Buying a new car battery is an easy task if you know your car and its needs well, and if you know car batteries and what it can provide. There are numerous things to consider such the physical size of the battery, the terminal type, and the life cycle of the battery, to name a few. More importantly, you must know whether the battery you need is for engine starting or for deep cycling, because the difference between the two dictates the life cycle and effectiveness of the battery.

If you want quality assurance, dependability and less maintenance fuss on your car batteries, consider the Optima and Interstate car batteries. The Optima and Interstate are the most recognized battery brands in the world with Interstate specializing in Starting, Lighting and Ignition (SLI) batteries as it carries in its line the Optima batteries which are known for its patented SpiralCell SLI, deep cycling and marine batteries.

There are three versions of Optima and Interstate car batteries, but for your vehicle power needs you would only need to consider two: the RedTop battery and the YellowTop battery. The former is used for cranking and normal engine starting applications and can provide high cold cranking amps during a difficult cold weather. And unlike ordinary car batteries, is it also highly resistant to hot temperatures. This kind is known to have the strongest five-second ignition power - making it the first choice of battery for trucks, SUV's, luxury cars, off-road vehicles and others that require starting-only batteries.

The YellowTop battery, meanwhile, is ideal if your vehicle requires a higher than average electrical loads, or if it demands more discharge cycle such as those without alternators. Examples of these are cars with aftermarket electronics (e.g. power sliding door), racing and electronic vehicles, and vehicles with inverters, hydraulics or winches. If also you need sound system car batteries for audio and video systems exceeding 250 watts, the YellowTop is your best bet. Although this battery excels for reserve-capacity application, or its ability to power a vehicle when alternators do not work, it can also work for starting and cranking given the appropriate size.

The Optima car batteries are the most preferred by many for a reason - several reasons, actually. First and foremost, these batteries are made of Absorbent Glass Mat with spirally wounded plates, so it fits various vehicles and equipment. This technology also enables the batteries to run three to five times longer than the conventional, flat-plate batteries, so greater savings is assured in the long run. Furthermore, its absorbed electrolyte and sealed construction prevents leakages and corrosion. Optima and Interstate Car batteries can be used in most cars like Acura, Audi, Aston Martin, Aptera, Atom Aerial, AMG, Bentley, BMW, Bugatti, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Ferrari, GM, GMC, Honda, Infinity, Jaguar, Jeep, Jetta, Lamborghini, Land Rover, Range Rover, Lexus, Lotus, Mazda, Mercedes Benz, MBZ, Mini Cooper, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Porsche, Saab, Subaru, Spyker, Smart, Toyota, Tesla, Preius, VW, Volkswagen, Volvo, Toyota Racing Development, Brabus.

There are several brands that produce good quality batteries, too, but the sophisticated characteristics of Optima and Interstate car batteries in damage prevention and zero maintenance operation explain its unparalleled popularity against other brands. But no matter what brand you buy, the important thing is you get the correct, specific type for your vehicle. Choose the one with a greatest reserve capacity, and pick the Absorbed Glass Mat (AGM) rather than a Wet Cell especially if you're not fond of giving your car batteries regular maintenance and charging.

Eddie Borgwardt is an entrepreneur and car enthusiast from Santa Monica, California. He owns and manages his 25-year old car shop while contributing car-related articles in a local newspaper every month. He admits to recommending Optima & Interstate car batteries to his customers looking for sound system car batteries, and particularly suggesting Optima's RedTop for their cranking car battery needs.