Are All ATV Batteries the Same?
- by Bryan Veldboom - updated on 1/22/2021
ATVS are the perfect way to experience the great outdoors. Like all vehicles though, they're only as good as the battery that helps turn over their engine. Make sure your ATV is ready for your next outdoor adventure by finding the best battery for your riding needs.
What Is the Best battery for an ATV?
Most ATVs run off of 12-volt batteries and fall into three basic types: conventional flooded, AGM and lithium. Flooded batteries require more maintenance than AGM or lithium types. In particular, they require you to regularly top off the electrolyte solution inside them with distilled or deionized water. Their best benefit is affordability, with flooded batteries costing less upfront. If you're looking for a basic battery for casual riding, an Xtreme High Performance Powersport Battery is a solid choice.
Unlike flooded batteries, AGM (short for Absorbed Glass Mat) types don't require you to top off the electrolyte. AGM options also tend to have longer life cycles and stand up much better to vibrations, impact and extreme temperatures. Plus, they have shorter charging times. They do, however, cost more upfront. An Xtreme AGM battery is a solid, affordable AGM option. If you're looking for the best AGM battery available, consider a Duracell AGM battery. Duracell AGM batteries are engineered with leading-edge technology that helps them perform better and last longer than both flooded and other AGM options.
X2Power lithium ATV batteries are the safest, lightest and fastest ATV batteries on the market. Of the three battery types, lithium batteries hold their charge the best in storage, meaning you won't have to charge it as frequently as you do the others. They also react much better to voltage, current and temperature changes and are lighter and faster than other ATV batteries. Keep in mind though that lithium batteries have the highest cost of the three options and don't perform as well in cold weather as an AGM battery.
ATV Chargers
So long as you're maintaining it properly, a typical ATV battery should last you between three and four years. In order to get that much life out of it, however, you'll need to make sure that you're maintaining the battery's charge, particularly when storing your ATV for long periods of time.
Allowing the charge to get too low can shorten its lifespan and if it discharges down to nothing, you might not be able to charge it back up again. Likewise, you also want to avoid overcharging your battery, which can be equally damaging.
In order to maintain your ATV battery's charge, you'll want to pick up a battery charger. The X2Power 0.8 Amp Charger is a great choice. It's compatible with flooded, gel, AGM and lithium batteries. Best of all, it actively monitors your battery's charge and will shut off once the optimum charge is reached and restart again once the charge gets too low, allowing you to maintain your battery with little to no monitoring.
Check out our assortment of ATV batteries online. Or stop into any of our 700+ locations. Our in-store experts can answer all of your questions and help you find the right battery for your particular brand and model ATV.