Last Updated on May 10, 2023 by Chase Manhattan
A car battery that’s not secured tight into place will not last long. That’s why car battery holders exist. While most cars come with built-in batteries that have hold-downs installed, car battery holders are still widely sold separately.
If you noticed that the hold-downs on your battery are kind of loose and shaky, install new holders as soon as possible. You can find the holder in a local automotive store. Or, you can find the perfect-sized ones online.
Here is a list of the 3 best car battery holders. Universal hold-downs that fit on standard 12 V car batteries. Check out the list and see if you can find the right product. I recommend reading the buying guide, especially if you are just hearing about hold-downs.
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Best Car Battery Holder Comparison Table
| Product | Features | Check Out The Price |
|---|---|---|
  | - Adjustable Hold-Downs - Premium Iron & Stainless Steel - Durable Finish - Easy Installation | ARONOVA Adjustable Battery Hold Down |
  | - Hold-Down Tray - Durable Construction - 24/24M Batteries - Stainless Steel | Camco Standard Battery Hold-Down Tray |
  | - Universal Bracket - Anti-Rust - Durable & Sturdy - Easy Installation | Elegananccy Universal Battery Hold Down Bracket |
Best Overall
ARONOVA Adjustable Battery Hold Down
Highlighted Features
- Adjustable Hold-Downs
- Premium Iron & Stainless Steel
- Durable Finish
- Easy Installation
- 8/10 Inch Bolt
Car battery holders made from ARONOVA. Our top recommended product. It’s universal and will fit in most cars. That does not earn it the top spot, it’s the high-quality construction that makes it special.
A simple hold-down with two crossbars. The actual hold-down is made with premium iron, extra strong and durable. The crossbar has a J-hook design, it’s sturdy and rust-resistant. It’s made with stainless steel, it doesn’t bend or get rusty.
The crossbar is of universal length, 10 inches. Made for 18-8(304) bolts. The threat is quite long, 5.12 inches, which allows for adjusting the hold-down. Best used with a combination of a flat washer, spring lock washer, and a hex nut at the end. The thread size is 1/4-20 inches.
The holder can be adjusted in width as well. This allows for application on most battery sizes. The minimal width range is 5.35 inches, the maximum width is 7.85 inches. A versatile battery holder that you can use on most cars, boats, RVs, and sports cars.
Impressively easy to install. Takes no effort and time to replace your old broken battery holder. Featuring thermoset baked-on Premium Powder Coat finish. This makes it rust-resistant. Environment-friendly materials.
If you want the absolute best, this is the car battery holder I recommend. It’s durable, high-quality, universal, and easy to install. Nothing more to ask for. The price is not expensive but there are a lot of cheaper hold-downs.
[How to Remove Car Scratches]Pros
- Universal length.
- Rust-resistant stainless-steel crossbar with powder coat finish.
- Adjustable width range.
Cons
- Expensive.
- The tray is not included.
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Best Budget
Camco Standard Battery Hold-Down Tray
Highlighted Features
- Hold-Down Crossbar
- Hold-Down Tray
- Durable Construction
- 24/24M Batteries
- Stainless Steel
Now, our budget recommended product. A standard battery hold-down with a tray from the Costco store. It will fit most standard car and boat batteries but be sure to check out the dimensions.
The hold-down consists of crossbars, the holder, and the tray. The tray is removable for applications where it’s not needed. It fits batteries up to 11-1/8 inches( length) x 6-3/4 inches( width) x 8-inches( height). The dimensions of the hold-down are 11-9/6 inches in length, 8-1/2 inches in width, and 9-5/8 inches in height.
A durable construction overall. The tray is made with heavy-duty thermoplastic that’s acid-resistant. Won’t get damaged in case of battery leakage. The crossbars are made out of stainless steel.
This is a patented design, it meets the U.S Coast Guard Specifications. This means that the hold-down won’t be toxic for the waters if you use it on a boat. It secures 24 and 24M batteries in place.
The Costco standard battery hold-down tray is recommended to anyone that wants a budget item. It’s especially good for RVs and boats but it can be used on cars too. Durable construction that will last, more importantly, it secures the battery. Costco also offers a larger model for customers with bigger batteries.
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Pros
- Acid-resistant tray.
- Durable stainless-steel hardware.
- Comes with a tray.
Cons
- No finish for protection against rust.
- Manufactured in China.
Best Runner-Up
Elegananccy Universal Battery Hold Down Bracket
Highlighted Features
- Adjustable Crossbar
- Universal Bracket
- Anti-Rust
- Durable & Sturdy
- Easy Installation
The second-best recommendation comes from the Eleganancyy brand. Another universal car battery holder. A wide range of applications, it’s adjustable, it can be used on most car battery sizes, RVs, and boats. Truly, a simple, universal, and durable design, check it out.
Featuring an impressive construction, both the crossbar and the bracket are made with high-quality materials. The crossbar and the hardware are made with stainless steel. Sprayed with a special technology that improves rust resistance. The bracket is made with cast iron.
Extra durable battery hold-down. Designed to keep the battery secured and steady. Excellent anti-rust capabilities. Sturdy and it’s effective even for strong load-bearing applications. Made to last.
Both the bracket and the crossbar are adjustable. The bracket can be adjusted in width from 5.3 inches to 8.7 inches. The crossbar is long 9.1 inches in total. The threaded part has a length of 4.3 inches. The thread size is 0.3 inches. The hook angle is 75 degrees.
Easy to install, user-friendly instructions and hardware. Installed with a flat washer, and nuts that don’t require tools. The crossbar is adjustable and universal, the bracket as well. There will be no problems installing this hold-down.
One of the best car battery holders you can find online. It doesn’t include a tray though. It’s just as good as the best overall. The same model can be found with a different bolt length.
Pros
- Adjustable crossbar and bracket width.
- Will fit most standard car and boat batteries.
- Protection from rust, improved life span.
Cons
- No tray included.
- A bit expensive.
Best Car Battery Holder – Buying Guide
I guess some of you are not familiar with car battery hold-downs. So, you may be confused if you are buying and replacing the holders yourself. Here is a buying guide that will help you decide what to get.
What Is A Car Battery Hold-Down
Car batteries need to be fixed in place. While driving on a normal road, the car still vibrates. These vibrations can mess up the electrolyte solution inside the battery, or the battery can get damaged from being moved around.
This gets even worse when driving off-road or on hills. Even though it doesn’t look like the car battery can move around, it does. Battery hold-down prevents this. It keeps the battery safe and secured whatever the road may be.
You should never drive your car with loose or damaged hold-down. You may cause damage to the battery. If you notice that the holders are loose, replace them as soon as possible.
Hold-Down Size
When buying battery hold-downs, you only need to get one thing right, the size. The hold-downs keep the battery in place by pressing down the battery into the tray. This is enabled with a crossbar that is connected to the tray and the bracket on top.
So, the bracket and the crossbar must be the right size. If too small, the hold-downs won’t reach the tray at all. If too big, the hold-downs won’t be able to secure the battery tight enough.
What you need to do is measure the width of your car battery and the length starting from the tray to the top. Look for hold-downs that have an adjustable bracket with a minimum width same as your car battery. Look for crossbars that fit the length of your battery.
You don’t have to be precise here. Universal battery hold-downs will fit on most car batteries.
Durable Construction
Judging from your last hold-downs you can come to the conclusion that they eventually die. All that vibration and pressure is bound to damage and loosen up the holders. Rust on the crossbars and the hardware is also a common problem.
That’s why I recommend getting something extra durable. This will make sure that you don’t have to replace the hold-down that frequently. You can never go wrong with stainless-steel crossbars and hardware. Stainless steel is not that prone to get rust.
As for the brackets, I recommend iron. The bracket should be sturdy and strong. Brackets made with iron are best at that. Iron has a good load-bearing capacity. In addition to all this, it’s also a good thing to get hold-downs that have a powder coat finish that protects from rust.
Bolts & Hooks Size
Although some hold-down may come with bolts included, that is not always the case. So, you will need to use the bolts you already have on the crossbar. And bolts come in different sizes, so here is somewhere where you can go wrong.
Just get hold-down that requires the same bolts as you have. Check the diameter of the bolts you have and compare them with the hold-downs you want to buy. It’s the same for the hooks. The crossbar ends may be too big for the holes in the tray. Make sure the hooks can be connected to the tray without a problem.
Easy Installation
Lastly, look for something that’s not complicated to install. You don’t want to go to a mechanic just so they can install the hold-down. The whole point of ordering hold-downs by yourself is so you can install them on your own.
All the items on the list are fairly easy to install. More so, brands rarely make complicated hold-down but it’s been known to happen.
Related Questions And Other FAQs
What Is The Thing That Holds Car Battery In Place
The part that holds the car battery in place is commonly known as battery hold-down. It can also be found as a base clamp or a bracket brace.
How Do You Secure A Car Battery
Car batteries are secured with a tray and hold-downs. The battery lays on a tray which is the base. There is a bracket placed on top of the battery that is connected to the tray with crossbars. To secure a car battery, install hold-downs.
