How long should a car battery last?

[Este Nuno]

So I have a 2011 Toyota Vios and about a year and a half ago the battery was shot and we had to get a new one. I thought it was a bit strange but supposedly Toyota sells the cars with cheap batteries so it's not uncommon for it to go so soon.

So anyway now it's a year and half later with the new battery and the car wouldn't start again due to the battery. It required a jump to start and this is similar to what happened when the other one died. Now it was a cheap battery, but really it seems way too quick for it to require replacement again. Or is this just to be expected when you buy cheap batteries? Are they really that bad?

I think there are batteries that come with 5 year guarantees, and at this point I'm guessing it might be worth it. Is this the case?

What do you think, am I just stupid for buying a cheap battery, or should this not be happening?

[DolanDuck]

I usually change car/bike battery after 5 years in average, before they run out of power.
Maybe is too early but I don't want to be left walking.

[billyscuz]

you may have charger system problems. how often is it driven? have you left it without being run for weeks/months at a time? i left my car off the road for 3 months without disconnecting the battery. battery drained and i was told that if the new battery didnt hold charge that i may have to have the charger system (alternator, etc) looked at

[chshabbir]

i change bike battery after 4years!

[Este Nuno]

you may have charger system problems. how often is it driven? have you left it without being run for weeks/months at a time? i left my car off the road for 3 months without disconnecting the battery. battery drained and i was told that if the new battery didnt hold charge that i may have to have the charger system (alternator, etc) looked at

Driven every day. 15ish minute commute there and back 6 days a week plus multiple random drives.

I read that it takes 20 minutes to get a full charge, and maybe it's not driven 20 minutes everyday but sometimes there are 20+ minute drives.

[Benjig]

There is no predetermined amount of battery life. So many variables come into play that it really depends on the situation at hand.
Your battery is probably bad though unless it is not being properly charged by the alternator or you have bad battery cables.
A starter can kill a battery quickly if it is drawing to many amps.

[nickenburg]

Most car battery's will have a life of 3-5 years.
It really depends on the conditions your car is living in, It can even live longer then 5 years if your lucky.
But I think 1,5 years is to short, there is probably something wrong with your electrical system.
You should bring it to the shop, and explain to the mechanic something is wrong because the battery died in 1,5 years.

[HigsonPP]

i have never run into problems in under 5 years time.