Battery OEM Mazda or Duralast

Just last week I had to change the original battery, because I was abroad for almost three months and the car had not been started even a single time. I left it outside and it's been constant -1/-5 Celsius here. So naturally the battery went.

Duralast is a decent brand, I’ve always went with the gold, no real reason just that it’s what was in the car before.

Our household got its first EV earlier this year, mainly for the daily 20-25 km commute form my SO, and it’s been the best car purchase we’ve ever made (only bested by my 3, which made it to 10y w/o problems this year). That “small battery” that once worried us (or more like we intentionally went with the smaller offering)? Barely a drawback - in the summer, a single charge lasts a whole week. This EV has become our go-to for short trips, and while cutting running costs by 2/3 was a big motivator, it’s now just a nice side benefit. I love the torque and started to love the silent driving. especially in a traffic jam.

my 2010 4x4 needs a new battery. This one lasted 4 years Duralast Gold.

I usually get a Duralast Gold from pepboys. Not the cheapest model, but not the super premium one either. Most CCA.

Both Duralast Golds. Went with Neverstart AGM from wally world about 2 months ago.

Mazdas OEM batteries are horrible. Had the one that came with the car be weak so Mazda replaced it under warranty. Not even 5 months later that new battery dies, tried jumping and it was completely dead and a jump could not start it.

My'21 CX9 battery is weak, and i can clearly tell its low on voltage after sitting without being started for a week. Never tried playing music on battery though in this car.

Basically many of the oem stock items for mazda are fine, but have notoriously short life expectancy. They have to cut corners somewhere. Battery and tires are the ones I've noticed that are good for a couple years at most before they are ran through. So yeah, I've had a mazda thay needed a new battery after 2 years, one that needed a new battery after 3 years. Just how they go.

Worst part about Mazda cars - battery can silently die on you. Instead once you're ~3 years in you're gambling every time you go for a drive.