12-Volt Battery Market Overview

Wherever your business might fit within the independent service and repair sector, understanding the shifting sands of any product or product group is important, but as the UK’s largest battery distributor, we are in a particularly strong position to observe the developments, identify the trends and subsequently advise our customers of the direction of travel, when it comes to the 12-volt battery market.

Understanding the market helps you manage your stock more efficiently and allows you to make sure you have at hand the replacement batteries that your workshop customers will require on a daily basis. This in turn ensures that workshops can correctly address the needs of their customers as they bring their vehicles in for service or repair.

Distributing brands that include original equipment manufacturers such as Exide and VARTA, as well as premium quality aftermarket makes like Lucas and Numax, we are able to examine a significant quantity of data, from across the sector, to build a clear picture of the present position and provide a reliable forecast of what the ongoing landscape is likely to look like.

So, how is the market developing?

Historically, up to and even following, the vehicle manufacturer’s (VM) widespread adoption of start/stop technology, traditional SLI (starter, ignition and lights) batteries were the prominent replacement throughout the aftermarket. However, in order to give their respective customers a degree of purchasing choice, workshops would generally provide differentiation to their offerings through a good, better, best option.

As intimated, although the VM’s commitment to start/stop systems prompted a change in the technology provided by the battery manufacturers, who moved away from SLI and over to AGM (absorbent glass mat) and then EFB (enhanced flooded battery), this change wasn’t reflected in the replacement market for several years. In 2016, for example, just 2% of our sales were AGM/EFB, whereas by 2022 it was nearly one quarter, with a comparable decline in SLI sales.

Two years on and the migration to AGM/EFB batteries has continued, cemented all the more as start/stop technology is now fitted to almost every vehicle still incorporating a combustion engine. Ecobat Battery sales data confirms the reality of this trend as the present split between SLI and AGM/EFB is now 64%/36% and, when combined with vehicle application data, the migration rate looks to be accelerating. As a result, it is likely that the battery sales will be split 50%/50% possibly as early as the end of 2025.

What this comparison does not convey, however, is the impact that the shift in technology has had in terms of the life expectancy of these batteries, which are considerably more robust that their SLI cousins. In addition, however, the efficiency of smart charging systems cannot be overlooked.

Rather than simply delivering constant charge solely dependent on the speed of the alternator, these modern systems constantly monitor the condition of the battery through the battery management system, intelligent battery sensor and the electronic control unit, to regulate the alternator to ensure it always receives the most appropriate level of charge.

As a combined result, the evidence suggests that generally, they are lasting 30 to 50% longer than a traditional SLI battery, which points to a decline in overall replacement battery volumes. However, the reduction in quantity is somewhat mitigated by the higher average price of AGM/EFB batteries, so revenue is unlikely to drop to the same extent.

As well as the useful insight that analysing the data gives those selling batteries, another very important aspect of the research is to highlight the importance of fitting a replacement of the correct technology for the application, which is something reflected in original equipment supplier VARTA’s recent decision to dispense with its Black, Blue and Silver hierarchy, in favour of simply offering SLI, EFB or AGM batteries.

What’s the impact of the electric vehicle revolution?

With the industry’s near obsession with everything electric vehicle (EV) related as the market continues to transition from combustion engines to advanced electric drive systems, largely driven by evolving EU regulations reshaping the market, it is important to restate that the 12-volt battery remains an integral part of every passenger car and van currently in production. This is further endorsed by leading original equipment (OE) manufacturer, Exide Technologies, which has stated that ‘the 12-volt lead-acid battery is the crucial energy source in e-mobility that keeps everything running’.

It is, therefore, difficult to overemphasise the role of the12-volt battery, because it is responsible for so many things, in fact almost nothing works without it. In an EV, for example, it provides the energy necessary to activate the safety relay and connect the high-voltage battery to the electrical board net and electric motor, and as ADAS (advanced driver assistance systems) and AV (autonomous driving) continue to evolve, the 12-volt system is increasingly important to ensure reliability and safety, whatever the propulsion system the vehicle uses.

So, as the number of hybrid and EVs is only going to increase, you need to be sure that you have access to not only the correct specification replacements, but also those of the appropriate quality to provide a safe and reliable solution for your customers, whether professional workshops or DIY enthusiasts. Fortunately, through Ecobat Battery, you have immediate access to several suitable alternatives with OE brands such as Exide and VARTA and premium quality aftermarket products in Lucas and Numax.

What might also come as another surprise is the fact that not every contemporary hybrid and EV is fitted with the latest 12-volt battery technology. Although it would be natural to make the immediate assumption that these batteries would be at a minimum AGM (absorbent glass mat), if not lithium, the truth is that there is no ‘standard’ battery for these applications, with vehicle manufacturers using a number of different solutions.

There is no better example of this paradox than looking at models such as the 2021 Hyundai Ioniq 5, the 2023 KIA e-Niro, the Audi Q4 e-tron and the Jaguar I-Pace, all of which use a traditional lead acid battery, whereas a Cupra Born uses an EFB (enhanced flooded battery) and a Ford Mustang Mach-E has an AGM!

Another anomaly is that as well as relying on a variety of technologies, there is also a wide range of case sizes and terminal configurations, which can be appreciated when highlighting Exide’s latest EK013. With a capacity of only 1.2 Ah and measuring just 97mm long, 43mm wide and 58mm tall, it supports automatic drivetrain electronics and gearbox electric oil pumps, playing a critical role in ensuring that vehicles continue to operate smoothly and reliably in the event of a malfunction with the main 12-volt batteries.

A Lucas version, LSLA1.2-12, is also available, and both provide coverage for more than five million vehicles across Europe, including the Range Rover Evoque L538 series (OE part number 19G207C-AA), Mercedes Benz A class (W177, V177), B class (W242, W246, W247), CLA (C117, C118, X117), CLS (C218, X218), E class (W212, S212), EQA/EQB/EQE/EQV, G class (W463), GL class (X164, X166), GLA (H247, X156), GLB (X247), GLE (W166, C292), GLK (X204, GLS (X166), M class (W164), R class (W251, V251), S class (W221), Sprinter (B907, B910), V class (W447), (OE part number N000000004039).

For further details, please visit Ecobat Battery at: https://www.ecobatbattery.com/applications/cars-vans/