Varta: A German Battery Name Since 1887

History

The company behind the Varta name was founded in 1887 in Hagen, Germany, by Adolph Müller, under the name Büsche & Müller, at a time when rechargeable lead-acid accumulators were an emerging technology with clear commercial potential. Within a few years the German electrical companies AEG and Siemens invested in the business, which was renamed Accumulatorenfabrik AG, commonly abbreviated AFA. The Varta brand name itself was adopted in 1904, built from the German phrase for "sale, charging and repair of transportable accumulators" (Vertrieb, Aufladung und Reparatur Transportabler Akkumulatoren). Under the AFA and later Varta names, the company became one of Germany's best-known battery manufacturers across both consumer and vehicle-starting battery markets over the following decades. A major ownership change came in November 2002, when the American conglomerate Johnson Controls acquired Varta AG's automotive battery division, separating the car-battery business from the rest of the Varta group. Johnson Controls' power-solutions business, including the Varta automotive brand, was later separated from Johnson Controls International as an independent company named Clarios, which today manufactures and markets Varta-branded automotive batteries as one of the world's largest suppliers of vehicle batteries. Separately, the original Varta company — retaining its consumer and microbattery divisions — continues today as Varta AG, headquartered in Ellwangen, Germany, with no corporate connection to the automotive battery business now run by Clarios.

What they make

As an automotive brand today, Varta covers starter (SLI) batteries for petrol and diesel vehicles, along with the more advanced battery types needed by modern start-stop equipped cars — Enhanced Flooded Batteries (EFB) and Absorbent Glass Mat (AGM) batteries — which are designed to withstand the more frequent charge-discharge cycles that stop-start systems create.

Where they fit — OE vs aftermarket

Varta-branded automotive batteries are supplied both as original equipment, fitted at the factory by vehicle manufacturers, and through the independent aftermarket as a replacement battery brand — a common structure for battery suppliers, since a battery is a routine wear item that most vehicles need replaced at least once during their service life regardless of the original factory-fit brand.

Buying guidance

Choosing a replacement battery means matching not just physical size and terminal layout but also battery type — a vehicle originally fitted with an AGM battery for start-stop should generally be replaced with an equivalent AGM (not a cheaper standard flooded battery), since the vehicle's charging and start-stop control systems are calibrated for that battery chemistry. Match cold-cranking amps (CCA) and capacity (Ah) to the manufacturer's specification, and note that many modern vehicles require the replacement battery to be electronically registered with the car's battery management system after fitting.