Ford Bronco Batteries

Ford managed to produce a couple thousand of their new Broncos in the 2020 model year, but most of the folks reading this will be driving a 2021 or newer Bronco. If you happen to be driving a pre-1997 Ford Bronco, you can use the fitment tool at the top of this page to see which batteries can be used in your truck.

The new, sixth-generation Broncos come in two versions, the mid-sized SUV, like the blue Bronco pictured above and a compact crossover Bronco Sport SUV, like the white one pictured above. Both version offer two different engine options (for now) and both versions use two different batteries. 

Regardless of which engine is in the smaller Bronco Sports, they all use an H6 (also known as a Group 48) battery, for which OPTIMA Batteries offers a direct-fit replacement DH6 YELLOWTOP battery. Whether the factory battery was an AGM (absorbed glass mat) or EFB (enhanced flooded battery), the OPTIMA DH6 YELLOWTOP is a solid upgrade.

The larger Broncos all use a Group H7 (also known as a Group 94R) battery, for which OPTIMA also offers a direct-fit DH7 YELLOWTOP upgrade. That is true for both the 2.3-liter four-cylinder trucks, as well as the 2.7-liter V6s. A Bronco Raptor is also in the pipeline, with 400-horsepower, twin-turbo 3.0-liter V6 and while we don't have eyes on the battery going into those trucks, it is likely to be the H7/94R. 

The questions now are when are you reading this blog and how old is the battery in your Bronco? The Internet says an average battery lifespan should be about three to five years, but that can be impacted tremendously, based on how the battery is used, where it is used and how voltage in the battery is maintained. Broncos that have significant electrical accessories, like aftermarket stereos, winches, car alarms, etc..., will place far more demand on the battery, than a bone-stock truck, that sees a daily 30-mile commute, mostly at highway speeds.

Vehicles used in climates with extreme temperatures (both hot and cold) may also see decreased lifespan from their batteries and batteries that aren't properly-maintained may also see decreased performance and lifespan. For that reason, we strongly recommend that anyone who owns a modern vehicle periodically check their battery voltage and charge it, if needed.

Fully-charged, most batteries will measure at least 12.6 volts. Our YELLOWTOP batteries are fully-charged at about 13.0-13.2 volts. If when you check voltage in your Bronco, you find it to be lower than 12.6 volts, fully-recharge the battery with a quality battery charger. Alternators are great for maintaining voltage in batteries that are near a full state of charge, but they are not designed or intended to recharge deeply-discharged batteries. Using an alternator in that manner can shorten the lifespan of the alternator and lead to a cycle of dead batteries and jump-starts, until either one or the other (or maybe both) fail.

We're so confident regular use of a quality battery charger will improve battery performance and extend battery lifespan, we will add a full year of warranty coverage to your OPTIMA battery, if you purchase that battery from us and an OPTIMA Digital 1200 battery charger at the same time.