car battery - are they all basically the same?

michal1980

Diamond Member
Mar 7, 2003
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looking for a new battery for my wifes 2006 scion xa.

It seems like in that size battery all the offerings are bascially the same. Sure there is a red top that fits. But outside of that sears/walmart/advance all carry basically a 24 month warranty battery with 550cca. At this point do I just shop by price?
 

Jimzz

Diamond Member
Oct 23, 2012
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If it has the same or more CCA and a decent warranty then yea pretty much the same now. So many battery makers have been swallowed up I think there are only 3 major ones left. Just don't buy the economy battery and you should be fine.

Advance with its coupons and Costco are my 2 go to now.
 

LTC8K6

Lifer
Mar 10, 2004
28,520
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Yes, there are not many battery mfgs. Most of the brand names are made by the same 2 or 3 companies.

The Wal-mart battery with the 2 year replacement warranty should be fine.
 

michal1980

Diamond Member
Mar 7, 2003
8,019
43
91
If it has the same or more CCA and a decent warranty then yea pretty much the same now. So many battery makers have been swallowed up I think there are only 3 major ones left. Just don't buy the economy battery and you should be fine.

Advance with its coupons and Costco are my 2 go to now.

Neareast costco is ~20+ miles away, far away enough to be a PIA to get to.
 

michal1980

Diamond Member
Mar 7, 2003
8,019
43
91
Yes, there are not many battery mfgs. Most of the brand names are made by the same 2 or 3 companies.

The Wal-mart battery with the 2 year replacement warranty should be fine.

thats kind of what I figured in my research.


Nothing but 'silver' level batteries for the xA either.
 

Slacker

Diamond Member
Oct 9, 1999
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Get a price on a battery from the dealer, you might be surprised.
 

Midwayman

Diamond Member
Jan 28, 2000
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looking for a new battery for my wifes 2006 scion xa.

It seems like in that size battery all the offerings are bascially the same. Sure there is a red top that fits. But outside of that sears/walmart/advance all carry basically a 24 month warranty battery with 550cca. At this point do I just shop by price?

Generally there are 2-3 levels of battery. Different CCA ratings per battery. Beyond that shop by warranty and price. If you have a particularly demanding application (like a big stereo you'll be running with the engine off or bags, etc) you might look into brand a bit more.
 

ummduh

Member
Aug 12, 2008
83
2
71
looking for a new battery for my wifes 2006 scion xa.

It seems like in that size battery all the offerings are bascially the same. Sure there is a red top that fits. But outside of that sears/walmart/advance all carry basically a 24 month warranty battery with 550cca. At this point do I just shop by price?



Short answer; for you, yes they are all the same. Match the oe specs and have fun. Shop via best warranty for the money.

Long answer; no, there are many many different types and design of batteries out there.
 

rsbennett00

Senior member
Jul 13, 2014
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I just bought one recently. Interstate wanted almost twice what sears did. I'm a walmart boycotter so no idea there. Sears had the best price per warranty, 4 years 0 cost and prorated up to 10 years. The one I replaced lasted for 7 years before I got tired of the slow starts.
 

evident

Lifer
Apr 5, 2005
12,130
749
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costco, their batteries are made by johnson controls, which i think is a major manufacturer for many other car battery brands.
 

silicon

Senior member
Nov 27, 2004
886
1
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looking for a new battery for my wifes 2006 scion xa.

It seems like in that size battery all the offerings are bascially the same. Sure there is a red top that fits. But outside of that sears/walmart/advance all carry basically a 24 month warranty battery with 550cca. At this point do I just shop by price?

yes batteries are all similar and the CCA is the spec to look for. Also batteries will degrade over time when sitting on the shelf of the store. like produce and other perishable items the newer the better.
 

eng2d2

Golden Member
Nov 7, 2013
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Costco to me is good enough, not the best but I don't have any complaints.
 

tamm

Senior member
Dec 13, 2013
439
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advance auto FTW as it has tons of coupon codes to make it under $80 for a new batteyr
 

RLGL

Platinum Member
Jan 8, 2013
2,115
322
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costco, their batteries are made by johnson controls, which i think is a major manufacturer for many other car battery brands.

Interstate is also by Johnson Controls

No not all the batteries are basically the same. You get what you pay for.
I had a long conversation with my Interstate driver. There are a lot of differences in the batteries that affect the pricing.