“CCA” stands for “Cold Cranking Amperes”. This is a rating used by the battery industry to define the battery’s ability to start (crank) an engine under low- temperature conditions. Cranking an engine requires a large amount of current for a short time span. The Battery Council International defines CCA as “the discharge load in amperes which a new, fully-charged battery at 0ºF can deliver for 30 seconds and maintain a voltage of 1.20 volts per cell or higher.”

“CA” stands for “Cranking Amps”. According to the BCI, this is “the discharge load in amperes which a new, fully-charged battery at 32ºF can continuously deliver for 30 seconds while maintaining a terminal voltage equal to or higher than 1.20 volts per cell.” The CA rating of a battery may be misleading, since it can be up to 30% higher than its CCA rating. The Battery Council International requires that a battery carrying a statement of its CA performance must also carry a statement of CCA capacity.