Confused What to Buy? Know the Common Types of Car Batteries Today

What would your car be without car batteries? In many ways, these tiny electrical systems are the heart of your vehicle. Take it away and your car basically becomes a solid hunk of metal that's wasting valuable space in your garage.

It's inevitable that you're going to change your batteries over a period of time. Unfortunately, there are many kinds of batteries today, and can be quite confusing. Here are the types of batteries in the market today:

Starting, Lighting, and Ignition Batteries

Common Uses: Almost all vehicles Benefits: Easily accessible; ideally used to give short, but powerful bursts of energy.

This type of battery is common among all automobiles. They are often used to transfer power to the minor parts of your vehicle, such as the radio, lights, and ignition.  Truth is, your car won't be able to start without this battery.

Valve-Regulated Lead-Acid Batteries

Common Uses: Motorcycles, ATVs Benefits: Requires little maintenance; battery life tends to be longer

These batteries are often sealed, preventing spills. Consequently, this type of battery requires lesser maintenance. Its seal-proof feature is also the reason why they're often replaced instead of serviced.

There are two types of Valve-Regulated Lead-Acid Batteries: the Absorption Glass Mat (AGM) and the Gel Cell (GC) batteries. AGM comes in short bursts, but with a higher power rate. GC batteries function best for vehicles that use deep-cycle applications, such as marine vehicles. These deep cycle batteries provide sustained power over a long period of time, and only needs to be recharged once they're 80% (or more) discharged.

Lithium-Ion Batteries

Common Uses: Hybrid or Electric Vehicles Benefits: Recharges fast

Lithium-Ion batteries are lighter compared to the traditional lead-acid batteries, but they can store a huge amount of energy and recharge themselves quickly.

One disadvantage, however, is that it has a shorter lifespan, often lasting two to five years. They're also more expensive to maintain. Whatever the case, these batteries are ideal to use for hybrid and electric  vehicles.

Now that you know which type of battery to use for your vehicle, you should make sure that the one you're buying is  of the right size. It's also a good idea to buy those with the greatest reserve capacity; or a good alternative is to look for the highest amp hour rating that you can find. That way, you can fully maximize your battery's life and perhaps save a few pesos on the side as well.