How to Read the Car Battery Date Code?

The date codes on the battery signify the age of your battery. These codes are engraved on the cover of each interstate battery when they are being shipped from the manufacturing plant. You will find four to five digits code based on the shipping date. The codes are visible when you look closely at the top of the battery. Do not search for the code on the battery’s label; it would be found on the rim around the cover. By looking at the code, you can know the date when the battery was shipped from the manufacturing unit to the wholesale distributor. The additional digits of the codes would tell you the location where the battery was made.

Significance of the car battery date codes

All batteries are fragile products and car batteries are no exceptions. Apart from the brand, the car owner needs to know the newness of the battery. Hence, knowing the production date is essential. Every car needs a battery as fresh as possible. While buying a battery, you should locate the battery and look for the sticker that has the date information engraved.

The biggest confusion that the car owners face is that the manufacturing dates mentioned on the car batteries are not portrayed as plain dates. It is set as per the manufacture’s code and is stamped on the cover of the battery. You would have to learn to read the codes so that you get the best deal in terms of originality and freshness.

How to read the date code of the batteries?

The first character of the code is an alphabet. Each alphabet stands for every month of the year. A is for January, B is for February, C is for March and it goes in alphabetical order. The second character of the code from the left is the year of shipment. It reveals the year when the battery was shipped from the manufacturing unit. 4 means 2004, 5 means 2005, 6 means 2006, 0 means 2010, and again 1 means 2011. It goes on in the same manner. You need to observe minutely and understand the year code.

A battery usually is sold during the first three months after receiving the battery from the factory. If they are stocked for a longer duration, the batteries need to be recharged in the warehouse to keep them fresh. If the batteries are recharged by the wholesale distributors, there will be another date code mentioned on the cover of the battery. The code will still be read in the same manner mentioned here.

Age of the car battery

When you get a new battery, you should keep in mind that the new car batteries are valid for three to five years. Hence, understanding and being aware of the age is important. You would know when to change the battery. There are various ways to verify the age of your car’s battery. If you have bought a new car, the age of the battery would be counted from the date when you bought the car.

Another way of determining the battery age is to refer to the receipt of the battery. When you buy a new battery as a replacement, the date would be mentioned on the original receipt and you can count the age from that date. If you are buying a second-hand car, you need to search for the date code printed on the battery of the car.

Most of the resellers would deliberately want to sell their oldest stock first, hence you to ensure that you pick the new and fresh battery available at the shop. If you can read the date codes, only then you can buy the best battery for your car. Ignorant people might end up buying an expired battery and lose their money.