Summer Heat and Winter Frost: How to Take Care of a Car Battery Throughout the Year

Every driver knows that winter is a major strain on car batteries. However, few realize that summer heat also poses a risk to car batteries.

At temperatures around 30 degrees, a car battery discharges about twice as fast as at the optimal temperature of around 20 degrees. Batteries suffer the most during prolonged exposure to heat, such as when a car is left unused for several weeks during a holiday by the sea. However, even at home, we experience tropical days. Due to high temperatures, excessive self-discharge occurs, leading to sulfation of the plates and subsequent loss of battery capacity.

To protect the car battery, you should avoid leaving the car unused in direct sunlight for extended periods. It's good to take the car on a longer drive occasionally, ideally around 50–60 km, to ensure the battery is sufficiently charged. When the car is parked for a long time, it's best to find a spot where it's not exposed to direct sunlight all day.

Excessive heat speeds up the self-discharge of the car battery, which gradually reduces its capacity, and this is most often noticed in winter when the car fails to start. Therefore, we recommend checking the battery's charge not only before winter but also in summer, especially during extreme heat. On hot days, we often use air conditioning and other comfort systems, which run even at low engine speeds, potentially harming the car battery.