My two recent experiences that answer my question will probably not be the longest and shortest, but will set a decent benchmark. First, the long one: I knew the end was coming, as the xB’s first start of the morning was getting progressively more lethargic. I should have acted, and sure enough, this morning when I promised my son a ride, it…died. Good thing the F-100 was out back, and quickly pressed into service. Well, this original battery is now 10½ years old, by my best estimate, based on the xB’s build date of 4/05. I was hoping to make it to eleven.
By the way, the xB’s battery ($71.00), the front brake pads ($39.99) and an air cleaner ($12?) are the only things I’ve spent money on these past years. It’s living up to its Toyota rep.
Meanwhile, the battery in our 2013 Acura TSX lasted less than a year, leaving me stranded at a train crossing. That’s actual ownership time, that is; our TSX had been sitting at the dealer for about a year when we bought it. They had to jump it at the time of delivery, which was not a good sign. Acuras and Hondas have a rep for undersized batteries, so rather than even try to press Acura into some kind of adjustment (they just charged it and said it was ok), I just went out and spent $69.99 on a stouter battery. I was convinced it was on borrowed time. I suppose it might have lasted another year. Still; two-three years is pretty pathetic.
Two dead batteries in one year, but then it’s the batting average that counts: 6¼ years, in this case. Not all that bad, actually.
The batteries in my cars and trucks would die at almost exactly 2 years. If I didn’t just go and buy a new battery, I would get stuck. Everyone said it was crazy, they had batteries last 5-10 years, yet again and again, 2 years was it. How the batteries seemed to know that the 2 years was up, but a couple of times it was pretty much 2 years to the day from when it was put in. OE, Diehard, Interstate, Penney’s, Motorcraft, etc, they all died in 2 years, or less. They would die without warning. One time, I was sitting in traffic in my ’88 Blazer and noticed that the dash lights were flickering, and I went home and shut it off, and it was totally dead. It wouldn’t charge, and it couldn’t even be jumped. My next vehicle, a 1993 Grand Cherokee had it’s battery die at 2 years and 3 days, at 6am Sunday morning, about 3 miles from the closest place that sold a battery on Sunday.
And then it all changed. When I bought my 2000 GMC, I decided to gamble and the OE battery was ok when I was in a huge wreck and the battery was replaced at just about 3 years. The next one was the OE battery in my 2003 Ram 1500, it lasted almost 5 and a half years. The OE battery in my Charger was still in it when I traded it in at 3 years. And the OE one in my Challenger has over 4.5 years on it, and it seems fine. I do carry one of those jump boxes in the trunk and I have AAA in case disaster strikes again. I expect the original battery will be in it at the end of next year when I trade it for the Challenger Scat Pack I will be ordering.
I got about 11 out of the one in my Marauder.
A battery council article I read several years ago said the average useful life of a battery in the US was about 6 years and the average age of a battery turned in as a core was about 5 years. Now that was something like 5 or 6 years ago that I read that.
I attribute the discrepancy to people who know it is at or passed the rated warranty life that replace so they aren’t left stranded and those people who replace the battery when the problem really is the alternator, a drain, or bad connections/cables.
In my 2012 Kia (bought in Sept 2011) the dealer claimed that the battery tested low when I had the car serviced this past spring. However, everything acted just as it always had, including cranking speed. I was prepared to keep driving it and maybe replace it late in the fall. The Mrs, however, would have none of that, and since she was the primary driver of the car and the one who would be calling me if it left her stranded, I caved and replaced it.
Jim, you should listen to the lady here. Having worked in dealer service, by far and away the biggest reason for tow-ins is batteries. A weak battery can cause all kinds of problems, like a MIL. I can’t count on how many times I’ve recommended replacement of a battery and heard, “well, it will last until winter,” and see the car towed in the next time the wife is stuck in traffic with a dead car and three screaming kids.
What does a battery cost? About a hundred bucks. In today’s world, that isn’t a lot of money.
Honestly, the longest battery I’ve had belongs to my truck. It was bought new in 2003 after being specially ordered by a family member, and in the time they bought it, then sold it to me, it’s still had the same battery.
The shortest battery I’ve ever known of was my father’s 1997 Mercury Grand Marquis. Brand new battery, bought from Autozone. Lasted eleven days. He tried to jump it and recharge it before finally replacing it. Twice. We found out there was a voltage leak that was killing and eating every battery we put into it.
Houston, so every 2-3 years maximum.
I bought my 2004 Dodge Ram new in October, 2003 and it still has its original battery. At one point, about 5 years ago, I bought a replacement battery for it and put it on a shelf so I would have a new one ready on standby for replacement but that battery has since gone bad while the original 12 year OE battery is still going strong. I will leave it until it goes bad, I want to see how long it will last.
The shortest one I ever had was just recently. I bought a new Gold series battery from Advance for my 68 Coronet back in May and it went bad about 2 weeks ago due to a bad cell. They replaced it for free under warranty.
I bought my 1995 Sunfire GT around the end of May, 2006. I replaced the battery in October of 2012. When I took the battery out, I was surprised to see that it was manufactured in either 2000 or 2001. However, I cannot recall the manufacturer of the battery. It seems it was an AutoZone or Advance battery, black with red labels on it. In the end, it may not matter as they all seem to be private labeled these days. Overall, I’ve gotten good service from the Delco replacement batteries. I’ve put a couple in cars over the years and they seem to hold up pretty well.
Many moons ago when I still had my Pinto, the battery died. I was short for cash back then, a buddy of mine sold me an old deep cycle marine battery (for use in pleasure boats) for $5 or so. That battery lasted all five years of my ownership with that car, it never failed to crank the car vigorously in even the coldest Ohio winters. I’ve never bought another one, but I always keep that in the back of my mind.
You should read Consumer Reports. They give good reviews on batteries. Walmart batteries used to be good. Make sure you get a new one (they have a sticker), not one that has been sitting on the shelf for months.
My last few battery changes have tended to be at 4 years almost like clockwork. The last one I had an “argument” with the parts counter person, who claimed I probably had a bad ground, corroded cables, bad alternator, or something else (I think to try to avoid paying partial amount as warranty)…but I’ve owned this same vehicle for 15 years and thus far have had that pretty consistent 4 year battery replacement cycle, plus I’d recently renewed the battery cables (plus the fuse box that sits on top of the battery) and checked my alternator / voltage regulators so I was pretty sure the battery was bad…also when it goes bad I hear a lot of relay clicking (sounds like knitting needles hitting each other…guess I remember the sound from my mother’s knitting days). He was trying to make it sound like replacing the battery was a waste of time, but sure enough, that was the problem…plus I had it on my battery charger all day (it died early morning when I was going to work, so I left it on the charger) but still didn’t seem to want to start any more than it did in the morning. Sure enough, the new battery fixed the problem, and I’ve been driving for several months with no symptom of charging or battery issue.
I was thinking those battery guys have things figured out pretty close…one of my battery changes a few years ago happened 4 years to the day to when I had last had to replace my battery…so if they set the limit for the warranty to 4 years, I’d just squeak in.
My car only has 114k miles on it….I drive mostly short distances these days, so I only put 6-8k miles on the car per year, yet my car has been to both coasts, plus several “almost” coast trips to visit relatives near the east coast (I live in central US)…kind of an odd way to build up mileage…and…this is my only car (15 years old). Maybe that has something to do with how often I replace batteries, since short trips are probably not very kind to batteries. I have a small car, but it uses a group 47 (kind of large battery for a small car)
I hate my 2005 Chevy Cobalt but the battery is original and still working great, the test will be in the winter last year the temp went south of -10 and it was not too happy. I always thought it has lasted longer than most since the battery in located in the trunk and is therefor better protected.
Seem to get about 6 years with all my factory batteries and Sears Die Hard replacements. One exception was my 1978 Pontiac Grand Am, which I factory ordered with a Delco heavy duty battery. I think the heavy duty option was something like $26. The battery lasted for the 11 years and 120,000 miles I had the car.
Oddly, batteries are the hardest thing to sell as a service advisor, and the biggest reason for tow bills. I never wait for a battery to fail. When it’s load tested and gets a poor result, I change them. I don’t wait to get stranded. The industry average used to be 3 yr 8 mo, but that was a decade ago.
I believe that. I have seen many of my boat customers over charge their brand new battery, then are in shock when I call and tell them its toast. I have had customers meet me at the moorage, just so I can prove it to them. And most of these clowns buy a walmart deep cycle, then use it as a starting battery. Then they blame the battery. Or me
As I learned in the car business, you can give best intentioned advice to someone who has zero knowledge of a situation and they will often ignore you. Smart people know how to listen to people who know more about something than they do.
I am OCD about power on boats. I recently helped my buddy set up his for starting/deep cycle batteries, with a solar panel to keep them up. Works beautifully.
The Motorcraft battery that came with my 92 Taurus I bought in 99 lasted until the car died in 2006.
The lights-on alarm is busted in my Sable, so I had to replace the battery last year. I sprung for Motorcraft, so we’ll see.
My ’66 VW with the 6 volt electrical system went through a battery every 8-9 months. There was only one supplier of 6 volt batteries in my area, so Interstate gets the bad rap. The things cost over $100, too and only had a six month warranty so I had to pay out every time. I tried everything, too. Trickle charging would give it an extra month.
I put a new 6v in my ’64 when I bought it from the original owner’s son, and it was still going strong six years later. I forget the brand – it wasn’t a “leading brand” and I had to pour the acid in myself.
In college I worked at a Cadillac dealership that had an Enterprise rental counter back in the service department. One of their customers totaled a new CTS and it was left sitting for awhile back in the body shop lot. Broke as I was, I was screwed when the original battery on my ’99 Saturn SL2 finally crapped out, so I asked the service manager and the Enterprise representative (both cool as hell) if I could swap my old Delco battery out with the newer one in the CTS before it got hauled away. I got the (unofficial) nod from both.
Those same batteries that were junk after 2-3 years in a CTS lasted 7 years(!) in my Saturn. I’m thinking the lack of power equipment and computer crap in my cheapo Saturn went a long way towards the longevity of that Delco battery–and the rest of the car.
It’s all about load. Modern luxury cars have lots of background load, easy 50 amps or more, with lights and all the video stuff, big stereo amplifiers, etc.
Batteries will last longest if discharged steadily to almost flat, and then trickle charged if possible. Your cellphone battery works exactly the same way: you should never leave it on charge all night if you want long battery life. That is pretty hard to do in a car, where load has a lot to do with driving conditions.
When you are driving, especially in winter, there is great load on the battery. The biggest culprits these days are heated seats, followed by rear defoggers. Any dealer repair shop will see a spike in battery business when days get cold and dark.
Heat will also kill a battery, but the real killer is the constant load and high amperage charging. Modern cars have loads of power, even my Rio has more than 100 amps.
So, if long battery life is your thing, then buy a stripper, don’t drive it in hot weather, don’t get any power robbing accessories and your battery will definitely last longer.
Personally, I drive cars with relatively cheap batteries, and seem to change them rarely. The one in the Acura is going on five years now. When they test as anything better than green, I replace them. I doubt in three years I will ever replace the battery in the Rio.
Shortest would be the factory battery in my 2012 Pathfinder – 2.5 years. It left me stranded at Home Depot a couple weeks ago.
I got 5 out of the factory battery in my old my Ranger. I don’t think I ever replaced the battery in my PT Cruiser in the 5 years I owned it, but it only had 50k or so on it when I got rid of it, because I lived close to work most of the time I owned it.
I don’t think I ever replaced the battery on a given car twice. I didn’t replace any batteries on my Stroke 8, any of my W123s, or on my W202. I replaced the battery once on my ’79 300SD in the last year I owned it- it had been sitting in my parents garage the entire winter. The body shop replaced the battery on my ’95 E300 Diesel- I hadn’t authorized it, but they billed it to insurance and they used a Bosch battery, so whatever – I think that was five years after I bought it. I had to replace it on my current car, 2005 ML350, but thats being replaced (kicked to the curb maybe?) by a ’16 Metris. I remember the ’00 Ford Econoline I had tossing a battery at a market on me- I only owned that thing for 11 months and 35k miles though.
And I don’t like remembering replacing both big arse batteries on my GMC T6500. I owned that for a year and a half, but half of that it was sitting on a GMC dealers lot while I tried to sell the demonic thing.
So five years, I guess?
I recently replaced the Interstate “Mega Tron” that came with my 95 F-150.
2002-2015
It was weak when I bought the truck but never failed me until I was about to start a new job. The Sunday before it just wouldn’t, couldn’t and didn’t.
I replaced it with a used Optima Yellow Top from 2011 that I (rarely) used for my trolling motor.
I got 14 (fourteen) years out of the Panasonic battery which was original equipment in my ’88 Toyota truck (which is still my daily driver).
I wrote to Toyota to tell them about it.
No reply.
Not really sure what the longest was. Long enough that I don’t pay attention to it.
Shortest is probably the 6v I put in my 1950 8N tractor when I restored it. Didn’t last two years. Bought a replacement from NAPA (our ag dealer NAPA, not a normal auto parts NAPA), and I think it’s an Interstate brand. Still going strong, on its forth year, give or take.
My ’15 Fit is a year old now, and per comments above, the tiny battery has me worried. I’ll see how it does this winter. Will probably try to fit a larger replacement when the time comes.
A block heater is your friend. Repeat after me. A block heater is your friend.
I’m a parts store manager and it’s very common to see batteries lasting 10 years these days. CCA ratings are much higher than 20 years ago and with fuel injection cars start quickly so there isn’t the heavy discharge and recharge of years ago.
The real killer of lead acid batteries is heat-hot summers here in southern Ontario are murder on batteries but most car owners don’t find out until its below zero in the winter.
I bought one at Wal-Mart (Brand? not sure) in about June 2008 and it’s still going strong. That’s the 2000 Corolla. Speaking of environment- the battery is strapped down and that strap is anchored to parts beneath with #12 copper wire so it does not budge (lower vibration)- and I think ventilation must be good as the air intake is routed right beside it. Speaking of fuel injection and short-period starts- I can’t remember the Corolla ever struggling to start even on cold days, so that probably helps. It loses water slowly and I am good about refilling it.
Bout 8ish years on my xA. as for maintenance?
according to the manual- 5k oil/filter, 30k air filter, 60k spark plugs. thats it, basically.
probably worth doing the other “lifetime” stuff eventually for good measure. just a simple drain/refill
I got 8 years on a Optima battery that had been warranted for 5. But when it went, there was no soft landing. The car just wouldn’t crank. Fortunately it didn’t happen at an extremely inconvenient time and place.
Shortest: 1 year and Longest 2.5 years i think.
I also use 2013 Acura TSX battery for my car. And luckily, it lasted for 2 years!
My longest is 4 years and the shortest is about 1 year.
Hmm, my longest is 6 years!
But my shortest is just half a year…
What’s The Longest Your Car Battery Has Ever Lasted? My answer is 3 years
Three years ago my longest-life car battery died after 4 years working, then I replace it with a new one and it’s still working now.
Forgot to mention :
My 1982 Mercedes 240D battery (800CCA) once lasted SIX YEARS before giving up the ghost in Indio , Ca. where it was 108* F .
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I was happy to find a 950CC replacement @ Wall Mart , cheaper than anyone else too .
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-Nate
I am on the original battery in an 07 Tundra I bought new. I make that 10 3/4 years. Longest battery ever in fifty years of driving.
I bought my 2007 Chevrolet Cobalt from Sunnyside Chevrolet in August 2007. I have an AC Delco battery. Thus is January 2017. 10.5 years with the car’s original battery and still running. Never once have I ever had to jump start it yet.
My current car, a 2006, is still on the original factory battery. I had it load tested last fall and it was still putting out 10A over its rating. The battery is a sealed type that lives in the trunk, with a vent tube that runs down through the floor of the trunk. Since the 2006 cars came out in 2005, the battery is at least 10 years old, which is the best life I’ve ever gotten out of a battery, and it shows no signs of flagging. I attribute the long life to the battery being insulated from extremes of heat and cold, being in the trunk. (also it’s obviously a quality battery and it has never been run dead to my knowledge) The next longest-lived battery I had lasted over 8 years, and it lived under the hood of my old 1994 vehicle. It was run low once but never totally dead. It came from a local chain that claims to have “Batteries for everything”. (and they haven’t been wrong so far) The worst was a series of bad warranty replacements from a local “Farm and Fleet” type of store, the longest lasting about 3 years. I don’t want to find myself stranded, but at this point it seems almost like a challenge to see how long the original battery will make it. (I’ve been having it tested for the last 3 years due to its age)
I really don’t keep track but I replace them in 3-4 years just as a precaution. It gets cold here and if the car is sitting at the airport for a week or two, the last thing I want is a dead battery. Probably four years is about the most I’ve kept a battery. I’m out to have no problems rather than get the most out of a battery.
Longest lasting so far is 15+ years, still working perfectly in my bmw 5-series 1997. OEM battery, “maintenance free”. This year it will turn 16 years in week 42 and I plan to keep it until it shows signs of old age (see attached picture of year/week on neg pole). The battery is well protected sitting in the trunk, this is probably contributing greatly as mentioned by posters above.
Second longest lasting so far was manufactured week 46 2006 and still works fine in my Volvo S80 -07 although a bit slower cranking now during the cold Swedish winter. So the battery is 11 years and turns 12 in autumn, OEM battery of the classical design with open cells that you should keep control over the acid level (never did myself though, maybe they do on the yearly service plan). Quite well protected in a plastic box but not as good as in the BMW.
In the other cars I’ve had it has been much shorter lifespan, maybe around five years or so and sometimes just three.
My 01 Ford 150 still going on original battery. It’s in it’s 18th year. Must have been one they were not supposed to sell I’m thinking. lol.
14 years… the Napa Power H4 (Aug 2004) battery in a 04 Tacoma V6. Replaced it Oct 2018…. with another Napa Power Battery of course.
Usually car battery last about 6 years but sometimes it won’t last that much. What do you think of reconditioning a car battery or buying a new one? By the way, it was very helpful post and thank you for providing us valuable content.
Just replaced the original battery on my 2001 Mercedes S55 AMG. Manufactured in Jan 1998. Last crank in Dec 2018.
The original 2005 Taurus battery lasted for seven years and it’s replacement from Auto Zone lasted one year. It was replaced for free and that one lasted a year too. The Interstate battery is on year 5 and going strong.
Auto Zone batteries seem to be poo.
31 years believe it or not. Had a 1985 Ford cube van with original batteries. In 2005 it was no longer road worthy so we just used it in the farm fields to transport harvested veggies from field to warehouse. We ended up selling the business in 2016. The cube van always started up with no problems and could still be running today but I’m not sure. Also, had a farm tractor battery that lasted 19 years. But now I’m having to change me car battery every 2 years.
my 2011 audi a5 is still on its original battery from the day i bought the car (Feb 2011). Perhaps the battery being in the trunk has preserved the battery.
My Mazda6 2002 (Original Hiroshima manufactured car) did get it’s replacement today as of 9’th June 2020. Means almost 18 years. Most of the driving has been very short trips and it have been drained to zero two times. I live in a “tempered” climate where “hot” summers is far and between but never really cold either. The brand was Panasonic. RIP. Thank you for your excellent service!
01 Dodge Ram 1500 in the upper Midwest still operating on factory original. It was -22 degrees without wind chill this morning when I went for a drive. 20 years and still cranking.
I replaced the factory battery in my 2003 Dakota, it lasted 9 years. The replacement battery I bought from Walmart, it’s now 9 years old and still going strong.
I bought a Sears Diehard for my 1995 VW Jetta and it’s still going strong after 16 years. That’s the longest lasting battery I’ve ever owned. I live in Colorado and we get lots of cold winter weather and hot summers.
15 years ! wow amazing, I have a 2012 Charger I bought new and Battery is still working great “10 years later”, Battery is in the Trunk and Car is Garaged.
10 years on my chrysler 300 and original OE battery is performing great. No corrosion on the posts and plenty of starting power. I attribute it to being an adequately sized battery that is located in the trunk instead of in the engine compartment. The extreme heat from the engine is what degrades most automotive batteries in my opinion.
I have a 2006 Ford Mustang still using original Mastercraft battery installed at factory Temps below 30 below (Iowa) today started every time… faithfully topped with new battery acid yearly never once have had to clean terminals… I am so impressed by Motorcraft battery made in Mexico
I bought my 2009 Silverado 2500HD new with 61 miles in Oct 2009 and it still has its original battery. In August it will be 14 years since the build date. My 2006 DTS original battery lasted 11 1/2 years.