Which car battery - or does it really matter?

smr · 29 Sep 2015 at 10:46

Hi all,

Need a new battery for my Ford S-Max '09 2.0 Diesel - I'm at a bit of a loss as to what to get though brand wise and with all differing options

Brand wise its a pick from Bosch, Banner, AGM & EFB and the one I was recommended is a Vetech 80AH battery - does it matter if I get a 60 or 90 AH battery ? The car has quite a lot of electrics in it such as auto wipers, heated seats, sat nav, auto headlights etc.

Confused! Any help greatly appreciated.

lemonade · 29 Sep 2015 at 10:52

Get the battery rating that is original to your car.

As for companies try Yuasa or Delphi if they make any for your cars, Delphi used to make some fantastic batteries, not sure about now, but they would last minimum 10 years, was 13 years old on my car before it started dropping voltage. Have a Yuasa now.

I don't rate the likes of Bosch, very poor quality, avoid them like a bargepole. others like Exide etc are pretty average too. Those are my personal experiences anyway, im sure someone will dispute them.

smr · 29 Sep 2015 at 11:03

I've left the car about 15-20 minutes walk away in the school car park, so I can't check what the current battery is in it.

tiffanys · 29 Sep 2015 at 12:10

varta batteries are usually good too.

Armageus · 29 Sep 2015 at 12:20

Euro Car parts is suggesting 80 or 85Ah batteries for an '09 2.0 Diesel SMax. 60Ah would be too low, 90Ah will be fine though.

More importantly check the CCA (Cold Cranking Amps) rating, as I would say that should be 800CCA for that engine, and check the physical dimensions against the current battery.

As mentioned Yuasa are always a good choice for batteries if available in your size/capacity.