Keep your vehicle properly powered and running smoothly on Wheeling streets, by staying on top of your car battery care. So, how long does a car battery last? How often should you replace your car battery? Typically, automotive experts recommend replacing your car battery every four to five years, but how often to replace your car battery can vary depending on several everyday factors.

Follow along with Straub Nissan to learn when to change a car battery, how to test a car battery, and review other tips. If you have questions about the ins and outs of car batteries along the way, contact the Wheeling-area service center.

Signs It’s Time for a Car Battery Replacement

How long does a car battery last? Four to five years, but instead of waiting for your car battery to quit on you, look for these warning signs for how to know if your car battery needs to be replaced:

• Dimming headlights
• More frequent need for engine revving or jump starts
• Takes longer to start the engine when you turn the key/push the button
• Unusual power fluctuations

Factors That Affect Car Battery Life

How often to change a car battery varies by the factors that affect the life of the battery. How often you should replace your car battery can be affected by the following factors:

• Heat: If you live in a consistently hot climate, the life of your car battery will be shorter because the hot environment causes the liquids inside the battery to evaporate.
• Vibrations: Driving on rough roads around Moundsville or loose hold-down clamps on the battery can lead to vibrations that will lead to the internal battery parts breaking down faster.
• Needing a Jump: While jumpstarting your car will get you back on the road, it permanently degrades your battery each time, increasing the frequency of how often you should replace your car battery.
• Time: Just like other parts of the vehicle, the car battery needs to be changed from time to time. But how long does a car battery last? The battery can only go through so many charge cycles, and over time, it wears down. But with proper care, you’ll enjoy that battery for four to five years.

Quick Ways for How to Test a Car Battery

If you’re interested in how to test a car battery, you can easily have it checked by technicians when bringing your Nissan for scheduled routine maintenance at least twice a year. Otherwise, some retailers offer free battery tests, or you can follow these steps for how to test a car battery at home:

The Headlight Test: 

1. Start the engine, but keep the car in park. Then, turn the headlights on.
2. Press on the gas pedal to rev the engine, and observe whether the brightness changes or not.
3. When the headlights get brighter, that’s a sign that the battery isn’t getting a strong enough charge to maintain normal brightness while the car is idling.
4. Stop by the local service center for a battery assessment or replacement options.

Using a Digital Multimeter:

1. If a digital multimeter is used, set the voltmeter to 20 DC volts.
2. Open the hood and access the battery, then take the negative meter probe (black) and touch it to the negative battery terminal (also black).
3. Take the positive meter probe (red) and touch it to the positive battery terminal (also red).
4. Have another person turn on the headlights, and note the voltmeter reading.
5. At 80℉, 12.5 volts or higher means the battery is fully charged. 12.3 volts means it’s at about 75% charged, and 11.8 volts or lower means the battery has 25% or less charge.

How Much Does a Replacement Car Battery Cost?

How often should you replace your car battery, and how much does it generally cost? Most replacements cost around $75 to $120 for a typical battery after four to five years of operation, and around $200 for those with a premium battery.

Since car batteries have a bigger job to do in a hybrid vehicle, their batteries can be much more expensive. Hybrid car batteries can typically cost anywhere from $1000 to $6000. This price is usually offset by the much lower gas consumption compared to other cars. How long does a car battery last in a hybrid? 80,000 to 100,000 miles on average.

Explore Other Service Tips at Straub Nissan!

Now that you have a better idea of how often to replace your car battery, be sure to take a look at our service specials, so you can save on your car care. Find more service guides at our dealership with a look at how often you should rotate your tires. Explore some of our other service tips for more ways you can stay on top of your vehicle maintenance, and contact us at Straub Nissan if you have any other questions.