Primary Navigation Mobile

The best car battery 2024

  • Car batteries are the catalyst of any vehicle function 
  • How to find the correct battery for your car 
  • The best ones from trusted brands

Written by Ryan Gilmore Updated: 10 September 2024

If your car battery is playing up, a quick fix is a quality battery charger, but the time may have come for a new battery. Without a battery, your car is, quite literally, a non-starter. Turn the ignition key or press the start button, and the car should if the battery is charged, fire into life. If not, you’ll be left feeling just like your car battery: flat.

You probably don’t give the battery a second thought. Because it’s hidden away, either under the bonnet or in the boot, it’s out of sight and out of mind. However, with a lifespan of around five years, you’re likely to require a new battery at some point. Battery faults are the most common cause of breakdowns, so prevention is definitely better than cure.

If you are having battery troubles well before the expected expiry date of a car battery, it may just need reconditioning. Smart battery chargers are able to do this, which we explain in our smart battery charger guide.

The best car batteries 2024 at a glance:

The best car battery: Bosch S5 A11 80Ah Car Battery – Buy now from Amazon UK
Editor’s pick: Varta Blue Dynamic C22 Car Battery – Buy now from Tayna Batteries
Best for start-stop systems: Yuasa YBX9096 Car Battery – Buy now from Amazon UK

If your car is struggling to turn over, there’s a warning light on the dashboard, or the battery goes flat after just a few days, it might be time to invest in a new battery. Your local tyre fitters will offer a free battery health check so you’ll know if a replacement is required.

The best car batteries 2024

Make sure you order the correct battery for your vehicle by typing in your car's registration. When you have done that, Amazon Garage will select the correct replacement parts for your vehicle.

Pros

  • Easy to use and to find the right parts for your vehicle
  • You can add in different vehicles in your 'garage'
  • You can change the vehicles in the search results to find suitable products

Cons

  • You may need Amazon Prime for free delivery
The A11 is one of the best in the range of the Bosch S5 series, and is suitable for a lot of work, including stop-start and functioning a number of in-car technologies from the infotainment to safety systems.

It even caters for cars with regenerative braking, which will suit a lot of hybrid and electric vehicles. It also has four times higher deep-cycle resistance than what Bosch call, a conventional starter battery. All of this capability means it's inevitably more powerful than others, and can handle high-voltage vehicles and their amenities with ease.

Pros

  • Suitable for stop-start systems and many technological on-boards
  • Designed for regenerative braking, which suits many hybrid and electric vehicles
  • Great quality and sturdy design and build

Cons

  • It will be very overkill for many vehicles
German company Varta has a history dating back more than 125 years, with its batteries chosen by many major car manufacturers. The likes of Audi, BMW, Ford, Land Rover, Mercedes-Benz, Toyota and Volkswagen fit Varta batteries to some of their new cars. This means buying a Varta battery may maintain the OEM (original equipment manufacturer) spec of your car.

Blue Dynamic is the name of Varta’s mid-range car batteries, with the C22 designed for small and medium cars. It’s ideal for older cars without a start-stop system.

Pros

  • Good value for money at under £70
  • Chosen by many manufacturers as a good battery supplier
  • Perfect for smaller vehicles, albeit without stop-start

Cons

  • Unsuitable for cars with start-stop systems
  • Not suited to larger vehicles
Voltage: 12V
Cell composition: Lead-acid
Capacity: 52Ah
Current: 470A
Best for larger, tech-filled cars
Bosch makes it easy to understand its range of batteries. The S3 range is designed for older cars with small engines, the S5 is for high-end premium vehicles, while the S4 should be perfect for most modern vehicles, including some hybrid and electric variants.

It uses AGM or Absorbent Glass Mat technology, which allows larger quantities of energy to pass through. This provides superior power to support the electrical demands of modern vehicles. Bosch rates the performance during cold starts and resistance to deep cycles as ‘excellent’, which makes the S5 A08 superior to other Bosch batteries.

Pros

  • Great build quality and sturdy materials
  • Excellent battery performance and ideal for performance vehicles
  • Designed for stop-start systems and regenerative braking

Cons

  • Overkill for many cars without the electric amenities
Voltage: 12V
Cell composition: AGM
Capacity: 70Ah
Current: 760A
Bosch is one of the most trusted names in the world of car batteries. You might pay a little extra for a Bosch car battery, but they tend to last longer and provide better all-season performance than cheaper units. The Bosch S4 001 battery is designed for small cars, so it's ideal if you drive a city car or supermini.

This battery is 100 per cent maintenance-free, with Bosch claiming that it is two times more efficient than a standard battery. It’s not suitable for cars with a start-stop system, though.

Pros

  • Excellent battery that's suitable for small cars and superminis
  • Great build quality and pretty good value at just over £70
  • Quite a bit lighter than many others at just 11kg

Cons

  • Unsuitable for start-stop systems
  • Not suited to medium-sized or larger vehicles
Voltage: 12V
Cell composition: Lead-acid
Capacity: 45Ah
Current: 440A
In a modern car with an automatic start-stop system, the engine is switched off several times during the journey. If the car is waiting at traffic lights with the engine stopped, electrical components such as headlights, windscreen wipers, air conditioning, and the radio and infotainment display still require power. A conventional battery isn't up to the challenge, so a battery designed for start-stop systems is required.

The Yuasa YBX9096 can handle up to 360,000 engine starts and is engineered for cars with start-stop technology. When you discover that the cheaper and smaller Yuasa YBX1000 battery can tackle 20,000 engine starts, you can see the importance of choosing a battery that’s fit for purpose.

Pros

  • Designed for start-stop systems in modern cars
  • Has the capability to cope with 360,000 engine starts
  • Suitable for regenerative braking and other clever ameneties

Cons

  • Needs to be programmed to the ECU
Voltage: 12V
Cell composition: AGM
Capacity; 70Ah
Current: 760A
The Powerline 063 car battery is a great option if you're buying on a budget. Although it's unlikely to last as long as an equivalent Bosch or Varta battery, you could save up to 50 per cent by opting for a budget brand like Powerline.

It’s a relatively new brand, but the customer reviews are positive. Given the low prices, a Powerline car battery could make good financial sense if you don't do huge mileage and have a car with minimal electrical components.

Pros

  • Perfect for cars with fairly minimal electrical features
  • Better value for money than the others at £50
  • Comes with a four-year guarantee

Cons

  • Won't last as long as the others
  • Isn't designed for stop-start systems
Voltage: 12V
Cell composition: Wet
Capacity: 32Ah
Current: 250A
Leisure batteries are predominantly used on the campsite in either campervans, caravans, or motorhomes. They act as a separate battery from the main one and provides power to the mobile home's various amenities, such as its cooker, fridge, and lights.

This 12V, 120Ah unit from SuperBatt is one of the best for it. It's even designed for marine use, so if you happen to have a boat, it's useful for that purpose, too. It comes with a two-year warranty, and is said to last years in fully-functioning use.

Pros

  • Great quality battery designed to last for years
  • Perfect for campervans, caravans, or even boats
  • Comes with a two-year warranty, which is reassuring to buyers

Cons

  • Isn't designed to be a car battery

Car batteries: FAQs and things to remember

Do I need a powerful battery for a stop-start system car?

If your car has a start-stop system, make sure the battery is up to the task. Equally, a bigger car with a larger engine will require a battery that’s fit for purpose, regardless of whether it features modern tech. That said, don’t go overboard. A mid-range or even budget-brand battery could be suitable for an older car with a small engine.

It’s important to buy the right battery for your car. Fortunately, Amazon allows you to search for car batteries and other parts using your registration plate so you can be sure that the battery will fit your car. Don’t just buy on price; you should consider the brand as well as its performance in cold weather.

How do I keep an eye on my battery’s health?

Although we wouldn’t recommend stockpiling car batteries, you should plan ahead. Get a battery tester and use it from time to time. A good battery should last around five years, so start considering a new one after four years.

Another method for monitoring your battery’s health is by investing in a battery trickle charger. A CTEK unit can give you an indication of how healthy your battery health is; it does so by showing a series of lights, and if it consistently shows an amber light, then it’s time to upgrade to a new car battery. Otherwise, it should charge it – with care – all the way up to green.

What is the best battery for a campervan?

Usually, they’ll have two. One for the engine and driving amenities, and a leisure battery for the camping amenities, such as the cooker and so on. Ideally, you want a capable leisure battery that can take whatever power units your van has, which will usually be tailored to motorhome, caravan, or even marine spec. A good quality car or van battery for the engine should suffice, as the engine and tech is shared with many of the manufacturers’ car counterparts. But always go onto Amazon garage to check.

Ryan Gilmore is the Deputy Autos and Tools Editor for Parkers and CAR, specialising in car cleaning and hand tools. With an MA in Automotive Journalism, when he’s not testing buckets he can be found looking at old Porsches.

Sign up to the Parkers Newsletter to keep up to date with more of the latest reviews, news, and recommendations from the Parkers team.

Just so you know, whilst we may receive a commission or other compensation from the links on this website, we never allow this to influence product selections – read why you should trust us