What is the purpose of the car battery?

The car battery is the power source for your vehicle. It provides electricity to start the engine and keep it running. The car battery also supplies power to run the lights, radio, heater or air conditioner, windshield wipers and other electric components of your vehicle.

A car battery for a car is like a heart for a human. It's always on, and it's not something you can easily replace yourself, and we're here to help!

The main functions of your car battery are:

• Energy to Start the Engine (cranking)
• Delivers Electricity to the Ignition System
• Works With the Alternator to Power the Electronics

How long does a car battery last in UAE?

To answer this question, we need to know the factors that adversely affect battery life

• Hot weather: it reduces battery life significantly regardless the battery type. It can reduce the service life at a rate of 50% for every 10°C increase from 25°C.
• Inactivity: it can shorten a battery’s lifespan, if you don’t drive often or if the car is used only for short trips, then it’s going to deteriorate your battery.
• Drain battery when charging system is off, e.g., leaving the light one overnight.
• Vibration causes internal battery parts to break down
• Malfunctioning charging system reduces car battery life

 Ajalty.com, an online B2B2C car Spare parts marketplace catering for both wholesale and retail clients, has conducted a survey conducted about when car’s owner replaces their car battery in UAE, and the survey shows:

• 89.7 % changes battery in less than two years and more than a year (24 months)
• 6.8% replaces battery in less than one year (less than 12-months)
• 3.5% others

Car batteries are one of the most common auto spare parts that require replacing in harsh environment of the middle east. 

When to Change Your Car Battery in the UAE?

The short answer is when your car isn’t starting but to avoid being in such a vexatious situation, we will recommend some steps to be taken in anticipation.

How to get your car battery to last longer in the UAE?

There is nothing more inconvenient and stressful than when your car decides not to start in the morning. It is more than a minor irritation as it hampers your day. But there are ways to avoid this unfortunate situation from occurring

Here are some recommendations that will help extend your battery life even with the harsh environmental conditions in the UAE:

• Try not to leave your car too long in extreme heat.
• If the car is park for two long e.g., two weeks or more, you periodically start it up and give the battery some charge
• Regularly verify your battery connections and terminals. Over time they can jiggle loose or even start to build up corrosion.
• Always buy the correct battery size (dimensions and capacity), selecting wrong battery size might cause extra vibration, whereas inadequate capacity will lead to a shorter battery lifespan.
• Don’t leave any power consumer load on while the engine is off for a long time, e.g., headlight or radio
• Finally, it’s recommended to load-test your battery every six months if the battery is over 2 years old, and more so before summer season in UAE, as batteries tend to fail faster in hot climates. 

How to replace your car battery?

Car battery replacement in Dubai and in UAE, in general, is relatively easy if you know what the right battery for your car is, the options are:

• Online

Online shopping has become a way of life for many people, and a growing number of them are beginning to find it more convenient than going to the store. If you're one of those people who have been looking for a way to buy batteries online, look no further!

• DIY (Do it Yourself), If you have the technical knowledge and interest to maintain your car yourself, then you can buy the right battery and get delivery to your home from ajalty.com . see battery replacement guide.
• DIFM (Do it For Me) you can buy the right battery, get it delivered and installed by our channel partner at your home from ajalty.com at any time.

In both cases, you will get up to 18 Months warranty (details appear on the product page), in case of any issue during the warranty period just contact Ajalty’s customer service with the warranty card and we will assist.

• Conventional way

If you are willing to deal with hassle of jump starting your car, stopping by a shop, haggling on price, and entrusting the shop to select the correct battery fitment, then fine but here are some points to consider, your time, battery options available, fitment accuracy and pricing transparency.

If you wish to know how to jump start, visit our previous blog Other than service parts, what auto spare parts commonly fail or require replacing? (ajalty.com)

How to choose the right battery for your car?

First, there are different types of batteries which can be installed in any car, this depends on the car manufacturer.

 Predominantly, two main battery designs prevail, they are as follows:

• Flooded battery, which has been the standard for decades e.g., Flooded battery lead acid (FLA), Silver Calcium sealed, and maintenance-free.
• Valve Regulated Lead Acid (VRLA) battery also known as the Sealed Lead Acid (SLA) battery e.g., Gel Cell Battery (Dry Cell), Absorbent Glass Mat (AGM), a newer design that offers advantages in specific applications

The right battery for your car will depend on your car and the manufacturer’s recommendation, for example, an AGM battery is used in cars with automatic start-stop applications and with braking energy recovery, and it can cost 40 ~ 100 % more than Flooded battery lead acid (FLA).

Secondly, upon identifying which battery type is suitable for your car, you’ll need to obtain the main features which characterize your car battery:

• Battery dimensions/Size, batteries are divided into group sizes which indicate the length, width, and height of the battery. You can find out the battery size required by checking the owner’s manual or check the original installed battery (if first owner)
• Ampere Hour (Ah), important factor, which indicates how many amps (A) the battery can deliver in an hour.
• Battery standard, generally in the UAE there are three main standards for the passenger vehicles these are:
• Type and Position of the Terminals, the position of the positive and negative terminal, and the type of the terminal

• Deutsches Institut für Normung (DIN) German Institute for Standardization - most commonly utilized in new cars
• Japanese Industrial Standards (JIS)
• Battery Council International (BCI)

In addition to the above, Ajalty.com provides you with filters to select the brands, battery origin, and price. Ajalty.com enables you to select the right battery for your car within budget.

Or alternatively, the recommended battery for your vehicle can be picked from our special filter containing manufacturer, model, year and engine trim. Ajalty.com can also assist with other car spare parts for your automobile.

Which car battery is best and how much should it cost?

Choosing the right battery for your car can be a confusing task. There are many different types of batteries with multiple features to consider, and even more brands. Ajalty.com provides you with a filter tool which recommends the battery options that fit you car.

The best battery option depends on several parameters, Ajalty.com has gathered information about the main brands sold in the UAE.

The top 10 Most Popular Car Battery Brands in the UAE according to our survey (sorted alphabetically):

• AC Delco (22.7%)
• Amaron (31.8)
• Bosch (15.9)
• Duracell (15.9)
• Hankook (2.3%)
• Kays (4.5%)
• Solite (4.5%)
• Others (2.4%)

The price of a car battery depends mainly on the type, rating, brand, and origin.

The below price range can be used for reference in the UAE (as of 2021):

• (SMF) Sealed Maintenance Free, 60 Ah, from 220 to 400 AED
• AGM (Absorbent Glass Mat), 70 Ah, from 500 to 1,200 AED

  Ajalty.com offers a large range of automotive batteries (currently selling Kays, Deta, Duracell, Fiamm, and Hankook) for all passenger cars at competitive prices, customers can select batteries that fit their cars and order, please visit our battery page.