What is life like with your car? Let us know and win £500 in John Lewis vouchers | No thanks

How can I tell the age of a car battery?

I want to know if the battery that's fitted to my 2015 Audi is original to the car, as a replacement is very expensive. It does not have an obvious date stamp on the top or sides, but I've been able to photograph the label on the top and my phone has deciphered the QR code. Would this data enable anyone in the know to determine how old the battery is?

Asked on 2 April 2024 by Andy Lee

Answered by David Ross
We would expect the battery to have a serial number, whether this is stamped elsewhere on the battery or within the data taken from the QR code. Typically the two characters in a battery serial number refer to the year of manufacture from 0 to 9 and is a letter referring to the month of manufacture from A to L corresponding to January through December.

If you car was manufactured in 2015 we would not expect it to be on its original battery, as they typically are past their best by the time they are five years old.
Similar questions
We want to fit a tracker to our WW2 Willys Jeep in case it gets stolen. It is particularly exposed so we think a battery powered independent unit would be a good option - one that is not wired to the vehicle...
Why did my hybrid show not ready to start?
Does playing the radio with engine switched off cause battery to go flat within 20mins?
 

Value my car

Save £75 on Warranty using code HJ75

with MotorEasy

Get a warranty quote

Save 12% on GAP Insurance

Use HJ21 to save on an ALA policy

See offer