Can someone explain the difference between all these battery types?

[Richie Berrington]

#567645 Reply |

I’m usually pretty good with car stuff, oil changes, tyre pressure, basic maintenance, but when it comes to batteries I feel completely lost. My Explorer has been acting up lately and when I started looking into replacements I realized there are like five different types and I have no idea which one I need. Wet cell, AGM, EFB, gel, it’s honestly overwhelming. The guy at the shop tried to explain but I think he got frustrated when I kept asking questions. Went home and started researching because I don’t want to just guess and end up back here in a year. Found a page that focuses on understanding battery types for modern SUVs and it actually made sense for once. Apparently the newer SUVs with all the tech and start-stop systems need different batteries than older ones, and putting the wrong type in can cause all kinds of problems. My car has the start-stop feature which I guess is part of why the standard batteries keep failing. The guide explained that AGM batteries are built differently to handle the constant cycling and deeper discharges. Still trying to decide if I go with that or something else, but at least now I feel like I know what I’m talking about when I go back to the shop. Anyone else been through this with a newer SUV?

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