What's the Best Car Battery For Cold Weather?

Power - by Joe Weber - updated on 1/9/2024

Having a reliable battery in your car or truck in the winter is key to a stress-free driving experience. There are lots of different car batteries available for any given vehicle, so how do you know which is the best for the freezing winter weather? Find out by reading below for the best car battery for the winter and the entire year.

How Does Cold Temperature Affect Car Batteries?

Before we jump into the best car batteries for the cold, let's talk about what the cold can do to your car or truck battery.

A few things will happen to your battery in freezing temperatures

• Reduction in capacity
  As the temperature falls, the capacity of the battery also falls, which means less power to crank the engine. Once the temperature reaches freezing, 32°F, the battery's capacity is already reduced by around 20%. When the temperature reaches a bitter -22°F the capacity is reduced by 50%!
• Slower charging
  It takes longer for batteries to charge when it gets colder. It will take longer drives to charge your car battery back up after that cold start in the morning.
• Freezing electrolyte
  If the temperature outside gets cold enough, yes, your car battery can freeze, especially when it isn't fully charged. Keeping the battery fully charged is key to preventing this.

Learn all about what happens to batteries in the cold and more in our recent blog "How Does the Cold Affect Your Car Battery?".

Features to Look For in a Cold Weather Car Battery

Knowing what to look for in a cold-weather battery is key. One of the most important things your battery should do is provide enough power when you turn the key (or push the button) to spin the flywheel and crank the engine.

Cold Cranking Amps

To do this, your battery needs to have enough Cold Cranking Amps (CCA). CCAs represent the maximum current in amperes that a battery can deliver at 0 degrees Fahrenheit (-17.8 degrees Celsius) for 30 seconds without dropping below a specified voltage.

In simpler terms, CCA ratings indicate how well a battery can perform in cold weather conditions, where the engine oil is thicker, and the electrical system requires more power to start the vehicle. A higher CCA rating generally means that the battery has more starting power in cold temperatures, which is critical for reliable engine ignition in cold climates.

Battery Type

There are different types of car batteries and the type you choose can play a big role in how your battery responds to the cold. The two types of car batteries are flooded lead-acid and absorbed glass mat (AGM).

Flooded

Many of us have this type of battery in our vehicles to begin with. They are the gold standard of automotive batteries and are trusted by countless automotive brands as the battery installed in your car from the factory. This type of battery is slowly becoming less popular each year as cars and trucks come out with high-power demands that require a stronger battery.

AGM

Many newer vehicles and vehicles with a lot of electronic accessories like stop-start, remote start and more will use an AGM battery. Absorbed Glass Mat batteries are a great upgrade from conventional flooded batteries due to their superior durability, temperature resistance and higher power output.

Note: You absolutely can upgrade your flooded battery to an AGM battery and see many benefits, not limited to just more power. You cannot however downgrade from an AGM battery to Flooded if your vehicle is designed for and comes with an AGM battery.

Our Top Picks For the Best Cold Weather Batteries

Finding a battery that feels like home in the cold is easier than you think. Here are a few of our best recommendations for your winter (and summer) automotive battery solution.

X2Power

Optima

Duracell Ultra Platinum AGM

Tips For Maintaining Car Batteries in the Cold

There are a few things that you can do to ensure your battery will stay healthy and operate at peak capacity through the winter.

Charge it at home

Connecting your battery to a battery maintainer will not only keep the battery charged, but it will also keep the battery active and ready to provide power when it's needed. As a bonus, as the battery charges, heat is generated which helps keep the battery ready to crank when you have to leave in the morning.

Clean it

If you've heard it once, you've heard it a thousand times; corrosion kills batteries. Keep your battery clean and corrosion-free with a battery terminal protection kit. Corrosion appears more often in the hot summer months but it is still a good practice to clean the terminals before the temperature drops.

Park in a warmer spot (if you can)

Even though many home garages are not insulated, they still protect against the winter elements. Parking in the garage could be the difference between getting to work or school on time, or not.

Don't forget to turn off the headlights and interior lights

We all do it, don't deny it. Even with automatic headlights, it seems like somehow the setting gets changed to manual and we leave the lights on. Leaving the headlights and or interior lights on will create an additional power draw from the battery causing it to drain much faster and leave you stranded.

Keep Your Car Battery Healthy with Help From Batteries Plus

Whether your battery is new or old, drive over to your nearest Batteries Plus to have it tested to see how it's performing. If your battery is showing signs of irreversible damage or aging, we carry a large selection of automotive batteries from your favorite brands to get you back on the road with a great battery.

If you need a little more information before making a purchase, check out our Beginner's Guide to Buying a Car Battery for more helpful tips and information.

If you know what you want and need (use our fit finder, it's a super easy way to see exactly what fits your car) schedule your installation online today to have your new battery installed by one of our battery experts.