Drivers should check the condition of their battery before the sudden arrival of winter frosts cause unwelcome surprises. According to the ADAC, the German Association of Motorists, the car battery was the cause of 46.3% of all vehicle failures recorded in 2020. The main reason is obvious: when a car stands still for weeks, the battery runs out and, as a result, the engine stops running. “The safest way is to have the battery professionally checked in a garage”, declares Riccardo Bozzoni, Battery Expert of Clarios, the manufacturer of VARTA batteries.
Nearly half of such failures could be avoided if people paid more attention to batteries. Based on a few simple criteria, motorists can easily tell if the battery is in danger of leaving them on foot.
Why go to a garage?
What if the battery fails the test and needs to be replaced? In this case, the experts from Clarios and ADAC recommend avoiding do-it-yourself. While it is true that years ago replacing a battery was a relatively simple matter, today technology is complex and sensitive. A workshop has the skills necessary to replace a battery quickly and safely without damaging the electronic components of a car.
In addition, the garage ensures that the battery is properly delivered to the recycling system, thus minimizing the impact on the environment. This practice is followed so well that car batteries are the most recycled end product in the major economies of the planet, more than aluminum, paper, tires and glass.
A proven collection system
With the collaboration of customers and partners, Clarios has developed a proven and reliable collection system that allows in Europe to recover over 98% of car batteries and to recycle a considerable portion of the materials with which they are manufactured. The plastic parts are transformed into polypropylene chips, used, for example, for the housings of the new batteries. Lead is made available again for the production of batteries. The acid can be processed to make fertilizers or detergents.
Anyone who wants to spend a winter without surprises should have their battery checked and possibly replaced, leaving the car in the hands of a professional. Motorists can use the search function at
to find the closest VARTA partner.
The battery needs to be checked:
1. if you are more than four years old
2. if the last workshop check was done more than two years ago
3. if the car has stood still for a long period or if it has been used little (eg for lockdown, travel, illness)
4. if you often use your car for short journeys
5. if the engine does not start immediately
6. if the engine is always running when stopped at traffic lights despite the start-stop function
7. if many elements that consume electricity have been retrofitted (eg auxiliary or seat heating, stereo system, marten repellent)
8. if the car was exposed to high temperatures during the summer
9. if a cold winter or a trip to cold regions is planned
The more situations that apply to you, the more urgently it is recommended to have your VARTA battery checked in a garage.