a person holding a battery wearing white gloves

How to choose the correct battery for your Ford vehicle

Five ways to make sure you get the best battery for your Ford vehicle 

You can’t just grab any old battery off the shelf and expect it to work in your Ford vehicle. Every vehicle is different, and there are different types of vehicle batteries to match different vehicles. Below, we have five tips for how to choose the correct battery for your Ford vehicle. 


1. Consider the size of the battery 

Check your Ford owner’s manual to see which battery group sizes fit your vehicle. There will likely be multiple options, so we recommend taking a picture of this information before heading into a store or dealership to purchase a battery. Getting the correct group size of your battery will ensure that the length, height, and width fits correctly in your Ford vehicle. 

a person checking a vehicle with a diagnostic device

2. Pay attention to the performance of the battery 

This will also be specified in your Ford owner’s manual. It will be written as the CCA (Cold Cranking Amps) and refers to how well the battery can supply energy. Different vehicles will need different battery CCA specifications, so make sure to check. Higher numbers, in general, are better, as they indicate better performance. 


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3. Check the RC (Reserve Capacity) 

The RC of a battery measures how long the battery can supply power. Along with the CCA, the RC is an important indicator of performance. Also like CCA, a higher number, in general, is better and correlates with better performance. 


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4. Get the newest available battery for your Ford vehicle 

Look at the current battery in your vehicle. There should be a battery date code in it, where the letter stands for the month of the year and the number stands for the year in which the battery was manufactured. The letters are the month start with A for January and follow alphabetically through the alphabet as the months go on. Thus, E20 would represent a battery manufactured this month, May 2020. When you purchase a battery, look for the newest one available, because you don’t want to buy a battery that has sat for a very long time. 


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5. Double check your warranty coverage 

The battery you buy will likely come with its own form of warranty coverage. Check this out and make sure you are satisfied with what it offers. Furthermore, it is always good to double-check with a Ford technician that you are purchasing a battery that complies with Ford warranties.  


Ford Extended Warranty information