From five-dollar rotisserie chickens to flat-screen TVs, Costco is known for offering a variety of good deals. Many Costco customers count car batteries among them. Costco sells Interstate co-branded car batteries at prices so low, one would be forgiven for questioning their validity, especially since they carry a premium brand at a little over half the price one would expect to pay elsewhere.
For comparison, I bought an Interstate battery from my local Interstate store last December and paid about $220 for it. Today, I bought a Costco Interstate battery for my other car and paid $119. Wait, what? Did I really pay $100 less for the same battery from Costco? That's a tough question to answer and it hinges upon whether they are, indeed, the same battery.
First, we need to understand that while car batteries are available in under a plethora of brands, all American-made car batteries come from just three contract manufacturers—Exide, Johnson Controls, and East Penn. In many cases, the only differences between two battery brands could be the logo on the label and the distribution channel through which it reaches the consumer.
Interstate batteries and their Costco co-branded counterparts may well originate at the same factories, but they take very different routes to find their way under the hoods of customers' cars. The Costco co-branded Interstate batteries may bear the Interstate logo under license, but they are distributed and warrantied exclusively by Costco. Interstate has no relationship or responsibility for them, beyond putting their logo on them.
So, does this mean the Costco Interstate batteries aren't genuine Interstate batteries? They are 'genuine' in the sense that Interstate authorizes the use of their logo, and thus they ride on Interstate's positive reputation, but that appears to be the extent of the relationship. Interstate neither distributes nor stands behind the Costco batteries that carry their brand.
Does this mean Costco Interstate batteries are a ripoff? Not necessarily. They're of reasonably good quality and the price is right for what they are, especially if you're handy enough to install it yourself, since Costco merely sells them over the counter. Consumers are responsible for installation, whether they do it themselves or take it to a third party. This is one way Costco keeps their costs down. Think of it this way, you're getting the battery for only the cost of the part and not labor.
So, how do the two Interstate batteries compare in terms of performance? My own experience is hardly a statistically significant sampling, but I've owned two Interstate batteries in the same car and three Costco Interstate batteries in two different cars, including the battery I bought today. The battery I bought directly from Interstate in December replaced another Interstate battery that was in that same car when I acquired it in 2018. I have no idea how old it was when I got the car, but it lasted more than four years while I owned it.
The first of the Costco Interstate batteries was only a few months old when I replaced the car it was in, so I have no idea how long it ultimately lasted. The one I replaced today outlasted the 36-month warranty by a little more than two months. That's not exceptional, but not bad either. Speaking of warranties, the Costco batteries carry a 36-month full replacement warranty, which is longer than that of some Interstate batteries, but it is honored only at Costco. Many battery brands have short replacement period, followed by prorated replacement for the remainder of the warranty period.
From a standpoint of price, performance, and warranty, Costco's Interstate batteries are an exceptional value with a lot to offer for a modest price. The trick here be an informed consumer, know what you're getting into, maintain realistic expectations. Approaching it this way will allow one to see the batteries as for what they are and value them accordingly. One can safely say that if you buy a Costco Interstate battery, you will at least get what you pay for, and likely more.
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