Replacing 12V Nissan LEAF battery from Costco

Since I didn't find any exact posts online for replacing the 12v battery from the Costco Interstate batteries. I thought I would post this. I will attach a couple of pictures of the exact battery I used to replace mine after the car basically did not turn on this week.

Nissan LEAF 12V Interstate Battery replacement at Costco

It's Group 51R. Remember, neither Interstate nor Costco mentions a battery for this, EXCEPT for the NTB website's Interstate battery. Same rating, so I took a leap of faith and changed it from the one in Costco. If this experiment fails, I will mention in this post.

There is plenty of room for a slightly larger battery, and a slightly smaller one with similar capacity should also work.

LeftieBiker said:

There is plenty of room for a slightly larger battery, and a slightly smaller one with similar capacity should also work.

Click to expand...

So, the right 12v battery is just a function of fit and shape on the battery tray? That's it. Makes sense I guess.

PanderYo said:

LeftieBiker said:

There is plenty of room for a slightly larger battery, and a slightly smaller one with similar capacity should also work.

Click to expand...

So, the right 12v battery is just a function of fit and shape on the battery tray? That's it. Makes sense I guess.

Click to expand...

Voltage, which is almost always 12v, amperage(generally the more the better) length width of the battery and also height and lastly the orientation of the positive and negative terminals(if they aren't located in the center of the battery). Lastly, if you happen to have an older Prius(like myself) you'll learn Japan uses smaller sized terminals, but AFAIK the older Prius's are the only cars that used those smaller terminals.

PanderYo said:

LeftieBiker said:

There is plenty of room for a slightly larger battery, and a slightly smaller one with similar capacity should also work.

Click to expand...

So, the right 12v battery is just a function of fit and shape on the battery tray? That's it. Makes sense I guess.

Click to expand...

51R is the worry-free drop-in replacement size. I.e., it's the OEM size and has the terminals in the "reversed" orientation which is what's needed. Larger battery sizes can indeed fit but you'd need to measure and ensure the cables can reach the terminals. With all the crap hanging off the negative cable these days, it's not always easy to reach a non-standard configuration. Then there is the issue of battery "type" (flooded, AGM, Lithium). Plenty of info in other threads on that.

Thumbs up on the Costco Interstate battery. There are a lot of posts about upgrading to Optima's, but I had no problems with the OEM battery and it has lasted 7 years. I have a digital battery load tester and the new Costco battery tested at about 515CCA - right on target for the stated 500CCA. The price was the best part - $73 + tax. I called around a few auto parts stores and they wanted up to $150. It fit exactly with no fuss.

Take a meter with you if you have one and test them if possible.