12 best car batteries

Review of the best according to the editorial board. On the selection criteria. This material is subjective and does not constitute advertising and does not serve as a purchase guide. Before buying, you need to consult with a specialist.

Along with the engine or transmission, the battery is one of the most important parts of the interior design of a modern car. It provides power to all peripheral electronics and on-board systems, as well as the ability to start the motor – the main unit in the power unit of the car.

According to the tradition already established in the segment of automotive goods, more than 50 companies around the world are engaged in the production of batteries, but only a small part of them deserve consumer confidence. That is why the editors of the magazine conducted an independent study, which resulted in a rating of the best batteries for a car in two thematic categories. The selection criteria for goods in the final list were:

1. consumer reviews (their general essence and constructiveness);
2. expert opinions;
3. comparison of technical and operational characteristics;
4. the level of cost and its relation to the existing functionality.

How to choose a battery for a car

In order to make the right battery selection for your car, pay attention to three key aspects:

Battery type. A very important characteristic that directly affects the cost of a future purchase and the manifestation of strengths and weaknesses. All manufactured batteries are divided into three groups:

1. Lead acid. An extremely primitive and outdated type of battery, consisting of six insulated containers (cans) with sulfuric acid, in each of which a plate of lead is dipped. They are cheap, mostly maintainable (if it is possible to unscrew the plugs to add electrolyte) and tolerate recharging well. True, in the event of a full discharge, they can easily lose all capacity and simply stop charging.
2. Gel. The newest type of rechargeable batteries, the liquid electrolyte in which is replaced by a gel one. They are more environmentally friendly than lead acid batteries because the gel does not flow and prevents the lead plates from staining. In addition, they are insensitive to deep discharge, but they have rather stringent requirements for the charging process and three (or even five times) higher prices.
3. AGM. A combined type of battery that combines the principles of both of the above options. The liquid electrolyte here acts as an impregnation for the fiber material, which frames the plates and also prevents them from coloring. Such batteries are highly energy efficient, but extremely sensitive to both the charging process and deep discharge. The cost is twice as high as for lead acid models.

Inrush current value. Mandatory parameter, which is prescribed in accompanying documents and on the battery label. It can be measured by three different methods:

1. EN – current measurements occur at -18 degrees Celsius and a voltage of at least 7.5 volts for 10 seconds. The total value is taken as the maximum possible.
2. DIN – at the same ambient temperature and at least 9 volts of voltage, the measurement is carried out within 30 seconds. This is the hardest way to set the inrush current parameter.
3. SAE – supply voltage 7.2 volts, temperature unchanged. The indication of the maximum current level takes 30 seconds.

The starting current comes to the fore when the battery is going to be operated in regions with cold climates. In this case, it is better to give preference to a model with an increased current characteristic – the probability of starting the engine on a cold one will noticeably increase.

Polarity. An extremely important and 'insidious' aspect of the choice, which spoiled the nerves of any inattentive car owner. As a rule, the vast majority of cars have short terminals for connecting the battery, which cannot be adapted to their places if it is 'wrong' device (a kind of protection from fools who can inadvertently put the terminals on the wrong contacts). Remember a simple rule: if you turn the battery with the terminals towards you, then the 'plus' will be on the left, with direct polarity, or on the right with reverse polarity. A kind of domestic and European version of the location.

Which battery is better: gel or lead acid?

Battery type	Advantages	disadvantages
Lead acid	+ Relatively inexpensive battery type + Ease of execution + Low self-discharge rate (3 to 20%) per month + Low maintenance requirements – no electrolyte topping up and no memory effect + Pronounced ability for high current output	– Do not tolerate storage in a discharged state – Generally sensitive to temperature extremes – Low environmental friendliness – electrolytes and lead are pollutants – Supports a strictly limited number of charge / full discharge cycles – Most often they 'live' for 2-3 years
Gel	+ High degree of environmental friendliness – the gel does not flow and prevents the decomposition of lead plates, enveloping them + Can be brought to full discharge + Service life can be up to 7 years	– High cost (3 times higher than lead acid) – High sensitivity to exceeding the rated voltage level – Rather strict limits on the charging current – Do not tolerate frost, which is why they are not recommended for use in cold regions

Rating of the best batteries for a car

Nomination	a place	Name of product	price
Best Lead Acid Batteries	1	VARTA Blue dynamic	RUB 8,924
	2	Medalist Standard CMF 56077	RUB 4,700
	3	Mutlu Calcium Silver 60	RUB 4,595
	4	TAB Polar B60HV	RUB 5 195
	5	Tyumen Battery Premium 6CT-64	4 300 rub.
	6	Exide Premium	RUB 6,248
	7	'The Beast' 6ST-60 L3U	4 350 rub.
Best Batteries AGM	1	VARTA D52 Silver Dynamic AGM	RUB 10 355
	2	Bosch AGM S5	RUB 14 480
	3	Banner Running Bull	RUB 12,580
	4	Optima red top	RUB 16 880
	5	Tudor AGM	RUB 9 750

Best Lead Acid Batteries

VARTA Blue dynamic

Rating: 4.9

A series of batteries with a very long and glorious history, consistently ranked among the top of the best throughout its existence. In general, VARTA Blue dynamic can be considered a reference battery: here you have a very long operation, good current performance, and even a reserve capacity reserve. Judge for yourself: at 60 ampere-hours, the starting current here is 540 amperes (EN standard), which is much higher than that of a number of direct competitors.

Yes, at some stage in the German production machine there was a failure, and at one time users all as one complained about the general failure of the VARTA Blue dynamic – and this is only after six months or a year of work. All this happened in 2014-15. Now the D59 is almost the best option for installation in a car, not perceiving frosts and managing to 'survive' even after resting for a couple of seasons in a half-discharge state. Such metamorphoses were made possible by the integration of the once high-tech PowerFrame grid, which is an obstacle to the mechanical (and, most likely, chemical) destruction of lead plates. Objectively, you can't even dig into the model: the price tag in modern realities is more than fair, the quality has been proven both in expert tests and in operation by ordinary users, and the absence of a charging indicator is unlikely to be called a serious disadvantage by anyone.

Advantages

• The optimum ratio of price and quality;
• good performance;
• the presence of a reserve in capacity and a large starting current generated when starting the engine;
• simple but reliable interior design.

disadvantages

• not found.

Medalist Standard CMF 56077

Rating: 4.8

Medalist Standard CMF 56077, a lead-acid battery that has recently returned to the Russian market, stopped one step away from the first place in the rating. The reason for his departure lay in a mismatch with the interests of the company: everything went to the fact that Medalist would leave the segment. But the return was inspired by great damage to the economy, since sales in Russia brought about 20-30% of the total profit.

As for the battery itself, for 60 amp-hours of capacity, the current value was 560 amperes. Even in comparison with domestic batteries ('Tyumen' or 'The Beast') this is not enough, but the gain in weight is very tangible (here it is 13.5 kilograms). It is difficult to predict what will happen next, but it seems that the new Medalist policy will not lead to anything good. Having made the second coming to the market, the manufacturer raised the prices for his goods, which is why more than a third of former buyers turned away from him. And although the Standard CMF 56077 is a very decent battery, the cost still looks inappropriate for the content.

Advantages

• stable indicators of starting current;
• the service life is calculated in 5 years;
• solid reserve capacity;
• suitable for use in cold regions of Russia.

disadvantages

• quite high cost.

Mutlu Calcium Silver 60

Rating: 4.7

From year to year, the characters in the category do not change. Mutlu Calcium Silver 60 is a constant participant in all kinds of ratings and tops, which has gained immense popularity among users for its actual maintainability and high stability of operation during the entire set period of operation. In this aspect, the positive effect of the updated technology of alloying with silver affects, which made it possible to significantly lengthen the life of calcium batteries by 40-60%. In addition, the plates have undergone changes – the improved casting technology increases the uniformity of properties and an inevitable increase in quality.

At 60 ampere-hours of capacity, Mutlu Calcium Silver 60 produces up to 540 amperes of current, which is a good indicator by the standards of calcium batteries. And finally, the issue of maintainability should be discussed. In saying this, we mean the ability to control the density in each can, which became available thanks to the removal of the lid and access to the plugs. By adding electrolyte, the battery life can be largely regulated, thereby stretching it over years.

Advantages

• optimal cost level;
• the possibility of partial disassembly of the battery for self-service (namely, filling the electrolyte and checking the density);
• high starting current;
• good workmanship (alloying with silver, continuous casting technology).

disadvantages

• small amount of reserve capacity.

TAB Polar B60HV

Rating: 4.6

A very good lead-acid battery in the middle segment, which fell short of the top three due to the notorious lack of reserve capacity and popularity, slightly less than that of Mutlu. Yes, other things being equal, user preferences played a role: TAB Polar B60HV as a niche product was often left out of choice. Maybe in vain, since at 60 ampere-hours the starting current in it is as much as 600 amperes, and no drops in the indicator were noticed in practice. This is much more than the VARTA Blue Dynamic offers and should be considered.

Among other things, the TAB Polar B60HV declared itself as a good battery for the winter, since no 'fear' of frost and low temperatures was noticed even in Siberia. The cost of the model on the market, in general, corresponds to the quality characteristics, and in terms of durability, the battery honestly fulfills the set period (5 years). In view of the era of falsification of everything and all this battery can be considered one of the best and without much hesitation to take into use.

Advantages

• The optimum ratio of price and quality;
• absolutely adequate work in cold weather;
• up to 600 A of current per 60 Ah of capacity;
• control of electrolyte through plugs.

disadvantages

• low reserve capacity;
• low popularity (in comparison with the batteries of the first three).

Tyumen Battery Premium 6CT-64

Rating: 4.5

If at the level of cost to the 'Beast' 6ST-60 L3U it was possible to present a lot of claims, then Tyumen Battery Premium 6ST-64 stoically withstands all attacks and even gives odds to many foreign competitors. According to a number of internal tests, this battery is the best of its kind, albeit bulkiness is invariably present here as a symbol of a certain 'earthiness'.

With a capacity equal to 64 ampere-hours, the declared current is 59 amperes – there is a slight imbalance in the values, however, it does not drive users into a stupor. It's no joke, but almost all of the experts gave their preference to Tyumen Battery Premium 6CT-64, dropping even the product from VARTA below the rank. A local victory in such a dense confrontation is something, but it means that only users influenced the final distribution of seats. Whatever it was, but this battery is a bright representative of domestic production, which does not care about cold or age.

Advantages

• very high quality workmanship;
• low price;
• sufficiently large and stable characteristics;
• peer review leader.

disadvantages

• bulkiness (weight is 17.2 kilograms).

Exide Premium

Rating: 4.4

As is often the case, Exide Premium has become hostage to a situation of the wildest imbalance, to which it was 'signed' by American manufacturers. In fact, the life path of this battery can be described with the words 'I lived briefly, but to the full': at 60 ampere-hours of capacity, the starting current was 640 amperes, which is the highest among its kind. Naturally, with such a return, it is not worth hoping for a long operation of the battery, and even more so non-repairable.

The maximum service life of Exide Premium very rarely reaches even three years, which is explained by the extremely rapid development of the cathode and anode resource. In essence, everything depends on the consciousness of the user himself: how moderate the operating style can be called, how often he uses the car and in what climatic conditions. Fortunately, the cost of the model is not the highest in the market. If the price also pumped up, then everything would be very sad.

Advantages

• acceptable cost;
• very high starting current;
• tolerates loads well when working in cold regions.

disadvantages

• extremely low 'survivability': the maximum service life hardly exceeds three years.

'The Beast' 6ST-60 L3U

Rating: 4.4

The 'Beast' 6ST-60 L3U can be confidently called a victim of bias on the part of users who consider the asking price too high for a product developed in Russia. Whatever it was, and the battery honestly fulfills all the declared parameters: so, with the same 60 amp-hours of capacity, it produces up to 600 amperes of current. An excellent indicator, even in comparison with representatives of foreign countries.

The 6ST-60 L3U 'Beast' is not afraid of Russian frosts, for which, in fact, it was developed: starting currents allow you to easily start both a gasoline and a diesel engine. The resource is usually enough for four years, but some users manage to 'land' it in one season. The only complaint about the design of the 'Beast' is a large mass: 16.4 kilograms, while with the same indicators foreign counterparts weigh 2-3 kilograms less. Hence the conclusion: even though our batteries can compete with foreign ones in terms of their characteristics, but in terms of design, not everything is so wonderful.

Advantages

• good starting currents;
• adaptation to winter conditions;
• prevalence in retail stores;
• high quality workmanship.

disadvantages

• high price for a domestic product;
• bulkiness.

Best Batteries AGM

VARTA D52 Silver Dynamic AGM

Rating: 4.9

By the will of the people, the leading line in the rating is taken by a really worthy battery from Varta, which is invariably positioned as a more expensive (and high-quality) alternative to the previously mentioned Bosch S5 AGM. In fact, in terms of characteristics, the D52 Silver Dynamic AGM completely copies the competitor S5 in the whole variety of models in the lineup, differing only in point, nothing significant parameters. But on the side of this battery is a fully implemented 'start / stop' system: unlike the accidental hit of Bosch at the very point here, it was screwed on intentionally.

And, even despite the increased wear and tear when working in this mode, the VARTA D52 Silver Dynamic AGM quietly 'runs off' the same two seasons, giving the consumer the right to control the future fate. True, as a ballast to this right, a cost is added, which is a quarter higher than the price for the Bosch S5. Let's give a little hint: such an exchange will be successful under any conditions, since the battery performs well not only in cars with an implemented 'cruel' system (here's a good time to remember about Tudor AGM), but also when used in standard configurations , which is so lacking for the eternal rivals in the category.

Advantages

• good ratio of starting current to the nominal capacity level (680 A to 60 Ah, etc.);
• excellent performance under start / stop conditions;
• long-term retention of charge and the ability to quickly recharge;
• favorable combination of price and quality.

disadvantages

• not found.

Bosch AGM S5

Rating: 4.8

The classic Bosch battery from the 'premium' category fell slightly short of leadership, the main positive feature of which was the perfect working balance – much more pronounced than that of Banner Running Bull. Again: the abundance of models of various parameters of capacity and starting current is evident, and in some places the superiority over the previous representative of the rating is expressed very clearly. Let's give a simple example: almost 700 (to be more precise, 680) amperes of current in the case of the S5 series is generated at a capacity of 60 ampere-hours. Not a bad result, even by the standards of gel batteries.

Secondly, a good reserve capacity should be highlighted, as well as a high rate of charge accumulation, which is especially useful when operating a car in a fairly hard 'start / stop' mode. Bosch AGM S5 is not afraid of frost at all, and in any case it will 'roll back' at least two seasons – otherwise, the duration of operation will entirely depend on you. And although even in extremely positive reviews there was a place for the reproach of the 'big price tag', let's put it this way – we have no complaints about this line.

Advantages

• high rates of starting current at nominal capacitance values;
• excellent 'survivability' in cold conditions;
• the ability to quickly accumulate charge;
• there is a capacitive reserve (in extreme cases);
• The optimum ratio of price and quality.

disadvantages

• not found.

Banner Running Bull

Rating: 4.7

Banner Running Bull is a model that combines the concept of balance in the main performance characteristics. It is presented on the market in a wide variety of capacitive parameters and corresponding starting currents, which is why it is very popular, but mainly in regions with warm climates. In fact, the indicators of these batteries are very close to average gel batteries: for example, with a capacity of 70 ampere-hours, the starting current can reach 700-720 amperes. In other words, its capacity is sufficient both for starting voluminous gasoline engines and for diesel engines.

However, almost all consumers unanimously agree that Banner Running Bull does not have enough conditions to work in frosty conditions – the battery breaks down very quickly. Because of this, additional troubles appear with its periodic removal for storage in a warm place, because no one wants to overpay for a quick 'death' for an already expensive energy element.

Advantages

• an extensive line of batteries in terms of capacity;
• high starting currents allowing the battery to work in tandem with diesel and gasoline engines;
• high durability in warm climates or with proper maintenance in cold conditions.

disadvantages

• rather high price tag for the entire range;
• poor performance in cold climates.

Optima red top

Rating: 4.7

The Optima Red Top gel battery did not reach the top three, which has two good reasons for that: a very high (as for all gel batteries) cost and a fairly small capacity – only 55 ampere-hours. Actually, on these reasons, many barriers to general sales are built, since some consumers are embarrassed by such small capacitive indicators, and the rest cannot make a deal with the internal 'toad', looking at simpler options.

Of course, if it were that bad, the Optima Red Top would never be ranked under any circumstances. The situation is saved by excellent working conditions in the cold period, and therefore the battery can be used for a long time and easily in Siberia. The second positive aspect is the extremely high starting current: 815 amperes, which gives a great contrast to the capacitive characteristics. Yes, it cannot be repaired (just like all modern battery models), however, the service life can reach 5 years – it all depends on the frequency of use of the vehicle, modes of movement and the amount of electronics.

Advantages

• modern technology of gel batteries;
• extremely high starting current (815 A);
• long service life;
• excellent performance during the winter season.

disadvantages

• small battery capacity (55 Ah);
• very high price.

Tudor AGM

Rating: 4.6

Exide Technologies (owner of the Tudor trademark) has been developing AGM batteries not so long ago, but has already made a lot of noise in the world community of motorists. The new compact unit was a real revelation among all compact battery models, delivering up to 680 amperes in load with a capacity of 60 ampere-hours. The result is excellent, especially in conjunction with the sharpening for cars equipped with a 'start / stop' system and a large engine (from 2 liters). This is facilitated by the possibility of a quick charge and the release of a large current pulse, which is especially useful in the winter time of car operation in the urban cycle.

As noted by users, despite the very serious advantages of Tudor AGM, it is extremely disloyal to cars without an appropriate option and a subcompact engine (1.5 – 1.8 liters), and even with periodic downtime as unnecessary. This is due to the fact that the accelerated return of current will provoke a rapid discharge of the battery, so it is highly likely that after a short period of time it will need to be removed and charged from the device. In addition to this, the high cost does not play into the hands of the ordinary consumer. Therefore, strictly limited in application, it occupies the fifth line of our rating.

Advantages

• a sufficiently powerful element capable of delivering large volumes of current in a short time;
• quickly perceives charging, which is good for cars operating with the 'start / stop' system;
• compact overall dimensions.

disadvantages

• there is an accelerated decrease in capacity under load;
• high price.

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Attention! This rating is subjective and does not constitute an advertisement and does not serve as a purchase guide. Before buying, you need to consult with a specialist.