Are Walmart's Everstart Batteries Any Good? Here's What Drivers Say

When your car needs a new battery, you have to walk a fine line between finding one that fits your budget and getting something that won't leave you stranded. On average, you can expect a car battery to last you anywhere from three to five years, assuming you buy a quality one that doesn't end up quitting on you early. If you're like many drivers, that means checking out options like Walmart's EverStart line. On the high end, you'll pay $179.84 for an EverStart battery; on the low end, you can get one for just $49.87, making them considerably less expensive than competing brands like Duralast and Optima.

Walmart sells several models under the EverStart name, including the entry-level Value, the mid-range Maxx, and the premium AGM and Platinum varieties, each offered at different price points depending on the battery's size and specifications. However, Walmart doesn't make these batteries. Instead, they're supplied by third-party manufacturers, like Clarios, the company behind brands like Optima and DieHard. East Penn Manufacturing and Exide have also been linked to EverStart production without any official confirmation from Walmart. That means the performance and lifespan of these batteries can vary a lot depending on the supplier and model.

EverStart came in dead last in SlashGear's ranking of major car battery brands, and there are many drivers who have strong opinions about how it performs in the real world. Many drivers report solid long-term performance and easy warranty replacements, especially for the Maxx and AGM lines, while others complain about early failure and inconsistent customer service at Walmart stores.

When you see the low price tag on Walmart's EverStart batteries, it might give you pause. While there's no question it's a budget-friendly brand, many drivers say it outperformed their expectations. Across forums, users shared anecdotes about their EverStart batteries lasting well beyond the typical three-to-five-year lifespan of an average battery. For example, on the subreddit r/AskAMechanic, a Redditor said, "I had a 9-year-old EverStart in my '86 Thunderbird...nearly a decade out of the thing, can you believe it?" This driver's experience wasn't unique. A reviewer on Walmart.com said they bought a second EverStart Maxx battery because the first one performed so well, lasting almost eight years.

The consensus among Redditors on the r/Diesel subreddit is that EverStart batteries are just as good as Costco's Interstate batteries, placing it firmly among the cheap car battery brands that actually last, according to reviewers. One driver had this to say: "My 7.3 has 8-year-old EverStart Maxx batteries that still fire up in freezing temps without being plugged in." Redditors also liked that the Platinum AGM battery comes with a four-year warranty and has a favorable cost-to-performance ratio. Opinions about the EverStart AGM battery were positive on the Jeep Wrangler forum, with one driver saying the H5 EverStart AGM installed in their wife's Nissan had performed well and that they'd buy another in the future.

However, not everyone sang the praises of EverStart batteries, with some users saying the Value line fell short of their expectations, in many cases lasting less than four years. One driver on the BobIsTheOilGuy forum said, "The EverStart Maxx are good batteries. However, the value batteries I find them to last about 1.5 to 2 years." If you're thinking about buying an EverStart battery, it might be worth paying more for the Maxx or Platinum models.

When you start to see those tell-tale signs that it's time to replace your car battery, you want to know your warranty will hold up if something goes wrong. Many of the drivers who brought EverStart batteries saw Walmart's in-store replacement policy as a major selling point. More than a few customers reported that replacing a battery under warranty was a simple process, with several saying they walked into the automotive section and walked out with a new battery in a matter of minutes.

A driver on the BobIsTheOilGuy forum described their warranty experience this way: "The bad news? The battery only made it four months before going bad...the good news? I was able to take the bad battery to the automotive section and have it replaced, no questions asked." Over on the TahoeYukon forum, a driver recounted their experience trying to get a battery changed at a local Walmart, saying it took an inordinate amount of time because the store didn't have the exact replacement battery they needed. However, ultimately, the team at Walmart made it work; the driver walked away happy and with a new battery.

However, not everyone has such a positive experience, with a Redditor on the r/MechanicAdvice subreddit saying, "I took it to Walmart to claim the warranty, but after 30 minutes of waiting in the customer service line to exchange the battery the guy at the counter said they couldn't honor it cause it's not totally dead." While they eventually figured out what was wrong with the battery, the experience left them with a bad taste in their mouth. A reviewer on Walmart.com said this about the warranty, "The battery went bad within 2 years, when I went in to swap for warranty, they kept insisting it was out of warranty."