How long does the average new car battery last?

“On average, a car battery will last for about three to five years.” Source

Depends on where you live as extreme temperatures can affect their life.
I would trust mine for four years after which I would be wary.

keep your connections clean and tight, and provided your alternator doesn’t crap out on ya, I’ve had one last 10 years!

Batteries are only better in some respects. Deep discharge (leaving your headlights on all night) will still kill them. You can only get away with that a couple of times. If you live in a cold climate where the battery can freeze, once is all it takes.

A lot of variables here. like, the quality and cost of the battery, at the beginning. cheap batteries do last as long as more expensive batteries. it has something to do with the metal plates inside the battery. also, how the battery is used. heat is a killer of car batteries. cars that stand idle for long periods of time with the air conditioner running, have a shorter lifespan.

A good example are batteries in police vehicles. their lifespan is short, due to the heat generated by the cars engine and a lot of idle time.

In general, a good car battery should last about five years. three years in a police vehicle.

In a wide variety of vehicles under a wide variety of circumstances, I’ve averaged about six years per battery. Almost every battery I have replaced was over five years old, and the one exception was a four year old battery that got the life sucked out of it by leaving the lights on one day at work.

maybe a tad off subject but many a battery are blamed for stoppage when the real culprit was the 8 dollar battery cable. Those cables can look as new as the day they were installed but for some reason they just crap out and fool people into thinking: stupid battery. I’ve had batteries go 6 years but that is rare.

@woodcutter Never had that issue, and I’ve had some old cars in bad shape. What I have had is cars stopped by corrosion on the battery terminals between the post and the clamp. Disassemple, clean with a stiff wire brush, and good as new.