How Often Should I Test My Car Battery?

Discover when you should check your car battery next.

The battery is one of the most important parts of your car. Without it, you won’t go anywhere. Your battery will eventually let you down and leave you stranded if you don’t take care of it.

There are a lot of things that can cause your battery to fail, and many of them are gradual and easy to miss. So, you need to check your battery regularly.

How frequently should you test your car battery?

Most manufacturers recommend that you get your battery tested at least twice per year. In areas with cold winters, you should test your car battery in late fall and again in late spring. This is because extreme hot and cold weather are the most common things that wear your car battery down.

A car battery typically lasts about four and a half years in the U.S. And most experts recommend that you replace yours every four to five years.

Reasons your car battery may be dying

Hot weather causes battery acid to evaporate slowly. This eventually lowers the amount of acid in the battery, which causes it to stop taking a full charge. This also keeps it from producing as much power as it should. It can cause battery corrosion on your posts and cables, too.

Cold weather makes a car battery work harder to start your car or truck’s engine. Plus, the cold slows the chemical reaction in your battery and causes it to lose voltage.

A low battery can freeze easily in low temperatures and will need to be replaced once it’s frozen. Keep your car in a heated space during the winter, if you can.

How to test your car battery at home

There are a few different kinds of battery testers you can use to test your car battery at home. But the best ones are those that put a load on the battery and tell you how much cranking power it is putting out.

For older batteries with removable caps, you can use a ball or dial tester to see if your acid is low.

You can use a volt meter or multimeter to check if your battery is fully charged. You’ll need a battery charger to charge it up if it’s low. Remember: red on positive (+), and black on negative (-).

Check your battery regularly for leaks and corrosion by taking it out of the car and inspecting it.

If you’re not comfortable testing your battery yourself, bring your vehicle into your local Blain’s Farm & Fleet Automotive Service Center, where one of our trained technicians can take a look at it for you.

For more car care tips like these, check out our Batteries Blog.