Don’t you just hate it when you get up to go to work in the morning, then when you crank up your engine it simply lets out a sound as if Kermit the Frog was getting choked? That’s if you’re lucky. In other cases, the engine simply won’t crank and you’re left there flogging a dead horse… or several, depending on how much horsepower your engine puts out.
So, what are the best terminal connectors you can get for your car? Well, there’s several things to look at to determine which is best for your vehicle. These can include things like reviews, construction material, ease of use, how easy it is to purchase among other things.
I took the time to gather the specific data and parse them into a form that makes it easy for everyone to understand. What I’ve is I have compiled a list of the best car battery terminal connectors. This list is a guide on what I think is best. However, the ultimate decision is left to you. Well, that’s the beauty of lists, and here’s mine:
1. UxCell 2 Pieces Connectors
2. Audew 4/8 Auto Car Terminals
3. InstallGear 8 Gauge AWG Crimp Ring Terminal Connectors
4. Totoone Heavy Duty Quick Release Clamps
5. Foxsur 12V Car Battery
6. Buwico Terminals
Without much further ado, let’s take a deep dive right into why these are the best car battery terminal connectors.
Top 6 Battery Terminal Connectors for Your Car
1. UxCell 2 Pieces Connectors
Made from aluminum alloys, these connectors come with plastic terminal connector caps. These are to help protect and identify the polarity of the terminals.
These measure 2.6″ (length) x 1.1″ (width) x 0.8″ (height). The measurements make them universal, meaning they can fit on all types of batteries, from dune buggies to large mile eaters in the form of semi haulers.
As negative terminals are usually smaller, the negative terminal connector is also smaller by a millimeter to account for this. The terminals can handle voltages of 6v to 12v, and amperage not exceeding 800 amps.
2. Audew 4/8 Auto Car Terminals
Whereas the UxCell is made for practical people who like to visual separation, the Audew terminals are for the power users who already know their way around the engine bay and the different coloring has become noise.
The Audew is crafted from platinum, and then coated in a two-tone finish of copper and nickel. Well, the battery terminals are an odd place to glam up, especially if you’ve got blow off valves still to put in. However, that platinum makes it practical.
The copper and nickel, well apart from adding style, also bring substance. These two metals are well known for being resistant to oxidation, therefore making these terminals long lasting. Aside from being designed for long term use, they were also designed to fit a wide variety of vehicles.
The terminal connectors are built with the pinholes having different sizes to match the batteries. The positive terminal connector is two millimeters larger than the negative. It also has four different wire connection ports that can be used for fitment with a wide variety of batteries and vehicles.
3. InstallGear 8 Gauge AWG Crimp Ring Terminal Connectors
Not everyone likes or appreciates the different types of connectors available of vehicles these days. Others may prefer something more straightforward, no frills connectors that can take a beating and still ask for more.
Here is where crimp ring terminal connectors come in. All one needs to do is slip them over the terminal connectors, tighten your nuts. You can choose to smear trusty old Vaseline on your connectors to deal with corrosion, but that would be a bit of a stretch.
These connectors come plated in gold to deal with corrosion and improve on conductivity. They also come with rubber jackets to help with insulation when handling them on a live battery. The beauty of wring connectors is they just slip over terminal connectors, doesn’t matter the size of the vehicle they will power.
4. Totoone Heavy Duty Quick Release Clamps
Where would man be without those members of our species who just like pushing the envelope? Whereas a large number of car battery terminal connectors utilize some variation of the nut and bolt, this one was made to use clamps that clamp tightly to the battery terminal.
This type of terminal is best for the Autosport enthusiasts and other maintenance heavy pursuits. The terminals are color coded; red for positive and blue for negative. The wires are held to the clamps by a screw clamp to the top of the connector.
All you’ll need to do is push the connector onto the battery terminal and close the clamp. Easy-peesy, and a lemon squeeze can help clean the terminal after heavy buildup from corrosion.
The terminal is crafted from steel to give it industrial strength and conductivity, and then coated with brass and copper to protect against corrosion. This terminal has been tested to support vehicles that require 12 volts of power.
5. Foxsur 12V Car Battery
Here is another quick release clamp connector. It works in a similar fashion to the Totoone connector. Both have been designed to work not only with top post batteries, but also side post batteries without needing connectors.
This is crafted to handle power at 12 volts and pass a charge of 500 amperes. It can operate up to a maximum of 800 amperes surge flow. It also comes with colored connectors for ease of identification; Red for positive and blue or black for the negative post.
The difference here with the Totoone is that is connector is designed for round posts only. If you are in an occupation that requires quick battery changes, this can help cut down turnaround time.
6. Buwico 12v Terminals
If you’re looking at all these connectors and still haven’t found what you’re after, here’s one more try. If you’re looking for something standard, appropriate to the time and absolutely no frills, just solid functionality, here’s one that will tickle your fancy.
The Buwico 12v connector is your standard connector. It clamps to terminals by means of the trusty of nut and bolt method. It is also cast out of pure copper, ensuring it will last longer than any other terminal out there. Copper powers your home via electricity transmission, and thus is an excellent conductor, expect the same level of service with your vehicle.
How Did I Come Up with This List?
Coming up with a list is never an easy thing. There are a lot of considerations that have to be taken into account, from a wide variety of people, uses and applications out there. As such, the purpose was to cover a wide field. The things I took a look at were:
• Applications: Batteries are used in a variety of situations. However, a car battery is unique in that it uses a specific connector, and not just plates that one slips onto the terminals. For this, I took a look at people who want to have their connectors last long as they may not have as much time to tinker around the hood of the vehicle.
For others, it could be they work in a fast-paced environment. The little savings of time they could make from shaving the time needed to replace connectors could mean significant gains ahead.
• Type of materials used in construction: There are a number of chemical elements that can conduct electricity. How easy it is do so is another matter altogether. For this purpose, metals are easier to deal with and more cost effective.
However, not every metal is safe to use. Others can only work for certain periods before disintegrating. Others fall prey to the effects of heat and exposure to other elements, chief among them oxygen.
Oxidation of metals results in having to deal with rusted connectors that will literally start to crumble into red dust as if Thanos is somewhere in the universe, snapping his fingers in slow motion. Iron is especially notorious for this and it is rarely used in higher purity percentages. It is mostly converted into steel to offer increased strength and longevity, but still, steel can suffer from oxidation.
There are other types of metals that can withstand the effects of oxidation, but they could either be ridiculously expensive, like gold and silver, or could not have the tensile strength of steel, like copper and nickel.
A solution then, is to use a process known as electrolysis to cover the strong material in thins sheets of the oxidation resistant metals. This gives the terminal the strength, conductivity and long life so desired.
There is another metal that was used in the early days of motoring for this very same purpose. This is lead. Even though it does a commendable job, it was discovered to be a cancer-causing material, and therefore has slowly been removed from consumer grade materials such as paints and battery connectors.
