Tag: cold cranking amps

Car battery sizes guide

A fitted car battery.

Car battery size and choosing the correct battery for your make and model of vehicle is important – pick the wrong one, then no matter your cars specification, or how well it is maintained, it simply will not perform as it should or could.

Your car battery powers the spark that ignites the fuel that gets you started. It also helps give power to your lights, indicators, navigational system, dash-cams, windscreen wipers and electric windows, along with many other on-board electrical features.

Car batteries have an average life span of between three to five years, providing it’s the correct car battery size for your vehicle; fitting the wrong size can mean unreliability and frequent breakdowns.

Are all batteries the same?

There are various factors that need to be considered when choosing your new battery. Along with the battery size you must also pay attention to:

  • The location of the terminals
  • The type of the terminal (standard post, Japanese post, side terminal, or square bolt-through)
  • The number of cells
  • The voltage
  • The cold cranking amperage (CCA)

The Amp/hour rating

Choosing the wrong size battery can be dangerous and damage your vehicle. Therefore, it is important to seek advice from an expert if you are unsure or need more information.

Just because a battery fits conveniently into the vehicles battery holding tray does not mean it’s the right one.

Battery group sizes are numbers and letters that have been assigned to the battery to represent the ‘group size’ that the battery belongs to.  This designation code includes the make, model, and engine type of the vehicle that the battery can be fitted to. Car batteries should fit snuggly in their holding tray to prevent being thrown around whilst the vehicle is in motion.

The RAC battery finder and fitting service can help you find the correct size battery for your car in seconds, have it delivered, and even fit it in a time frame and location of your choice with just a few clicks of a button, it couldn’t be easier.

As with most things, it’s always worth shopping around to make sure you’re getting the best product, at the best price. Choosing the right battery for your car will help ensure your car performs as it should as well as minimise the risk of costly breakdowns. We constantly price match our batteries but from time to time you may find a like for like battery at a lower price. If this is the case please let us know as we will do our very best to beat that price.

Whichever battery you have, make sure you use the right charger. Choose the correct charger for your battery by clicking on the link, or if you would prefer to speak with one of our advisors regarding the appropriate battery or charger for your vehicle, then give us a call on 0800 8620676. We are here to help.

Enter your registration to find car batteries

Top 10 Car Battery Facts

A car battery gives the initial boost that cranks and starts the engine of your vehicle. Once the engine is running, the battery could, theoretically be removed and the car would run quite happily. However, we wouldn’t recommend testing this theory as you’d have a problem restarting the engine once the ignition was switched off.

There are many misconceptions and myths surrounding car batteries, so below we have set out ten facts about the battery under your bonnet, facts that may provide you with a better understanding of how it works and how to get the best out of your battery.

Batteries naturally discharge

Vehicles need to be driven regularly and for distances that allow the battery to recharge itself properly or it will discharge its power and run flat. In fact, regular longer runs could double the life of your battery

A weak battery can have a knock-on effect on other parts of the vehicle such as the charging system and starter as they have to draw excessive voltage due to the reduced battery power.

Providing the battery fitted to your vehicle is designed to meet the demands of your particular make and model, is properly maintained, and your vehicle driven for distances that give the battery time to recharge itself, it should last for up to five years.

We strongly recommend that you avoid replacing the battery yourself because if you make a simple mistake it could damage the whole electrical system of the vehicle.

Don’t be fooled, or rush out to buy a new battery if the battery warning lights up on your dashboard; it doesn’t always mean that there is a fault with the battery. It could be a problem with the vehicle’s charging system, or some other electrical fault. But we do recommend that you check with your nearest garage or contact us as soon as possible because to delay could result in serious damage to the electrical system and may indicate an imminent breakdown

If the car battery leads are connected incorrectly it can cause the electrical current to flow in reverse polarity resulting in serious damage to the vehicle’s electronic system. Consequently the fuses could be destroyed and potentially cause the battery to explode.

For this reason many motorists have their batteries fitted by a professional and why we encourage motorists to have their batteries fitted by us.

A faulty or failing battery can affect the fuel economy as the vehicle’s alternator will have to draw more horsepower to charge the battery adequately, meaning the added load puts more pressure onto the battery and uses more fuel.

Extremely cold weather can result in the battery losing power. For this reason, today’s batteries include cold cranking amps (CCA) that give that extra boost to assist starting on cold winter mornings. CCA is the number of amps delivered by the car battery at 0℉ within 30 seconds without dropping below 7.2 volts. The higher the CCA of a particular battery the better will be the performance. But be aware, hot outside temperatures can also deaden your battery – for more on this click here to view our article titled ‘Has my car battery died’.

All dead car batteries should be recycled as they contain lead dioxide and sulphuric acid which can harm the environment, as well as being dangerous to your health.

If you have replaced the battery yourself you should take the old one to your local recycling centre or scrap metal facility, however as part of our fitting service, we can do this for you, completely free!

Car battery size and choosing the correct battery for your make and model of vehicle is important – pick the wrong one, then no matter your cars specification, or how well it is maintained, it simply will not perform as it should or could.

When you need a new car battery, simply visit the RAC Shop and enter either your vehicle registration or the make and model then pick from the selection of batteries chosen for being the correct one for your car. You can then decide whether you want to fit it yourself, or leave the job up to a professional by contacting us here at the RAC Shop.

When you need a new car battery, simply visit the RAC Shop and enter either your vehicle registration or the make and model then pick from the selection of batteries chosen for being the correct one for your car. You can then decide whether you want to fit it yourself, or leave the job up to a professional by contacting us here at the RAC Shop.

Whichever battery you have, make sure you use the right charger. Choose the correct charger for your battery by clicking on the link, or if you would prefer to speak with one of our advisors regarding the appropriate battery or charger for your vehicle, then give us a call on 0800 8620676. We are here to help.

Enter your registration to find car batteries