The Best Battery for Honda CRV : Top Options to Choose From

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If you have a Honda CRV and you are having problems, you probably would like to get your car running properly as quickly as possible. One way that you can do this is by making sure that you choose a great high-quality battery when yours gets old.

While we are going to feature our four top brands and the favorite batteries /that each of these brands carries, we are going to highly recommend the Duralast brand since that brand seemed to be the one that lasted the longest for us and was the battery that we wish that we had purchased for all of our vehicles, not just our Honda CRV. It is definitely the battery that we will continue to purchase in the future.

Best Battery for Honda CRV

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Our Top Battery Picks for Honda CRV

  1. Duralast: Highest Quality
  2. Valucraft: Value-Priced Option
  3. Optima: Nice Curvy Option
  4. Econocraft: Affordable Option

Five Signs That You Need a New Battery

Knowing for certain that you need a new battery is important. There are some signs that you can watch for as these almost always indicate that you should be purchasing a new battery for your Honda CRV.

1. An Engine that Starts Slow – As your battery starts to break down and get older, you will find that it is going to be less effective. This means that when you start to notice that it takes a few extra seconds for your car to turn over when you are starting it, it is time to have your battery checked.

2. Your Check Engine Light Turns On – So many times when you see your check engine light, you start to panic. Of course, you are worried that this might be the repair that is too expensive or the one that sends you shopping for a new car. With the Honda CRV, if your check engine light comes on, you should check the battery to ensure that this is not the problem.

3. Issues with the Electrical System and/or Dim Lights – If you notice that your lights are starting to dim or that your electronics seem to be lagging or dimmer, you are going to need to check out your battery. Many people do not realize that their lights are getting dim until they are in an accident or pulled over. Try and think about when you first got your car each time that you go out and if you notice that you cannot see when you should be able to, the problem might be with dim lights.

4. You Are Struggling With a Bad Smell – One of the tell-tale signs that you have a battery issue is when you can leak gas. If you open the hood and get a whiff of sulfur (many people say it smells like rotten eggs), you need to have your battery checked as quickly as possible.

5. Damaged Battery Case – One of the things that you have probably never thought to look for or consider is what the state of the battery case is. If you happen to check out your battery and you notice that the case is looking wonky, it might be time to get a new battery. In fact, if the battery is any shape other than the original, there is no way that it is going to be working right.

How to Choose a Battery for Your Car

To be able to change the car battery you do not need any special tools or skills. The thing that you will need to do that is most important is to find the right battery for your needs and your CRV. There are five things that you will want to keep in mind when you are choosing a battery

Step 1 – Look at Your Owner’s Manual

Of course, the first thing that you should do is check out the owners manual so that you know what you are looking for. The first thing that you should make note of is what the original batteries dimensions are. If you are not able to find your manual, do not panic. Look at the battery to see if you can find the specifics or take the battery with you.

Step 2 – Find the Battery that is of the Right Size

When you are looking to find the right new battery, you have to make sure that you find the right size. This means that you will find a battery that is the right length, height, and width to be able to properly fit into the battery tray that is in the car. The BCI or Battery Council International uses a number that allows you to identify the width, length, and height of the battery for OE sizes.

A size number is usually a simple number like 75, 65, 35, or 34. If you refer to the owner’s manual or an application catalog for your vehicle you should be able to figure out what size of battery you need.

Step 3 – Ensure That You Choose a Battery with the Right RC

Choosing a battery with the right RC or reserve capacity is very important. This is referring to the number of minutes that a battery will supply the minimum voltage needed for the car to run if the car’s alternator or fan belt fail.

While many do not realize that is what this stands for, it is listed in the minutes. The longer the RC rating, the better the quality the battery that you are purchasing is. If you are unsure of the RC rating, just ask a store associate to help you find it and check your car’s manual to see if there is a recommended RC.

Step 4 – Look at the Age of the Battery

Make sure that you take the time to check the age of the battery before you make the purchase. There is a manufacturer’s date code that is stamped on the battery label or the battery case. This is going to help you with knowing that you have a battery that is going to last as long as possible.

You will want to look for the two letter character code that is used for the date. This commonly is shown as a two character code that features a letter and then a number. The letter stands for a month as followers:

A — January, B — February, C — March, D — April, F — May, G — June, H — July, I — August, J — September, K — October, L — November, and M — December.  The number after the letter stands for the year, for instance: 5 — 2015, 6 — 2016, 7– 2017, 8 — 2018, 9 — 2019, 0 — 2020, 2021 and so on.

So if you have a battery date label that is J9 that means that the battery was produced in January 2019. If the battery says C5 then it was produced in March 2015.

The best thing to choose is the battery that is as close to the date that you are purchasing it as possible. The stores will typically choose to display the oldest batteries in the front so look to the back of the shelf for the newest one.

Step 5 – Look at the Cold-Cranking Amps

CCAs or Cold Cranking Amps are the things that measure the battery’s ability to start the car if the temperature is very cold. If you are looking for a battery that will start in an area that is extremely cold in the winter then you need to look for higher cold-cranking amps.

This will offer you the chance to find a battery that has the greatest power for starting a car when it is cold out. If you want to make sure that your car is able to start reliably, you should choose the highest CCA that is available at the time when you purchase your new CRV battery.

Do consider looking at the owner’s manual before you decide what CCA you want the battery to have. Basically, while you can go a little above or below what the owner’s manual says, you do not want to go too high.

A Few of Our Favorite Batteries for the Honda CRV

Of course, we are going to share some of our top battery picks for the Honda CRV for you. These are the top batteries that are available from the most trusted and preferred brands.

Batteries from Duralast

Duralast batteries are considered to be some of the highest quality batteries that you can find on the market. There are many different options that you can find for your CRV.

These are some of the ones that we wanted to note and share some of the specs on so that you can see that these batteries might be everything that you are looking for.

They feature high-quality standards and everything that you might be looking for when it comes to finding a great quality battery.

Duralast Platinum Battery 35-AGM

Duralast Platinum Battery 35-AGM

The Duralast Platinum battery is our top choice offers an OE exact fit. It has  680 cold cranking amps and 835 cranking amps. It features 100 reserve minutes. The warranty offers a full three years of replacement.

It is a battery that you feel confident with and rest assured that you are not going to have continuous problems or have to worry about anything.

Duralast Platinum Battery 51R-AGM

Duralast Platinum Battery 51R-AGM

This version of the Duralast Platinum battery is another favorite. It works well but features 435 cold cranking amps and 540 cranking amps. This battery has 75 reserve minutes. It also features the full three-year replacement warranty.

This battery is another that is not going to make you worry. It is going to ensure that you have everything that you need and that you are going to have a high-quality battery that is going to last.

Duralast Gold Battery 35-DLG

Duralast Gold Battery 35-DLG

The Duralast Gold Battery is a solid choice if you are looking for something that is budget friendly and still has good ratings. This battery offers the PE exact fit.

It has an alternative part number that is 35S-DLG. It features 640 cold cranking amps and 800 cranking amps. It also has 100 reserve minutes. The warranty offers three years of free replacement which is followed by an additional two years of prorated options.

Duralast Gold Battery 51R-DLG

Duralast Gold Battery 51R-DLG

The Duralast Gold Battery is another great choice if you want a good battery for a decent price. This one has an alternative part number of 51RS-DLG.

It features 500 cold cranking amps, 635 cranking amps, and 85 reserve minutes. The warranty offers three years of free replacement followed by two years or prorated options.

Duralast Battery 26R-DL

Duralast Battery 26R-DL

The Duralast Battery is a great choice. It features an alternative fit and has 575 cold cranking amps and 715 cranking amps. There are 90 reserve minutes. The warranty offers two years of free replacement and requires a top height adjuster and to check hood clearance.

Duralast Battery 51R-DL

Duralast Battery 51R-DL

The Duralast Battery 51R-DL has an alternative part number, 51RS-DL. This battery features an OE exact fit. It has 425 cold cranking amps and 530 cranking amps. It features 75 reserve minutes. It also has a warranty that offers two full years of free replacement.

There is a wide range of additional Duralast batteries that you can find. Each one is sure to be a good high-quality battery coming from the Duralast brand.

Valucraft Batteries

Valucraft batteries offer good quality with standards that you do not see on other value-priced options. These batteries are some of the most affordable options that are available on the market today. In order to show you some of your options, we have chosen our favorite Valucraft batteries to share with you.

Valucraft Battery 35-VL

Valucraft Battery 35-VL

The Valucraft Battery 35-VL is one of the best values that you can find for a battery. IT features the OE exact fit, has 490 cold cranking amps, and 610 cranking amps. This battery features 75 reserve minutes. It has a warranty that offers one year of free replacement.

Valucraft Battery 26R-VL

Valucraft Battery 26R-VL

The Valucraft Battery 26R-VL is a great value as well. It features the alternative fit and is also known by an alternative part number, 26R-6. The battery features 450 cold cranking amps and has 560 cranking amps. It offers 85 reserve minutes.

The warranty offers you one year of free replacement. This battery does require a top height adapter and you have to check the hood for clearance in your CRV.

Valucraft Battery 51R-VL

Valucraft Battery 51R-VL

The Valucraft Battery 51R-VL also has the alternative fit. It has 410 cold cranking amps and 510 cranking amps. It has a warranty that allows for one year of free replacement. It is a nice standard or basic battery that you will be pleased with if you are searching for a CRV battery.

Optima Batteries

The Optima Batteries are a battery that looks like it has come from the future. It is not shaped in a standard rectangular box as the others are.

This battery is curvy and uses less plastic waste as well as less waste of space. It has everything that you are looking for in features and offers some nice options that are great to use.

Optima Battery D35

Optima Battery D35

The Optima Battery D35 is a great battery that features the alternative fit. It has 620 cold cranking amps and 770 cranking amps. It has 100 reserve minutes.

Plus, it features a warranty that offers three years of free replacement. The yellow top deep cycle design requires a bottom height adapter and you have to check for hood clearance.

Optima Batteries D35 | Advance Auto Parts
$249.99

Optima D35 YellowTop battery provides the extra performance and deep-cycling capability that your vehicle demands if it has a lot of accessories like running lights, high-performance stereo/AV system, winches, or hydraulics. 

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Optima Battery D51R

Optima Battery D51R

The Optima Battery D51R is a great alternative fit battery. It features 450 cold cranking amps and also has 575 cranking amps. It has 66 reserve minutes. The warranty offers a full three-year replacement. It also features the yellow top deep cycle style.

Optima Batteries D51R | Amazon
$289.99

With premium cranking power and unparalleled cycling capability (rechargeability), it is perfect for modern accessory-loaded vehicles.

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03/09/2024 09:05 pm GMT

Optima Battery 35

Optima Battery 35

The Optima Battery 35 is another great alternative battery. It features 720 cold cranking amps and also has 910 cranking amps. It is one of the easiest to start batteries and one that will start in the most diverse conditions.

This battery has 90 reserve minutes. The warranty offers three years of free replacement. It also has a red top and requires a bottom height adapter which means that you have to check the hood clearance.

Optima Batteries 35 RedTop | Advance Auto Parts
$229.99

Optima 35 RedTop is designed to deliver high power cranking ability even in harsh weather conditions. This battery is great for heavy use by hot rods and off-roaders with its leak-proof, high power, and starting ability.

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Econocraft Battery

The Econocraft Battery line is another line that offers great affordable battery options. These batteries are great for people who want to buy one battery that is going to last as long as possible.

Econocraft Battery 51R-E

Econocraft Battery 51R-E

The Econocraft Battery 51R-E is a great OE exact fit option. The battery has 450 cold cranking amps and 555 cranking amps. The battery features 70 reserve minutes. The warranty offers three months of a full replacement. This is the perfect battery to be located inside the engine compartment.

Econocraft Battery 26R-E

Econocraft Battery 26R-E

The Econocraft Battery 26R-E is another great budget battery. It has an alternative fit. It features 450 cold cranking amps and 555 cranking amps. It has 55 reserve minutes. The warranty offers a three-month free replacement. The battery is another that is great for when it is located in the engine compartment.

How to Change Your Honda CRV Battery

If you have battery problems, you are probably interested in learning everything that you need to know in order to be able to replace the Honda CRV battery. It is important to remember that there is not a car battery that is going to last forever.

In fact, you will be able to extend the battery life by taking good care of your car and having regular maintenance done, but that does not mean that you are going to have what you need.

If you notice that your headlights are starting to be dimmer or if you have had to jump-start your car, you are probably going to want to invest in a new battery sooner, rather than later.

One of the best ways to ensure that you are replacing the right part is to take the car to a trusted mechanic and have them test the battery. However, you are fully capable of changing your own battery.

How to Change Your Honda CRV Battery

Don’t Change a Battery That Does Not Need To Be Replaced

There are several clues that you can find if you want to make sure that your battery needs to be replaced. The following are tips for ensuring that your battery really does need to be changed.

Ensure That There is No Build Up

One of the things that you can do to make sure that you are replacing a battery that actually needs to be replaced is to look for build up. This build-up can be in a whitish color or you might notice some reside that is blue around the terminal.

Sometimes all you have to do to make your battery work like new is to remove this reside. It is important that you do not touch this powder with your hand. If you touch this powder you will likely cause your skin to corrode because it contains high levels of dried sulfuric acid.

Ensure That Your Battery Has Been Fully Charged

Next, you will want to make sure that your battery is able to be recharged. It is easy to fully recharge your battery by using the vehicle and going for a long drive. You will want to be driving for at least thirty minutes if not longer.

You want to do this while using minimal electricity. So, you do not want to use the battery charger for your phone, radio, or A/C during this thirty-minute drive.

Don’t Forget About Checking the Alternator

If you find that your battery is still having issues, it can be smart to check the alternator. The alternator will have a charge that is between 13.8 and 14.2 volts when the vehicle is working properly. You will want to check the battery’s charge as well.

The battery should feature a charge that is in between 12.4 and 12.8 volts. This is with the engine off and when there is no accessory load in use.

Things to Remember Before You Remove the Battery

There are a few things that you have to remember to do prior to actually removing the battery. So following these tips is going to help you to ensure that you are not going to have continual problems with the battery or your Honda CRV.

Make Sure the WorkSpace is Safe and Secure

Before you can get started working on your car or even just removing your battery, make sure that you set up a workspace that is secure. You will want to ensure that you are parked on a surface that is flat and level.

You will need to ensure that you are not close to open flames or any type of traffic sparks. To be extra safe and secure, make sure that you turn the parking brake on. You will also want to wear safety goggles and safety gloves.

Use Your Memory Keeper

If you are wondering exactly what a memory keeper is, don’t worry we are going to tell you. A memory keeper is a super handy little tool that is not expensive but is going to save you quite a bit of time as it ensures that your settings are not erased when the battery is not plugged in.

This device is going to be plugged into the lighter socket. If you do not have a lighter, you use the same plus as where you plug in your phone cord. If you do not have a memory keeper, make sure that you write down all of your info so that you have a record of how things were and what you need to do to get them to be the same.

Out With the Old Battery, In With the New Battery

Now you are ready to actually start the process of removing your old battery and installing the new one.

Find the Battery

The first thing that you have to do is to locate the battery. You want to be sure that you are looking in the right spot to do this. The battery will typically be located by looking on the sides of the vehicle’s frame.

It is typically found on one side or the other, depending on the year of your Honda CRV. You will find that most batteries are rectangular shaped boxes. They are going to have cables going out of them.

honda crv battery

Find the Battery Terminals

Next, you are going to want to make sure that you know which terminals are positive and which are negative. The easiest way to recognize this is that the positive is going to feature a plus sign and the negative is going to feature a minus sign.

Be Sure You Are Disconnecting the Negative Terminal First

The first thing that you should do is make sure that you are disconnecting the negative terminal first. You will do this by taking the time to loosen the negative clamp using a wrench. Then you will want to slide it from the terminal.

Now, it is very important that you take the time to disconnect the negative terminal before you are disconnecting the positive terminal. This is so that you do not short circuit the electrical system in your car. If you do not disconnect the negative first, you will end up with a short circuit where your car is grounded.

Get Ready to Disconnect the Positive Terminal

Disconnecting the positive terminal is simple and ready once you are done with the negative.

Take the Old Battery Out of the Car

When the battery is completely disconnected from the car, you will want to remove it. Many businesses where you purchase your battery require that you turn in the old battery so that it can be recycled.

Many places make you pay a deposit or fee if you do not have the old battery with you at the store. Do not panic or worry, you just take the old battery in and get your money refunded to you immediately.

Put the New Battery Into the Car

The next step is to put the new battery into the car where you have just removed the old battery from.

Reconnect the Terminals

While most mechanics do not agree on this topic, it is not as important to use a specific order when you are reconnecting the terminals.

Most people choose to just reconnect the positive first and the negative second as in the opposite of what they had done to disconnect the battery. However, this is a great way to make sure that you are being safe and paying attention when reconnecting the car.

Get Out Your Wrench To Tighten the Clamps

The next step requires you to bring your wrench back out. When you have your wrench, you will want to tighten the clamps down for the battery to be secure and in place.

Close the Hood

Now you are going to close the hood. Make sure that you do this carefully the first time in case you do not have the battery installed in the proper place. In most cases, this is not a problem, but if you are changing a CRV with some batteries there are modifications that need to be made to ensure that your hood can easily close.

Check the Electrical System

Now before you are finished with your new battery installation, you are going to need to check the electrical system of the car. Make sure that all of the electronic devices are all working as they should.

You will want to check the AC and heater, the radio, the CD player, windshield wipers, turn signals, and anything else that uses power in the Honda CR V that you are driving.

Take Care of the Old Battery

It is essential for the environment that you take care of the old battery. Make sure that you dispose of it properly at a disposal location.

Changing a battery does not have to be a challenge with your Honda CRV. By knowing what to look for in a good battery, seeing some of our top battery brands and choices for the car, and by looking at the process to remove the old battery and install the new battery, you are ready to get back on the road.

FAQ’s About The Best Battery for CRV

How do you know when your battery is going bad?

There are always symptoms that show that a battery is going bad. Some of the symptoms include slow engine crank, electrical issues or not starting at first. Also, if you have an old battery or your dashboard light comes on, make sure to check your battery!

How long car batteries last?

On average, car batteries last from 2 to 5 years. So if you want to know whether your battery’s end is approaching, check the label to see for sure.

Can a dead car battery be brought back to life?

Yes. You can bring a dead car battery back to life with a booster pack.

Further Reading on Honda CRVs

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