What’s more, switching to shelf mode means the Renogy will have a low self-discharge rate to keep it protected when not in use. That all depends on your budget and what kind of use you expect to get out of your leisure battery. Hopefully, the brief descriptions above should already have steered your mind in the direction you need to go, but you’ll also need to think about what size battery you require. All leisure batteries output at 12V, and how long a fully charged battery will last (in amp hours, or Ah) depends on how much current is drawn from it. As a rough guide, if your battery is 100Ah it will provide 100 amps for one hour or one amp for 100 hours. If the appliance you’re powering doesn’t state how many amps it requires, you can work it out as follows Watts ÷ Volts = Amps. So, work out what appliances you’ll be powering simultaneously and get the calculator out.

Another plus point, as it’s an AGM, it can also be charged via solar panels, so if you’re off on some epic tour of Europe, you can use portable panels to charge it during stopovers. Bosch is a well-known and reputable brand that manufactures a range of automotive products, including car batteries. In the United Kingdom, Bosch car batteries are widely available and trusted by many vehicle owners. Developed for use by the military in the 1980s, AGMs are lead-acid batteries that are extremely resistant to vibration, making them ideal for use on the go. Using an electrolyte-containing ultra-thin fibreglass mat sandwiched between lead plates steeped in sulphuric acid, AGMs are maintenance-free and completely sealed to eliminate any chance of spillage. AGM leisure batteries can also be discharged below 50% without fear of causing damage, but they are more expensive than flooded and sealed lead acid batteries. Flooded lead acid leisure batteries An AGM battery similar to the Royal Battery SuperBatt, you may notice that the Lucas option offers fewer amp hours for more money, and you’d be right. However, unlike most of its model types, the Lucas is a deep cycle battery that’s capable of a staggering 500 recharge cycles, as opposed to the 100–150 of other AGMs. What’s more, you get a year extra on your warranty compared to the SuperBatt. Also, you’ll want to take into consideration how many recharge cycles your battery can handle before giving up the ghost. The more a battery can do, the better, obviously. These are generally referred to as “deep-cycle” leisure batteries.

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A bit like the AGM leisure battery design, but with a completely different makeup, lead crystal (LC) leisure batteries use a micro-porous super-absorbent mat (SAM), high-purity lead calcium selenium plates and a safe SiO2 electrolyte solution. LC batteries can be discharged completely and also recharged from flat without any damage and can offer three times the lifespan of lead acid batteries. Naturally, this all comes at a price. Your best bet for long weekend breaks or even the annual two-week holiday, this low-profile AGM leisure battery benefits from ‘Spill Proof Technology’, meaning it’s maintenance-free, along with Calcium Plate Technology for longer life. It’s also built to last and is resilient to vibrations when you travel. The battery size you choose must correspond with that of your battery box. This is because the higher the capacity of a leisure battery, the bigger its physical size. The two most common leisure battery capacities are 85Ah and 110Ah. However, Euro Car Parts also sells examples with capacities of 75Ah, 95Ah, 100Ah and 115Ah.

To save you from falling into that potentially powerless position, we’ve rounded up the very best of the current batch of leisure batteries, each a powerhouse of performance that will let you keep the lights on from dusk till dawn. Aren’t leisure batteries all the same? Leisure batteries power those travel essentials, like fridges, phones and televisions. Used in boats, caravans and motorhomes, leisure batteries are built to consistently deliver 12v power - perfect for your home appliances outside of your home. Key specs – Type: Sealed lead acid; Capacity: 110Ah, Voltage: 12V; Usage: Caravan; Dimensions: 32.8 x 17.1 x 23.7cm; Warranty: 2 years Sealed and spill-proof, you won’t be able to top it up in the way you can flooded lead acid batteries, but this also means it’s always safe to handle and maintenance-free. A great, powerful leisure battery at the price, the Platinum Plus Leisure also provides up to five times’ more charge cycles than standard batteries.A leisure battery is an auxiliary power supply that's designed to provide your caravan/motorhome with a steady rate of power. This is the type of power you need to ensure the electrical system stays healthy. Bosch car batteries are manufactured using high-quality materials and undergo rigorous testing to meet or exceed industry standards. They are engineered to deliver reliable starting power, withstand demanding conditions, and provide excellent performance in various weather conditions. Your leisure battery needs to be maintained in good condition to give consistent performance. In fact, running a leisure battery down until it’s empty could cause unnecessary and permanent damage. It’s safe to use up to 50% of your leisure battery’s charge, after which it’s advisable to recharge it. Featuring an onboard state-of-the-art battery management system with high-performance dual-processors, the battery protects itself from overcharging, shorting out and overheating while maintaining a balanced voltage across all cells, so you’ll never need to worry about it.

A low self-discharge rate gives long shelf life when not in use, and a handy carrying handle on the top makes it easy to move from location to location. Alpha Batteries bears no responsibility for whatsoever for loss occurred due to late or failed deliveries.Also firmly in the Lucas’ favour, should you need to be starting any engines up, it’s capable of 900 CCA, which is enough to start Frankenstein’s monster, let alone any vehicle, no matter how cold, and has a 70% DoD (Depth of Discharge), giving you more power than most. Leisure batteries are an essential part of the caravanning or boating experience as they provide all the electrical power to keep the lights on, charge our ever-increasing number of digital devices and, in the case of more modern caravan owners, use exterior electronics such as motor movers to position vans and boats without a vehicle. These are in essence the same as flooded lead acid batteries, except you can’t open them to top up the electrolytes. How is this a good thing? Well, there’s considerably less chance of spilling sulphuric acid over yourself, which is a definite plus. Both flooded and sealed batteries run the risk of permanent damage if discharged below 50%. Gel leisure batteries A definite consideration for anyone who uses their caravan or motorhome a lot (even, perhaps, living in it), this lightweight option (lithium batteries weigh considerably less than lead acid ones) is capable of a whopping 4,000 cycles at 80% Depth of Discharge (DoD), whereas AGM batteries provide only 50%, so you get a huge lifecycle and 30% more amp hours, meaning you could get as much as a decade’s worth of work out of the Renogy without worry. With such dependency on your leisure battery, why take a chance with the first cheap option you come across when there’s every chance it could suddenly leave you cut off from communication and, quite literally, in the dark?