2019 Dodge Charger Battery

When folks talk about the 2019 Dodge Charger, the conversation either starts or ends with the incredible 707-horsepower Hellcat version, but Dodge only built 2,285 of those in the 2019 model year out of a total production of 128,273 cars. That means the vast majority of Dodge Chargers were not Hellcats, but that doesn't necessarily mean they used a different battery.

In fact, almost all of the Chargers built in 2019 use the same battery- an H7 (also sometimes referred to as a 94R). OPTIMA offers a direct-fit replacement for the 2019 Charger with our DH7 YELLOWTOP, which is an 80Ah battery, rated at 880 cold cranking amps. The only two exceptions would be if a Charger was equipped for police use, with either a 3.6-liter or 5.7-liter engine. 

Police cars tend to be laden with significant electrical accessories, including lights, sirens, computers, etc..., which means the Dodge Chargers built for police use will have physically larger H8 batteries, to help handle the additional electrical demand.

Interestingly enough, the last time Dodge made a full-sized Charger with a big V8 in 1978 (they produced compact Chargers with four-cylinder engines in the mid-1980s), a Group 34 REDTOP weighing in at just under 38 pounds would work fine for starting a massive 6.6-liter V8. If that's the case, why then would a 2019 Dodge Charger with a much smaller 3.6-liter V6 need a much heavier (60.5-pound) DH7 YELLOWTOP?

It's not about the starting power or cranking amps needed to turn over a modern, fuel-injected V6 engine. It's about the reserve capacity needed to power electrical accessories, even with the engine turned off. Many modern vehicles will still continue to use a significant amount of electricity, even when the engine is turned off, so automakers have responded by installing increasingly larger batteries.

Physically larger batteries can help alleviate issues in the short term, but in the longer term, those batteries can shorten the lifespan of alternators in Dodge Chargers. The reason for this is because alternators are designed to maintain batteries near a full state of charge, not recover deeply-discharged batteries. When alternators are asked to recharge batteries after a jump-start, they have to work a lot harder, which generates a lot more heat and can shorten alternator lifespan.

For that reason, we recommend anyone who owns any modern vehicle periodically top off the charge on their battery with a quality battery charger. Fully-charged, our YELLOWTOP batteries will measure about 13.0-13.2 volts and most other car batteries will measure at least 12.6 volts. If when you go to charge your battery, you find the voltage level to be low, you should make a point of charging the battery more frequently. If you are one of the lucky few, who owns a Hellcat Charger and it doesn't see regular use, it's probably a good idea to keep that battery on a maintainer whenever it is parked in your garage.

We're so confident proper voltage maintenance will improve the performance and extend the lifespan of your car battery, we'll extend the free replacement warranty on your OPTIMA battery by a full year, if you purchase it from us along with a Digital 1200 battery charger at the same time.