What Color OPTIMA Battery is Best?

REDTOP, YELLOWTOP, BLUETOP & ORANGETOP OPTIMA batteries all have their unique colors for a reason, but did you know those aren't the only colors you should be paying attention to, when looking for the best OPTIMA battery for your application? The color of an OPTIMA battery case will also tell you something about the battery, perhaps more important than the colored top!

We'll start with the ORANGETOP first, as there are two types. One type of ORANGETOP is a powersports battery, designed & warrantied for use in applications like motorcycles, jet skis, ATVs, snowmobiles, UTVs, etc... The other ORANGETOP is a marine/RV battery, available for either starting and deep-cycle use or just deep-cycle use. If you don't choose one of those batteries, you'll probably be choosing between REDTOPs, YELLOWTOPs or BLUETOPs.

Once you've identified the correct size battery for your application, you may then have several options to choose from. We'll look at our Group 34 batteries, to help you understand all the differences between our colored tops and bottoms. Our Group 34 is offered in REDTOP, YELLOWTOP and BLUETOP options, so which one would you choose? If your vehicle is relatively-stock from an electrical perspective, our REDTOP batteries with dark gray cases will work just fine and the Group 34 REDTOP would be a good example of that. 

However, if your battery cables require terminals that are reversed from standard configurations, we would suggest using the Group 34R REDTOP (the "R" stands for reverse termination). If your battery cables attach to side terminals on batteries, you can use our Group 34/78 REDTOP, which features both side and top terminals. We also offer a Group 78 REDTOP that offers that same footprint as a Group 34 battery, but only offers side terminals.

So we've only covered the REDTOP batteries so far and already there were four different options! Don't worry, it gets less complicated from there. If your vehicle is heavily modified from an electrical perspective (aftermarket stereo, car alarm, winch, etc...) or it sits unused for long periods of time without access to a battery maintainer, that application is considered a "deep-cycle" application and you should choose our YELLOWTOP batteries, which all have light gray cases. In the Group 34 size, we offer either the Group D34 YELLOWTOP with just the top terminals or the D34/78 YELLOWTOP with both top and side terminals.

When talking about our REDTOP and YELLOWTOP batteries, we've made a point of mentioning the case colors (dark gray and light gray, respectively) for a reason. All OPTIMA batteries designed for both starting and deep-cycle use will feature light gray cases, while all OPTIMA batteries designed & warrantied for starting applications will feature dark gray cases. The same is true for our final color, our BLUETOP batteries.

In the Group 34 size, OPTIMA offers two different BLUETOP batteries, so what's the difference? The case color. The OPTIMA 34M BLUETOP has a dark gray case and is basically the marine/RV version of our Group 34 REDTOP starting battery. Internally, they are identical. Externally, the lid is a different color and the 34M BLUETOP has additional threaded terminals for marine and RV applications and comes with a two-year, free-replacement warranty (the Group 34 REDTOP warranty is three years, free replacement). The OPTIMA D34M BLUETOP has a light gray case and is the marine/RV equivalent of our Group 34 YELLOWTOP battery, designed for both starting and deep-cycle use.

If you apply these basic concepts about case and lid color differences to whatever size OPTIMA battery fits your application, you'll be able to find the best OPTIMA battery for your needs.