How do I check the date on a car battery?
I just bought a car and while it starts fine, the battery looks a bit old. I don't want to get stranded somewhere, so how do I check the date on a car battery?
Eric Schad · Updated on
Reviewed by Shannon Martin, Licensed Insurance Agent.
Great question! I’m happy to say that finding out the age of your battery is surprisingly easy. The first thing to do is to look for a sticker.
Some batteries have a sticker on them, usually on the top or side, that states the age of the battery in numeric form. For example, 4/19 would mean that the battery was manufactured in April of 2019.
However, not every battery is this easy to read. Other batteries have the manufactured date on a heat stamp, engraving, or a strip attached. You should see a code: a number that is 0-9 and a letter that is A-L.
The number corresponds to the year of manufacture. So if you see an 8, this would mean your battery is from 2018. The letter corresponds to the month of the year—A is January, B is February, and so on. So if you see 8D, your battery would be from April 2018.
If you can’t replace it, you should at least add towing and labor coverage to your car insurance policy. To do this easily, use the
Jerry
app—we’ll get you customized quotes from top-of-the-line providers so that all you need to do is choose the plan that works best for you!Best of luck with your battery!
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