Massive auto parts supply chains have their private-label brands, but the same is true for grocery and general stores such as Amazon, Walmart, and of course Costco.
Kirkland Signature is Costco’s brand, named after the company’s original headquarters location in Kirkland, Washington. The name is used on just about anything – from frozen food and shampoo to car batteries and accessories.
In this article, we’ll talk about the real manufacturer of the Costco Kirkland Signature batteries and whether they’re any good.
There’s a lot to go through so stick around if you’d like to learn more about Kirkland and potentially save some cash the next time you need a car battery!
Costco Kirkland Signature car batteries are currently made by Clarios. Prior to 2019, the production was handled by Johnson Controls.
The Kirkland Signature batteries were made by Johnson Controls most likely since their appearance on the market. In 2019, Johnson Controls sold its battery production division – Power Solutions to Brookfield Business Partners.
BBP renamed Power Solutions into Clarios while retaining and expanding the existing production facilities.
The name may not ring a bell, but Clarios is one of the leading companies in car battery production, with more than 150 million units sold annually. This amounts to one-third of the entire industry’s output.
So how can a company with such a significant production output stay under the radar?
The answer is simple. They do not sell batteries under their own name, and instead use the existing, well-established brands to market their products. This also extends to OE batteries used by auto manufacturers, and store brands.
Varta, LTH, Heliar, Optima Batteries, Delkor, and MAC Batteries are the most prominent partners, but the true number of brands supplied by Clarios is significantly greater, the only problem is that we can’t say for sure which ones.
There’s enough documentation online that we can say with a dose of certainty that Johnson Controls, and now Clarios are the sole suppliers of Costco’s Kirkland Signature batteries.
Before we discuss the quality of Kirkland Signature batteries, let’s talk about store private-brand products.
Have you ever wondered how Walmart, Costco, and other stores can make so many products? Food, household items, appliances, even car batteries – the answer is that they manufacture little to none of it.
Massive store chains have a lot of shelf space to fill, and they can create a massive order of a product, in our case car batteries, from Clarios, and get them at a really good rate. Now, as Costco owns the product and the vendor, there is no middle-man for them to pay.
This allows them to place a more competitive price on the battery, and reduce it even further to provide customers with the best deal on the market.
Now, if everyone knew that Optima and Kirkland batteries were made by the same company, nobody would purchase the Optima, ruining Clarios’ business.
To prevent this from happening, Costco must brand its products differently and have a dose of ambiguity about the product. We now know they’re Clarios batteries, but can we tell for sure if they’re on the level of Optima or Varta? That’s how the store brand products generally work.
We know that Clarios makes great batteries through the premium brands they supply, but the question is whether the same level of quality is achieved with the store products like Kirkland.
The short answer is yes. Costco would not accept inferior products just to make the final product cheaper.
By selling their own product, in their own stores and without any marketing budget, Costco reduces the overall production cost which allows them to sell their batteries for less than the competition.
The amount of batteries Costco needs is significant, but nowhere near the level some of the other Clarios brands require.
This is actually a good thing, as Clarios won’t set up a separate production facility for Kirkland batteries, and will likely make them on an existing production line and just relabel them differently.
The most important factors to consider in regards to buying a car battery are the car manufacturer’s recommended battery specs and the warranty.
Your vehicle requires a certain capacity, cold crank power, and dimensions of the battery, but the choice of brand is up to you.
Apart from getting the specification right, you should get a battery with the longest warranty period, as the manufacturer’s guarantee is one of the best ways to tell how good their batteries really are.
Kirkland Signature car batteries have one of the best warranty policies in the business. In the first four years, you get a free replacement if there are issues with the battery.
From 49 to 66 months (4 to 5.5 years) you’ll get a 50% refund based on the purchase price. Should the battery fail between the 67th and 100th month (5.5 to 8.3 years) you’ll get a 25% refund.
When you compare the warranty, and especially the retail price of Costco Kirkland Signature car batteries to a brand like Optima, the choice is more than obvious.
Optima is not only more expensive, but it also comes with a 3-year full-refund guarantee on Optima Yellow and Red batteries – 1 year less than Kirkland in the full-refund section. Optima does not cover the years three to eight at all, while Costco has full confidence in its best-value product.
Kirkland Signature batteries are the standard flooded lead-acid batteries, used by a wide range of vehicles. Costco does not produce AGM batteries and instead offers Energizer AGM and other Unbranded AGM batteries.
Costco’s Kirkland batteries perform extremely well and are some of the most reliable batteries you can get.
With Costco’s excellent warranty policy, you’ll never be at a loss with a Kirkland battery. Even if the battery fails after 4 years – you’ll get a 50% refund that will allow you to buy the next one at half-off.
There’s no definitive answer as to which brand has the most durable batteries. Most of the time, marketing deceives us into thinking one brand is better than another, when in fact the differences are marginal. I would say that the longest-lasting batteries are the ones with the longest warranty.
I used to think that Bosch and VARTA made the best batteries, but having researched the market for numerous private store brands, I can now say that there’s no definitive answer.
If anything, I’m much more inclined to buy Kirkland’s or Carquest batteries over a premium brand.
Costco’s Interstate batteries offer the same reliability as Interstate batteries but have a different warranty period – as written on Costco’s website.
The wording is very careful, which leads me to believe that Costco’s Interstate batteries aren’t actually the same as regular, but offer the same performance and durability.
Costco has great deals on car batteries and stocks a range of reliable and very affordable products, such as their own Kirkland Signature lineup.
No, interstate does not make Costco batteries. Their car batteries are made by Clarios, while their household batteries are made by Duracell.
Napa batteries are made by East Penn Manufacturing, a giant in the lead-acid battery industry.
Walmart batteries should be made by Clarios, just like Costcos. There’s evidence that Johnson Controls, Clarios’ predecessor manufactured batteries for them. However, there are also data that shows that East Penn Manufacturing might also be involved in the manufacture of Walmart batteries.
Yes, Costco does recycle batteries and does so through a fee-refund system. When you buy a new battery from Costco, you’re charged $10 for a recycling fee. If you return the battery once it’s dead, Costco will return the $10 to you.
This is a clever system that incentivizes people to recycle batteries rather than toss them in the trash.
As far as this review goes, we’ve concluded that Kirkland batteries are great without even looking at their price. When you combine the quality with the price and Costco’s warranty policy, it’s hard to argue against the purchase of Kirkland car batteries.
Diehard car batteries are made by Clarios, just like Costco’s Kirkland Signature batteries, VARTA, Optima Batteries, and several other brands.
Costco does not provide battery-changing services anymore, but you can do the swap yourself in just a few minutes. The batteries are heavy, so you might need someone to help you with the swap.
The installation is extremely simple – loosen the cables, and remove the battery. Then, place the new battery in, facing the same way as the old one. Attach the cables to the terminals and tighten them – and you’re done!
Interstate batteries are a competitive brand and if you can find a good deal, there’s no reason not to buy one.
Determining who makes Toyota’s TrueStart car batteries was quite a challenge, but we’ve come to the conclusion that it’s one or more of the following companies: Clarios, Exide, GS Yuasa, and Panasonic.
The best way to tell if you need an AGM battery is to see what’s already inside your engine bay – if it’s an AGM battery, you’ll need a new one, but otherwise, a regular flooded battery will do.
The car battery age can be written down on the label, but sometimes it’s coded. You’ll find it on the top or side label, with a letter depicting the month of production, and a digit indicating the year. For example, “F2” means that the battery has been made in February of 2022.
The core charge is Costco’s recycling fee that is added to the price of a new battery. To get it back, you have to bring the old battery to Costco. This incentivizes recycling and keeps the environment cleaner.
So, what have we discovered in this review? It turns out that Costco’s Kirkland Signature batteries are made by one of the largest car battery manufacturers in the world. It’s placed in the company of Optima Batteries, Varta, and several other brands under the Clarios umbrella.
The affordable price is the first thing you’ll notice about Kirkland Signature car batteries, but you should really pay attention to the warranty.
Costco offers up to 100 months of coverage and a full refund within the first 4 years. That’s better than most companies offer and it’s a reason enough to pick Kirkland over other brands.
