Today we are going to talk about the heart of your electric golf cart: your batteries! Golf cart batteries are the one maintenance item our customers with electric carts worry about having to purchase the most, because they are expensive to replace, but totally necessary for the operation of their cart.
But owning an electric golf cart doesn’t have to come with any dread about replacing your batteries! When we break down the cost of batteries over their lifetime for an electric cart vs. filling up with gas and maintenance costs on a gas-powered cart; the costs are incredibly similar.
Electric carts are amazing for many reasons as well: they are operated noiselessly (necessary for hunting and at many country clubs), they have instant torque, they don’t require gasoline, oil or fuel filters to be replaced, and they don’t smell (great for indoor facility use).
In the section below, we are answering any questions you might have about golf cart batteries, voltage, lifespan, cost, battery chargers and more!
What is the average life of golf cart batteries?
When properly maintained, and with the use of a golf cart battery charger, your batteries should last you up to 6 years with regular use. A high-quality golf cart battery charger / maintainer (like the ones we sell on our site) will deliver the correct electrical flow when charging your cart and feature auto shut-off functions (so that you don't fry your cart's batteries).
What Brand are the Best Golf Cart Batteries?
When it comes to Lead-Acid golf cart batteries, the industry standard brand is Trojan Golf Cart Batteries. But don’t take our word for it; Club Car, EZGO and Yamaha Brand carts all use Trojan batteries straight from the factory! These OEM cart brands have tried and tested battery types from all battery companies available on the market, and all choose to use Trojan time and time again.
Founded in 1925, and based in the USA, Trojan Battery Company has become the world’s leading manufacturer of deep-cycle Solar and Motive batteries. With a broad range of deep-cycle flooded, AGM, Gel and lithium batteries, and close to 100 years of manufacturing experience, Trojan has shaped the world of deep-cycle battery technology.
More recently, Lithium Golf Cart Batteries have taken the golf cart world by storm. The best brands of Lithium Ion golf cart batteries are Allied Lithium, RELiON, ROYPOW, and Samsung. To learn more about lithium batteries, read our article on why Why Lithium Golf Cart Batteries are the Future.
How much do golf cart batteries cost?
Golf cart batteries are one of the more expensive maintenance costs you will have throughout your golf cart’s life, but as we mentioned in the beginning of this article you ARE saving on gas, oil, filters and other maintenance costs you would otherwise have if your cart was gas.
A typical set of Trojan Golf Cart Batteries costs around $1,300. A set of new-age lithium-ion golf cart batteries will set you back closer to $2,000.
It is very important that you don’t try to skirt around replacing your golf cart batteries with high-quality replacements. Purchasing off-brand batteries or used batteries will still cost you a pretty penny, and will likely leave feeling very upset when they die after only a short while. You will indeed get what you pay for when it comes to golf cart batteries!
What types of golf cart batteries are out there?
There are a four types of golf cart batteries available on the market, most are Deep Cycle:
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Flooded Lead Acid (or ‘wet cell’ batteries) are the batteries that you fill with water
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AGM Lead Acid Batteries
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Gel Lead Acid Batteries
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Lithium-Ion Golf Cart Batteries
Almost every golf cart in the world comes standard with Flooded Lead Acid batteries. This battery type will work for all golf cart applications you can imagine (including off-roading, and more). Trojan Battery is the leader in this space.
Very few carts have AGM or Gel batteries, but because they are lead acid batteries as well, they work very similarly to Flooded Lead Acid batteries.
One newly developing promising area of the golf cart battery world is in Lithium Golf Cart Batteries. Currently, lithium-ion batteries cost a bit more than Lead-Acid batteries do up front, but they provide some major benefits:
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Lithium-Ion golf cart batteries last 3x – 5x as long as lead acid batteries (up to 5,000 charge cycles vs 1,000 with lead-acid)
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Lithium-Ion golf cart batteries require no maintenance (no watering or cleaning)
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Lithium-Ion batteries do not lose power as their voltage dips (lead acid batteries get ‘tired’ as they are used)
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Recharge speeds of lithium-ion batteries are significantly faster than lead acid (80% charge can be achieved in as little as 1-hour, full charge in 2-3 hours)
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Lithium-ion batteries (72 lbs) weigh 1/4 the weight up Lead Acid batteries (325 lbs)
If you’re interested in purchasing Lithium-Ion batteries for your cart, we carry Drop-in-Ready Lithium batteries for golf carts from Allied Battery and Relion.
Can I just use regular car batteries to replace my golf cart batteries?
You cannot. Regular car batteries are not used to power the entire car (the gas motor does that job). A cars accessories are then powered by its alternator once the car is running, using mechanical energy. Car batteries are mainly used to get the car started and to power accessories from time to time (when the car is not running).
Because car batteries are designed to run at a much lower discharge rate than deep cycle batteries, you cannot use them as the primary power source for your golf cart.
Are my golf cart batteries 6-volt, 8-volt or 12-volts?
The quickest way to determine what type of batteries your cart has is:
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Lift up your golf cart's front seat and locate your golf cart batteries
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Inspect your batteries for the number of acid holes they have on each battery head cover. Each battery typically has 3, 4 or 6 holes on top
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Take the number of acid holes on one of your batteries and multiply that number by 2 to determine what the voltage of one of your golf cart batteries is
Do I have a 36v or 48v golf cart?
Example: 36-Volt Golf Cart (w/ 6, 6V Batteries system):
3 acid holes x 2 volts per hole = 6-volts
6 volts x 6 total cart batteries = 36-volt cart
Example: 48-Volt Golf Cart (w/ 6, 8V Batteries system):
4 acid holes x 2 volts per hole = 8-volts
8 volts x 6 total cart batteries = 48-volt cart
How can I make my golf cart batteries last longer?
Just like with fruit, when it comes to golf cart batteries: ‘The Fresher They Are, The Better’. Batteries work the best when they are fresh! All battery manufacturers (Trojan Battery included) stamp the production date somewhere on their new batteries (this date code is federally required). It is wise to stick to buying batteries that are no older than 6 months old.
When it comes to reading date codes on Trojan Batteries, it is simple:
There is a 3-digit date code printed on each battery. If the code reads: D19, for example, the letter represents the month the battery was manufactured. The two numbers indicate the year the battery was manufactured. So according to the chart of month codes below, D19 would indicate that the battery was manufactured in April of 2019.
Here are the month codes from Trojan, for your reference:
A – January
B – February
C – March
D – April
E – May
F – June
G – July
H – August
I – September
J – October
K – November
L – December
Are there any red flag issues I should keep my eye on with my golf cart batteries?
Keep your eyes peeled for battery corrosion. Golf cart batteries are filled with acid and water. The acid inside your batteries can cause a white crusty film to form on the top of your batteries and at your battery contacts. This corrosion should be cleaned off thoroughly, or it may cause your batteries to short, leaving your golf cart without power.
Is it okay to jump start my golf cart using my car batteries?
Do NOT jump start your deep cycle lead-acid golf cart batteries using your car. There is a very good chance you will destroy them.