme and abusive applications can sometimes mean traditional battery lifespan is measured in months. Getting 18 months out of an OPTIMA battery may not seem like a good deal to the average consumer, but a commercial customer who may have previously been replacing flooded batteries every few months may see it as a great improvement.

The key to long battery life, regardless of brand, manufacturer or type, is proper voltage maintenance. Fully-charged, our REDTOP batteries will measure about 12.6-12.8 volts and our YELLOWTOP batteries will measure about 13.0-13.2 volts. Keep your batteries fully-charged whenever possible and you'll help maximize both their performance and lifespan, however long that might be. Using OPTIMA Chargers & Maintainers is a great way to keep any 12-volt lead-acid battery fully-charged and ready to go.