Most people, unless they’re mechanics or motoring enthusiasts, are not intimately familiar with the inner workings of their vehicles, despite the fact that tens of thousands of Britons drive cars to and from work every day. Knowing the ins and outs of your car’s mechanical and electrical functions requires a lot of skill and years of practice, but there are some things with which you can familiarise yourself to improve your understanding of how your car works. One of these things is the car’s battery, which is vital to the continued functioning of your car. The battery supplies power to your lights (both interior and exterior), starter motor, and every other electrical component in the vehicle such as the stereo or cigarette lighter.

Types of Car Battery

The three most popular varieties of car battery are the lead-acid, AGM, and EFB. Lead-acid car batteries were actually invented in the late nineteenth century, making them the oldest type of car battery on the market. They’re extremely efficient and last for ages, with a high power-to-energy ratio, meaning that they’re capable of delivering high surges of current. The charge/charge efficiency of the lead-acid battery is similarly high, ranging between fifty and ninety-five percent, but they have a low energy-to-weight and energy-to-volume ratio. The lead-acid battery is the most popular variant of a car battery, accounting for around half of global sales, so your battery supplier will be sure to have them in stock.

AGM, or Absorbed Glass Mat, batteries are a specialised kind of lead-acid battery. Although they command a higher price than standard lead-acid batteries, they are efficient, charge quickly and work reliably in all-weather types, making them ideal for drivers planning a long-haul car trip. These work by the electrolyte in the battery being held in place by fibreglass mats (hence the name), holding the electrolyte in place in the battery cell.

EFB batteries, on the other hand, do not use the lead-acid model, and are very popular with the hyper-efficient car manufacturing plants of Japan and continental Europe. EFB, or Enhanced Flooded Battery, technology is ideal for high-performance vehicles, and EFB batteries have a far longer lifespan than ordinary lead-acid batteries. They are significantly cheaper than AGM batteries, but do not offer equivalent power, nor are they as durable as the AGM.

Car Battery Providers

If you’re looking to upgrade your car battery, your best bet is to consult the advice of a professional battery expert. They might specialise in automotive batteries, but you want to talk to someone who trades in all kinds of batteries to ensure that you’re dealing with diverse experience in the battery industry. For anything as personal as your own car, you want to go to a family-run business, where you’ll receive high-quality, personalised service as well as competitive pricing. Forward-thinking battery services will recycle batteries, even buying used lead-acid batteries for recycling, to minimise the ecological impact of their industry. The best of these are approved by the Environment Agency, a governing body whose job it is to ensure that businesses are recycling efficiently and consistently.