How Many Amps should a Standard Car Battery Have?

How Many Amps should a Standard Car Battery Have?

by: Dean Janse Van Vuuren
November 2020
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There are many factors to consider when one goes out to purchase a car battery. First, you need to be sure of what general classification of the battery you need to buy. This in the case of a car is a starter battery instead of a deep cycle battery. Within the starter battery classification, one needs to look at the different options of batteries which include the conventional lead acid battery and the various variants of lead acid batteries such as VRLA and AGM. When purchasing the battery, one also needs to look at the specifications of the battery. Among them, the amps or Ampere hours (Ah) of the battery is quite common. Today, BPZ would provide recommendations on how many amps a standard car battery should have.

Let us start the discussion by understanding the meaning of Ah. Ampere hour is essential the number of amperes a battery can deliver in a specified time. The time is usually set at 1 hour. If the Ah rating the battery is 40 Ah, this means that the battery can deliver 40 amps of current for 1 hour. It could be interpreted in different ways like delivering 80 amps of current for 30 minutes or 20 amps of current for 2 hours. As we vary the specified time, the magnitude of current adjusts accordingly. Ah is perhaps more relevant for deep cycle batteries since they need to provide a steady current over longer durations but it is still significant for car starter batteries too because you need to be sure if the battery meets the baseline criteria.

The average Ah rating of car battery is around 70 Ah. This means that battery would deliver a current of 70A for 1 hour. However, the requirements of the car plays a significant role. It is a good idea to study the car’s manual to understand what is the needed number of amps from the battery. The engine size and number of electronics present in the car are examples of factors that may decide the needed amps for the car battery. Failure to meet the requirements can lead to numerous issues. The battery may need frequent charging which may increase the wear and tear of the alternator. Furthermore, the battery may struggle to provide power to the electronics of the car, or the car may struggle to start altogether.

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