Is Interstate The Best Car Battery? Let’s Find Out…

A battery is often forgotten and is relegated to the background; usually given a cursory glance before choosing one that is apt for your car. However, it should not be the case. It should be chosen with care since a quality battery can give the car a powerful boost. But which battery brand can you trust your car with?

Interstate is the battery you can rely on for a quality battery at a cost-effective price. They simply excel when it comes to construction, performance, and durability. I consider the MTP-65 Battery to be the best battery from the brand. But, you do have tons of choices when it comes to them.

Interstate batteries are a product of Costco Wholesale and manufactured by Johnson Controls, who produces batteries for many top brands in the US. So, there’s no issue about the quality of these batteries.

However, there’s the question, who sells interstate car batteries? You can spot these batteries across the stores in Advance Auto Parts Inc and Firestone Complete Autocare. You can also buy them online on Amazon.

Top 3 Best Interstate Car Batteries Comparison

Among the many batteries from the brand, here are what I consider the best of them all. If they fit your car without any issues, I suggest you buy them. Along with Interstate car battery reviews, I also added a few details on the specifications.

1. Interstate MTP-65 Battery

Touted to be the best, MTP-65 Battery meets or exceeds your expectations when compared with the OEM vehicle battery. This battery fits cars requiring group size 65 batteries.

The MTP-65 battery is a traditional flooded battery where you’d have to add water to increase their lifetime. It has removable caps for the reason. With cold-cranking amps of 750, the battery is well suitable for cold climates to moderate climates.

Not to be left behind, the cranking amps are at an impressive 1000 amps and the reserve capacity at 140 minutes. So, there is no chance of you being caught out in the cold weather due to your battery. But the weight is at 45.4 lbs this strikes me as a disadvantage since there are batteries more lightweight than this.

The starting battery is Sealed Lead Acid (SLA) type contained within a strong, durable frame with safety vents for recharging. Hence, it is safe to use and can withstand vibrations much better than its competitors. The tight and sturdy grid pattern is designed as such to provide peak electricity during startup and will not fail you in any condition even in cold freezing weather conditions.

And finally, coming to the warranty, the brand offers a 30-month replacement warranty with a 6-year performance warranty. Few customers have complained online about them not honoring their replacement warranty period. Engineered for engines requiring a performance heavy battery, it starts at $144.99.

Pros:

  • 1000 Cranking amps are good enough for a starting battery
  • 140 minutes of reserve capacity
  • Batteries are 100% recycled

Cons:

  • For a battery designed for cold to moderate climates, a CCA of 750 amps is just adequate considering that other brands have more CCA than this
  • Weighs more
  • Consumers have complaints about the brand not honoring the warranty

2. Interstate MT-34 Battery

Another one of my favorites from their MT or Mega-Tron line is the MT-34. Weighing just 37.4 pounds, the battery is reliable, packed with features, and give you the absolute best without breaking the bank. The battery is suitable for a vast variety of vehicles and climates particularly hot to moderate climatic conditions. It is their high electrolyte-to-lead ratio that makes it resistant to high temperatures.

Even though the cold cranking amps are a matter here, it is at 700 amps, which is good. What I do not like much is the cranking amps which is at 875. They could have them on the upwards of 900 or 1000 like my previous pick.

The unique free-flowing design of the brand makes this one of the better flooded-batteries around that are affordable and trustworthy. The frame is sturdy, and sealed, common with all SLA-based batteries. However, it’d be best if you remember, that these cannot handle heavy requirements placed on the battery. If a good starting battery is what you need, MT-34 is your pick.

Continuing with the specifications, the battery has around 120 minutes of reserve capacity at 25 amps which gives you powerful startups in all weather conditions. Another advantage is maintenance-free and also recharges quickly. However, if it requires that you need to add water to the battery, you have removable caps.

The Mega-Tron range of batteries has a replacement warranty of 2 months and a performance warranty of five years.

Pros:

  • Durable
  • Good cold-cranking amps at 700 for a battery intended for hot-moderate weather
  • Great reserve capacity at 120 minutes
  • Maintenance-free

Cons:

  • Cranking amps which are at 875 amps could be better
  • They are known for their problematic warranty

3. Interstate MTP-24F Battery

Does your vehicle need more pulling power to equip all the latest modern electronics? Then, the battery you need is the MTP-24F.

Starting with the technical specifications, the group size of the battery is 24f. Powered by the state of the art free-flowing design, the battery gives you superior performance with a long lifetime. This is the battery to go for if you are looking for something to equal or exceed your original equipment manufacturer’s (OEM) specifications.

Since the battery is designed for cold to moderate temperatures, the cold cranking amps which define the performance in such temperatures is 750 amps. The general cranking amps set the expectations for the battery’s performance in normal temperatures which is at 940 amps. With these, your car can handle the rough freezing climate and rugged terrains like a child’s play.

The reserve capacity is at 130 minutes at 25 amps. This gives you a powerful performance, especially at start-up when your car needs a sudden burst of power. For a Sealed Lead Acid battery, the specifications are what you can expect from a top brand.

As with all the batteries this range, the frame is sturdy and can handle rough terrains. They are also resistant to vibrations and maintenance-free. I also have to mention their recharging capability which is very satisfactory according to the customers of the brand.

Coming to their warranty, it is 30 months with battery replacement and 6 years of performance warranty. But, if they go ahead with their warranty requirements remains to be seen.

Pros:

  • Great cranking amps, ensuring general performance
  • Perfect for cold climate
  • Maintenance Free
  • Not heavy
  • Cost-effective

Cons:

  • Just a good CCA and nothing exceptional like what you have come to expect from the brand
  • They are known for not honoring their warranty

Why Interstate Batteries?

With so many battery brands around why should you go for the Interstate batteries by Costco Wholesale.
Let me put it this way, are interstate batteries good? Yeah, They are very good indeed.

The brand has been around since 1952 and bettered themselves with 80+ years of innovation and selling more than 15 million batteries every year. They are considered to be among the top battery brands in the US through its excellent specifications for such good pricing.

Interstate batteries perform consistently throughout all its products and can be compared to the biggies in the automobile market. They are also priced less when compared to the other brands and if you managed to score one in an offer/deal, you have struck a gold mine.

This brings us to a question, how much do the Interstate batteries cost? Starting at $129 for the MT’s, the battery can go anywhere until the high $300’s, which isn’t much considering the expensive batteries are AGM batteries. The MTX starts at $299 while the MTZ also the same range.

I’d like to address another question I often get asked before I move on. How long do interstate batteries last? They last anywhere from 1 year to 5 years depending on how frequently you use your car to how you treat your battery and also battery maintenance. If you do right by the above factors you can expect your battery to last a minimum of 3 years.

Interstate Batteries Warranty Issue

Since I kept talking about their warranty issue, I’d like to address it here. Interstate batteries have a good warranty starting at a replacement warranty and performance warranty as mentioned below:

  • M Variant: 18 months replacement warranty
  • MT Variant: 24 months replacement warranty and a five-year performance warranty
  • MTP Variant: 30 months replacement warranty and a six-year performance warranty
  • MTX Variant: 36 months replacement warranty
  • MT Variant: 48 months replacement warranty

Even though the warranty is good and the batteries last for the longest time, not all batteries are so. For batteries that fail before the replacement warranty is up, few stores fail to honor the warranty requirement that is to replace the battery with one of the same models. Few customers have claimed that the replacement also didn’t last long and nowhere close to the specifications of the previous model.

While this looks like a problem with specific stores, I’d suggest you research your store and choose one that goes by the brand’s philosophy.

Interstate Batteries – One-Stop Shop for Your Battery Needs!

After being established in 1952, Interstate batteries have been the choice of automobile owners and technicians owing to their reliability and consistent performance. The brand has many variants in different series catering to different vehicles and needs.

In addition to these, they also have a line of commercial batteries, marine batteries, etc. Here are the various series of batteries released by the brand:

  • M Batteries: The M-Line of batteries is perfect for the value-minded customer who loves good cranking power and reliable performance. As always they do not lack in quality or service.
  • MT Batteries: The MT-Line of batteries gives you a powerful performance in hot to moderate climatic conditions with their high electrolyte-to-lead ratio that makes it impervious to harsh weather.
  • MTP Batteries: Cold freezing weather doesn’t work well for batteries unless they have an excellent CCA which the MTP-Line is famous for. With the CCA they offer, you can get powerful performance and a long life with these batteries.
  • MTX Batteries: The MTX-Line of batteries are of AGM construction which varies vastly from the traditional SLA range. It is designed to give plenty of power to the accessories even when the engine is switched off and longer life than the conventional batteries.
  • MTZ Batteries: The MTZ-line of batteries have an AGM construction and is powered by their trademarked Pure Matrix power. This is ideal for present-day’s cars and trucks loaded with modern power-hungry accessories like GPS, phone chargers, and DVD players.

Buying Guide for Interstate Batteries

It always helps to know how to choose a battery, compare their specifications and their pros and cons. With these in hand, you can have a better idea of what suits you when it comes to a battery.

  • Cold Cranking Amps: If you are in a climate that shuffles between extreme cold to moderate and then hot, you’d want something with a good CCA. The brand has 2 different lines catering to cold climates and hot climates. The lowest CCA you’d see is 600 amps and the highest is 900 amps, which is more than enough.
  • Battery Lifespan: I need not say how important it is to know your recharge and discharge times. These batteries have a good lifespan with quick recharge times making it ideal for short and long distances.
  • Light Indicator: They have light indicators, that reveal if the charge is full or low with changing colors.
  • Reserve Capacity: If it so happened that your battery died and not able to charge, it is the reserve minutes that take to your destination without leaving you stranded. They have a good reserve capacity lasting more than 100 minutes hence dependable.

Conclusion

Interstate car battery by the wholesale giant Costco Wholesale, has been around 1952. With more than 50 years of experience, the brand has developed a reputation for being a top brand with batteries that last a long time. They have different lines that cater to different climatic conditions.

My pick from the brand is the MTP-65 which is used in cold climates. I also happen to like the MT-35 which is suitable for the hot climate and MTP-24F a smaller kind of battery also fits for a cold climate.

The batteries come in 5 lines, the M-Line, MT-Line, MTP-Line, MTX-Line, and MTP-Line. They manufacture both lead-acid batteries and AGM batteries.