Duralast Gold Vs. Platinum Battery

The Duralast Gold and Platinum are car batteries from the same battery brand, Duralast. The natural progression of the names of these batteries suggests that the Platinum is superior to the Gold. Let’s find out if this is true in our Duralast Gold vs. Platinum Battery comparison, and if so, then what’s the difference?

Both Duralast Gold and Platinum batteries are good because they provide a 3-year warranty, compared to the average 2-year warranty of most batteries, and they are from a reliable brand. However, if you had to pick a winner, the Duralast Platinum takes the edge.

The Duralast Platinum is slightly better because of its CCA rating and its spill-proof, extreme vibration-resistant design. However, if you do not require these features in your battery, you will be perfectly fine with the Duralast Gold battery as well.

Why Compare Duralast Gold Vs. Platinum Battery?

For most people, car batteries are the last thing on their minds when they think of car maintenance. It’s only when their car battery dies, and they are stuck or stranded do they pay any attention.

Picking the right battery is important, and while there are many brands on offer, we specifically look at Duralast Gold and Platinum batteries in this comparison. Duralast is a popular and reliable brand but, most people are confused between Gold and Platinum batteries.

Duralast itself is a fairly new player in the battery market, especially when compared to other battery brands. Still, they have a good reputation among car owners and experts. There are many Duralast battery models, but the Gold and Platinum models are closely similar, which makes this comparison interesting.

By the end of this comparison, we want you to know which battery is better and help you make the right decision in picking one that best suits your needs, so you don’t waste your hard-earned money.

What Is The Difference Between A Gold Battery And A Platinum Battery?

The Duralast Platinum battery is a sealed and spill-proof battery with extreme vibration resistance. It can be mounted in nearly any position and offers a slightly higher CCA rating than the Gold, whereas the Gold is slightly lighter than the Platinum.

To give you a more comprehensive look at the differences (and similarities), here is a specification chart for both the Duralast batteries.

This simple specification chart shows that there are minimal differences between the two batteries, which is understandable because they are both from the same brand. However, there is more to specifications than meets the eye.

Let’s dive deeper to give you a more detailed outlook on these batteries.

Group Size and Design

The group size of a battery tells you about its physical dimensions, terminal locations, and whether or not it will properly fit the type of battery required for your vehicle. Group size takes into account the height, width, and weight of the battery, along with other things, and combines it into a single number.

In the case of Duralast Gold and Platinum batteries, this group size number is 48, which means they are both under 12.0625 x 6.875 x 7.5625 inches, 306 x 175 x 192 mm, in length, width, and height, respectively.

However, some group 48 batteries have slightly different dimensions than the mentioned “standard” dimensions. For instance, both Duralast Gold and Platinum batteries mentioned here have a length of 10.93 inches. Moreover, the Gold is a few pounds lighter than the Platinum as well.

On the surface, it may seem that both the Duralast Gold and Platinum batteries have a similar design, but the Duralast Platinum has one key advantage regarding its design. It is a spill-proof battery, which means you can place it in a relevant vehicle at any position.

You don’t get this design feature with the Duralast Golf battery of the same group size. Moreover, the Platinum battery is also extremely vibration resistant, whereas the Gold battery has extra lead plates for vibration resistance, but still not as much as the Platinum.

Warranty And Durability

The warranty of any battery is an important measure of its durability, and once you meet the specifications you need, it is the most important concern for any customer. Duralast is a reliable brand that makes durable batteries.

This is eminent in the 3-year warranty with their Duralast Gold and Platinum batteries. Since both batteries have the same warranty, we can determine that they are both similarly durable, making sense because they are the same group size batteries from the same brand.

While both these batteries will provide satisfactory power to your car for a long time, if you take good care of them, they may easily last you a little longer than three years.

Voltage (V)

The voltage (V) of a battery refers to its capacity to generate energy to move between points. Voltage itself is the potential energy required that allows electrons to travel. The majority of vehicles require car batteries that are at least 12V on average.

Since both the Duralast Gold and Platinum batteries are 12V batteries, there is no difference between them in terms of the batteries’ capacity to move electrons.

Cold-Cranking Amperage (CCA)

Cold-cranking amperage or CCA determines a battery’s ability to start in cold temperatures. There is a certain amount of energy a 12V battery can generate at cold temperatures. This energy is measured in amps (A) and denoted by the CCA rating of the battery.

More specifically, the CCA rating indicates the amperes a 12V battery can provide at 0°F for 30 seconds while maintaining a minimum 7.2V.

The higher the CCA rating of a battery, the greater its starting power is at cold temperatures. The chart shows that both Duralast Gold and Platinum batteries closely match in CCA, but Platinum has 30 more amps than Gold, making it slightly better in this regard.

If you live in cold temperatures, a CCA rating of 650 is essential, whereas a rating of 800 can start in any weather. Both these batteries are good for cold temperatures, but the Duralast Platinum slightly takes the edge in terms of CCA.

Reserve Capacity (RC)

Reserve Capacity (RC) is denoted in minutes and shows the amount of time the battery can sustain a given load at a certain temperature. This measurement is made before the battery is fully charged. Typically, the sustained load is around 25 amperage or more, depending on other specifications.

In this case, the RC shows the number of minutes a battery can be discharged at 25 amps at 80°F and still maintain at least 10.5V for a 12V battery. The higher the RC, the longer the battery can sustain voltage before it drops.

There is no difference in the Duralast Gold and Platinum reserve capacities, which are both at 130 minutes. This means that at 80°F, both batteries can supply 25 amps for 130 minutes before the voltage starts to drop.

Final Thoughts

If you go with either of these batteries from Duralast you are likely to be happy with the performance that you receive. However, overall the Platinum is the better of the two. 

Typically the Duralast Platinum will be slightly more expensive than the Duralast Gold battery however so if it is worth the extra cost or not is truly a decision that only you can make.