Walmart has an Everstart Value car battery, also called ValuePower in some stores, that starts at $49.88, but is it any good despite being super cheap? (Spoiler: It’s a really, really good battery.)

Do you need a car battery and WalMart’s ValuePower car battery rebranded to EverStart Value, caught your eye? At less than $50 for a new car battery, it’s certainly one of the cheapest options, but is it any good? I’m here to tell you that not only is WalMart’s Everstart Value good, but it’s also really one of the best batteries you can get anywhere. Here’s why the EverStart Value is one of best bangs for your car battery spending buck.

Johnson Controls, the world’s largest battery maker in the world and owner of global brands like Varta, LTH, Heliar, MAC, Delkor and even Optima, is the sole producer of all Wal-Mart Everstart Batteries. Johnson Controls and Wal-Mart partnered together back in 2010. That’s right, the same company that makes the premium $200 Optima Red Top Battery found in most auto shops also makes Wal-Mart batteries.

Lead-acid batteries have been around since 1859, are super-simple, and robust so if there’s one company that can make a darn good car battery, it’s Johnson Controls.

Compared to the EverStart Plus and EverStart Maxx, the Everstart Value a.k.a. the ValuePower battery has less cold-cranking amps, 585 compared to 650 and 750 respectively, and also has just a one-year warranty and not a two or five-year warranty like the other two Wal-Mart batteries.

That being said, less cold-cranking amps and a smaller warranty should not deter you from the EverStart Value. Optima Batteries did a great explanation why cold cranking amps really don’t matter for most cars but in short, most cars stock OEM batteries have less than 585 CCAs. The stock OEM battery for a 2019 Honda Civic is only rated up to 500 CCAs, less than the EverStartValue by a long shot.

If you live in a location where it dips below freezing often and you don’t drive more than a few miles per trip, the EverStart Value battery probably isn’t for you. But, if you’re like me, and live in a sunny place like California where it seldom freezes, you drive longer than a couple miles a day, and cold cranking amps don’t matter much, the EverStart Value is just fine for you.

Even if you don’t drive too much, if you get yourself a float charger also called a battery tender, I can guarantee you that your EverStart Value battery will last for years and years as long as you keep it charged if you either don’t drive too much or let your car sit for too long.

 

Here are some of the most recent reviews from Wal-Mart’s review page for the EverStart Value battery. 

“Had a battery blow due to very low fluids (needed distilled water). After replacing with this VP 24F, fired right up. A 1-year warranty is just an added bonus.”

“Least expensive battery out there — all the major auto parts places are way over $100 for a 3-year battery these days. This is a one-year battery, mine just died after 2 years of use, so I got my money’s worth, I just bought a new one.”

“Worked like a charm. We had been experiencing some cold weather and my son’s battery went dead. Picked this up for his SUV and so far so good. Great value.”

The EverStart Value car battery is made by a reputable company, probably has more cold cranking amps than your stock battery, comes with a one-year warranty, should last you several years if you take care of it, and has good reviews. This one’s a no-brainer folks.
What do you think of Wal-Mart’s cheapest battery offering? Let me know in the comments below!

31 COMMENTS

  1. Be very careful of the warranty on deep cycle batteries. The one i had has a bad cell. And was only 1 year and 6 months old.. warrany was only 1 year.. another 100 dollars down the drain.. walmart changed company’s making there batteries. They now own the company that makes thete junk batteries

  2. Hi I’m Dakota and wal marts batteries especially the value power cheap ones are just plain awful bad bad bad! My man and I have to replace 2 wal mart batteries now before even if year was up! We just bought a value power battery the 40.00 to 50 dollar one in July of 2019 this year and it has already died completely just the other day of September 13th it’s ridiculous then we got a value cheap battery last September of 2018 and it only lasted up till like a few days ago. So one, last September of 2018 then one in July of this year2019! Don’t ever ever buy EVER EVER BUY A VALUE POWER CHEAP BATTERY UNLESS ANYONE SAVES THEIR ? AND BUY THE HIGH QUALITY BATTERIES! ONLY WAL- MART MAKES JUNK BATTERIES! THEY SUCK!!

    • But you area in Dakota. What about for people living in Florida and California? I have a 90 Ford Festiva which only requires 300 amps to start. The smallest Walmart cheap battery is rated at 540 amps. I’ve been using it for almost 6 years. And it still starts. It cost $50. It is all about need.

    • I’ve got 1 that died fairly quick, and replacement also died before the original one year was up, , but I have one in my tahoe that I’ve ran dead 4 times when the alternator went bad, been running it 5 years now and still starts the truck everyday, I have an everstartmaxx that was replaced 4 times before the first year was up, the 4th one is 9 months old and goin bad again, walmart said suck it not our issue, no more replacement, and yes I’ve had the charging system checked, and check for parasitic draws

  3. I have a 1987 Suzuki Samurai that is a collectible because of its pristine condition. Bought it new in 1987. The most recent battery replacement records that I have was one that I replaced in 2000 with an Everstart Value. I keep an “intelligent” float charger on it (some can be had at Harbor Freight for around $6) and it lasted until 2014. I replaced it with another Everstart Value in 2014 and kept the battery float charger on it. The battery is now failing showing about 10.4V regardless of charging condition. While this one didn’t last the 14 years of the previous one, 5 years for a $50 battery still isn’t bad. I’m going out today to get another Everstart Value. PS, I also have a 1987 Chevy Silverado that has an Interstate battery that is 17 years old. In all that time I kept the float charger on that battery as well. I attribute my battery longevity to the fact that the vehicles are not daily drivers stored inside of a barn, but all use intelligent float chargers.

    • Great info, thanks. What kind / make of floating intelligent charger you use? if you do not mind sharing…. I would be afraid of leave connected the $6 Harbor Freight when I am away for weeks Thanks

  4. I got everstart 705 MCA 27DC 2 years ago for my Wayne backup sump pump. It was sitting for 2 years fully charged without any action, however, when power went off, sump pump is not working and the battery shows only 4 volts. Very disappointed.

      • They also need to be kept topped off with water. That constant “float” charging boils off the water. I’ve ruined batteries with those stupid cheap “float” chargers. You need an “automatic” charger that turns itself on and off. You won’t get that for $6 at Harbor Freight. And you still have to check the electrolyte in the battery, and test the battery regularly. If it’s a backup battery, what good does it do if you don’t test it to make sure it’s still good?

  5. I’m from Michigan and have always had 4 different cars/trucks for years. They all eventually need batteries so I have lots of practice! As I normally look for value, I never bought expensive options. So I buy batteries from Menards, WM, etc. Also deep cycles for other jobs. I’ve had the BEST life from the Everstarts. Yea, its possible to get a bad one, like anything you buy, but that has not happened to me – lucky maybe. Keep them clean, connections tight, float them if unused, disconnect if the car sits for months, and you will do good. Look at them with a voltmeter once in a while when not running to see if they hold more than 12V. If your ride has an electrical issue problem, you can’t blame the battery man. I hope they don’t mess them up and start making them cheaper or in china or someplace.

  6. I bought the top of the line Everstart battery for my 1965 Ford Mustang. When rebuilding the car, we moved the battery to the trunk. (It’s in a battery box). This battery has worked perfectly since day one and has given me no trouble whatsoever. I drive the car every few days. However, during the winter I don’t drive it much and I hook up a battery tender and that keeps the battery in great shape.
    No complaints so far. I purchased the battery in October 2018 and it’s now June 2020.

  7. I use nothing but the Walmart Value Battery in both my cars. Best deal going and they have been working for two years and going strong. Battery distributor told me you are only paying for the warranty when you buy the 3 and 4 year batteries. They are all made the same

    • Just like anything. Your paying for the warranty. Same as having a shop repair your car
      You find out the retail price of the part and want to know why its 5X the cost to install it. First off the manufacturer only covers the part not the labor. Then their is the labor has to be cover, the extra time to replace it. Then their is the cost that they would be making on another car, lets not forget overhead. It’s all included in the price of a warranty.

    • actually your paying for a bigger and stronger battery with more amps. They also last longer which is why they come with a longer warranty

    • Pick up the “value” battery and the good battery. You can feel the weight difference. The difference is the amount of lead. They are not the same battery. I’m not saying the cheap battery isn’t a wise buy in certain situations…… say you plan on trading the car in in 6 months etc……

  8. I had an Everstart battery in my2001 boat and it lasted 15 years using a boat smart charger.
    Johnson Controls used to make the best batteries until they built a huge plant in Mexico and
    now most of their stuff is junk. The guys at Bass Pro said they get a lot of returns from the stuff
    J C makes for them. Hard to say who builds the best batteries these days since only a few
    companies make most of them and I have seen problems with a lot of them.

  9. I have had very good luck with Walmart’s Value Battery. I have them in 3 Vehicles. 2 are Classic Cars and have Battery Tenders attached to them. One has been in a Ford Full Size Van for everyday use. As long as your charging system is good these batteries will last as long as any others out there as far as I am concerned. Those people who have complained are probably the same people who buy batteries before they ever check their car or truck for other problems. Over 38 years in the parts business retired now believe me I saw it all. You can not believe how many people guess that they need a battery and have traded in perfectly good batteries as battery cores only to put the new battery in the car and have it also go dead. My disappointment is that Walmart teases you with these batteries not having all the group sizes. Right now I could use a Group Size 24 for a Classic Car. Group 24 was a popular size for many cars but Walmart only carries the Group 24F for Ford Vehicles with reverse terminals in the Value Battery. They try to push a Group 26 Battery on you with less CCA’s and a smaller size which would work but not the right battery for the car and for what I need it for look like crap under the hood. So right now after I do some checking I am thinking of adapting a 24F Ford Style Battery to the car which will mean replacing the battery cables at least one of them which will end up being shorter then needed. I am not in any hurry being it is Winter Time and I am not driving the Classic Car anytime soon.

  10. When you pay 50 dollars and it goes bad in 2 1/2 years , thats not bad . when you pay 275 dollars and it goes bad in 3 1/2 years , that hurts .

  11. I have a value battery in my CJ7, guessing 5 years. I don’t drive it much, but when I do, it needs to crank maybe 45 seconds to get fuel back into the carb after sitting so long. Long crank doesn’t faze the battery at all. I also purchased some marine batteries for other rigs and boats from Advance Auto. Cheap to begin with, and if you can get a 35% coupon, you’re at around $50 for those too. Going on 4 years including winters with it connected, sitting outside. Boat is still at 12.6V in the spring (loses maybe 0.2V over winter)

  12. GOT A WALMART BATTERY AND IT BLEW UP WHILE DRIVING!!!! DONT GET IT!! BRAND NEW BATTERY AND THIS HAPPENED. NOT A HAPPY CUSTOMER. NOW I WONT EVEN SHOP AT WALMARTS ANYMORE. MY CAR IS NOW TOTALED AND I DID DO AN INVESTIGATION ON IT AND THEY CAME BACK WITH THE BATTERY WAS BAD. IM A SINGLE MOM WITH NO CAR NOW. GET IT TOGETHER WALMART

  13. I have used the Everstart H7 Maxx with terrible results. 3 batteries in 5 years. Don’t buy these batteries. They are crap. Walmart has a bad return policy. They don’t stand behind the warrantee. Each time I have to go back they give me some BS about Walmart policy. Now they saying they have to do a 2 hour test before they can determine if the battery is bad. I will never shop at Walmart again for anything. Costco is the best in my experience. I took a 3 year old battery back to Costco and not only got a new battery for no charge but they gave me $9 back because the price of the battery had gone down. No retailer will beat that.

  14. Well I think a new article needs to be written so the public at least knows what car battery’s are capable of. It is obvious, by the comments, the public has long forgotten what used to be common knowledge. Battery’s are serviceable. Your car battery’s failure is actually only an indication of your own failure as an owner. Learning how to tend to your battery is just one part of many that makes you a competent automobile owner. No offense to anyone, truly its not your fault. This info has been dismissed and objected to being relevant by the battery industry itself. Some time during the 70’s the battery industry decided they would rather screw people out of their money rather than make serviceable battery’s common place. Do you ever wonder what happens to the battery core that you return for a small refund? Well you have probably already repurchased it by now. Lol. Do you ever buy another battery. Buy a quality battery charger. One that can recondition, and do all features automatically
    You might spend $150 on such a device. But you will never by another car battery again. Add long as your are competent enough to work the machine correctly. That might be an issue for some! LMFAO

    • Well said, Stuart. No, you’re absolutely right, and thanks for this comment. I’m going to write a post about how to properly maintain and service your battery for years of service above and beyond what you’d normally expect.

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