12v battery replacement recommendations?

[Livemeyer]

My 2011 Leaf is now 11 years old (bravo!) and the 12v accessory battery that was replaced under warranty in 2013 is now 9 years old (wow!). It says it's an 84-month battery, which equates to 7 years, so getting 9 years out of a battery is phenomenal. Question is, should I be looking for another great battery (read: one with a long warranty) or will any standard battery do? Is there any reason to go with an AGM battery like an Optima? I mean, we aren't relying on CCAs here to crank over an ICE in the freezing cold. What are the best properties to look for in a replacement battery for a LEAF?

[LeftieBiker]

There are several topics on this already, so in a day or two I'll merge this one with one of them. Now to answer your question: there is often a reason to go with an AGM battery, in that the Leaf doesn't do the best job of keeping its accessory battery fully charged, and AGM batteries are more tolerant of being at less than 100%. It also appears that AGM (and lithium) batteries are more compatible with the Leaf's charging algorithm than are starting batteries, because of how the Leaf's charging system uses battery voltage to decide when and how much to charge. Having said all that, though, if you got 9 years from a simple flooded cell starting battery, I see no reason not to just go with another of those. The Japanese-made battery that your car came with, and that was probably used as the replacement, isn't available now. The new version OEM Leaf accessory battery still is, although it's becoming less widely available. I'd get one of those, and maybe not expect it to last quite as long as your present battery did. You can also try an AGM.

[Marktm]

And, if you do decide on the (relatively) inexpensive FLA type OEM - you can trickle charge for 24-48 hours every couple of weeks. It'll tend to stay at a higher state of charge and not sulfate as badly. I've had the same experience of my 2012 Gen 1 OEM battery lasted 7+ years - longer than just about any FLA in my ICE autos.

[jjeff]

I went with AGM but they are generally quite a bit more expensive than a standard flooded acid battery, like around $200 vs around $100 for a standard 12v 51R. The cheapest I've found in flooded acid is Costco who seems to regularly sell the Interstate brand in 51R size. For AGM, a 51R in Optima yellow top(what I have) is no longer around $200 and can be hard to find in 51R and I've seen it as much as $300 which is stupid IMO. My brother tried to order an off brand 51R AGM from Remy off the internet but never got it and they gave him the run around so much he finally gave up! $160 down the toilet but that tells me Remy isn't particularly a good company to deal with, at least if you have shipping problems.

[Nubo]

How much longer do you intend on keeping the car? For 3 years or less I'd settle for a flooded type battery. Over 3 years I'd look for an AGM.

[lorenfb]

My 2011 Leaf is now 11 years old (bravo!) and the 12v accessory battery that was replaced under warranty in 2013 is now 9 years old (wow!). It says it's an 84-month battery, which equates to 7 years, so getting 9 years out of a battery is phenomenal. Question is, should I be looking for another great battery (read: one with a long warranty) or will any standard battery do? Is there any reason to go with an AGM battery like an Optima? I mean, we aren't relying on CCAs here to crank over an ICE in the freezing cold. What are the best properties to look for in a replacement battery for a LEAF?

You essentially answered your question in your 1st sentence. The utility doesn't get much better with other battery types.

[alozzy]

FWIW, I spent a little over $100 CAD on a 12V replacement FLA battery and it's been working flawlessly now for over 5 years. YMMV.

[BillAinCT]

FWIW, I spent a little over $100 CAD on a 12V replacement FLA battery and it's been working flawlessly now for over 5 years. YMMV.

Are you charging it externally or simply letting the Leaf do it? In other words, is charging required?

[alozzy]

With my LEAF, it doesn't need any additional charging, it charges fine unaided. However, based on the experience of others, that's not always the case.

[LeftieBiker]

I've reduced the frequency of external charging a lot by trying to make sure that I 'blip' the front wipers at least once per drive, or wash the windshield with them.