Kirkland is the signature Costco brand of products sold at Costco warehouse clubs. But, obviously, Costco doesn’t make these products. So, who makes Kirkland batteries? You wouldn’t expect the industry’s leading company to make Kirkland batteries, but they are.
The company that makes Kirkland batteries is Duracell Battery.
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What brand are Kirkland batteries?
There is quite an extensive line of products that carry the Kirkland brand name, including Kirkland batteries, which most people simply call Costco batteries. Kirkland is Costco’s signature brand and entails an extensive product line of nearly everything imaginable. Essentially, Kirkland is Costco’s generic option for high-priced items.
You can find a Kirkland branded product for any item sold at Costco. Costco negotiates a branding agreement with other companies, and those companies make the product, but it bears the Kirkland label. Typically, the company that makes Kirkland is also making their own branded products for Costco.
And for years, the internet was dripping with the question; which makes Kirkland batteries? With numerous rumor mills at work, they were all put to rest in 2016. During an Atlanta-based TV station interview, Costco CEO Craig Jelinek revealed the incredible secret behind Kirkland batteries.
What company makes Kirkland batteries?
Among the many big-name brands behind the Kirkland line of products, the company name that makes most Kirkland batteries stole the show. That’s right! Most Kirkland batteries are Duracell batteries.
The line of Costco Kirkland batteries is pervasive, and Duracell makes most of their alkaline batteries, such as the Kirkland aa batteries, aaa batteries, and even Kirkland hearing aid batteries.
But what about the once prevalent Kirkland automotive batteries? Though Duracell makes automotive batteries, they only made Costco’s alkaline batteries, not the car battery.
Who makes Kirkland car batteries?
Duracell batteries are commonly known as one of the best battery brands for all and any battery type needed to power home electronics and other such items.
While most of Costco’s batteries are made by Duracell, they did not make one of Costco’s most popular batteries, the automotive battery. The answer to that question was another industry leader; Johnson Controls.
Johnson Controls was the original company that made Kirkland automotive batteries. At the time, virtually all car batteries in the United States were made by Johnson Controls. Johnson Controls was the most prominent automotive battery maker in the world.
So, ironically, most of the batteries sold anywhere and under any name were most likely made by Johnson Controls. However, in 2018, the company’s battery division was sold to Brookfield Business Partners, who then incorporated it into their battery division, Clarios LLC.
Clarios LLC is world-renowned in their own right for making quality batteries as they also make brands such as Optima batteries and the DieHard automotive battery. From 2019 and up to late 2021, when Costco and Clarios LLC discontinued the Kirkland car battery, Clarios LLC was the company making and behind Kirkland car batteries.
Where are they made?
Though the Kirkland automotive battery is no longer in production, and Costco has an international presence, it could have been made at Clarios manufacturing plants. Though most, if not all, were likely made at one of their three plants based around the United States.
Clarios LLC operates and houses its automotive battery manufacturing process worldwide in these countries and cities.
Currently, Clarios LLC makes car batteries in :
- 17 US factories; including:
- Missouri
- Michigan
- Ohio
- North Carolina
- Mexico
- Germany
- South Korea
- Brazil
- China
- The Czech Republic
Kirkland car battery review
In its heyday, the Kirkland car battery was trendy and received an impressive amount of positive reviews that it was a perfect battery.
Battery price
As far as how much Kirkland automotive batteries used to cost, that depended on the specific battery you were buying. Regardless though, every battery model was priced well under the competition.
The average cost of Kirkland automotive batteries was approximately $77.00.
Even by today’s standards, that was an excellent price. Then, when you consider Costco’s warranty and the fact that the batteries typically had a life of nearly six years, it is easy to see why they were so popular.
Battery performance
These batteries were considered one of the best batteries on the market, not only for price and support but also for performance. They were built with first-rate specifications.
Both Johnson Controls and Clarios LLC combined top-notched technology with superior components to create high-quality batteries. It was consistently reported that these batteries outperformed most others on the market.
Battery warranty
When Costco sold Kirkland automotive batteries, all the Costco car batteries came with at least a limited 36-month replacement warranty. However, the Kirkland car battery came with a warranty of 3 years with complete replacement and a 100-month prorated limited warranty.
A Kirkland car battery generally lasts a minimum of 4 years and eight months, but many reviews state the batteries have lasted a full six years.
Customer support
Costco provides incredible customer support for every product they sell, not only their car batteries. The warranty on these batteries provided a free replacement if necessary. But even if you no longer had the receipt for the original purchase, it was not a problem.
You could still get a new battery as a replacement via the warranty by simply taking the old battery back to the store. There were no questions asked about the missing receipt.
In addition to the no questions asked replacement policy, if you wanted to return the old battery for a new replacement, you simply had to bring the old one into the store and tell them you wanted a new one.
The workers at the front counter simply took the old batteries and provided you with what you wanted. They did not even check the old batteries to see if they were no longer any good. Among the excellent quality that the Kirkland product line provides, the Costco customer service is second to none.
Are Kirkland car batteries any good?
Kirkland batteries constantly received positive reviews by customers up to being discontinued in 2021 by Costco and Clarios LLC. These batteries were called one of the best on the market and possibly the best value and quality in the automotive battery sector.
In fact, due to the transition from Johnson Controls to Clarios LLC, Costco had to discontinue the battery because its price point, warranty, performance, and lifespan made the battery unsustainable for their bottom line.
Where to buy Kirkland car batteries?
As previously explained, Kirkland is the product line and brand name for Costco’s own products. Most of the products that Kirkland offered were a cheaper option than higher price tagged items without having to lose quality for a better price. With that said, all Kirkland products are only available at Costco.
Unfortunately, you cannot buy Kirkland automotive batteries any longer as they have been discontinued and have now been replaced with Costco Interstate Batteries.
