For Interstate lead-acid batteries, look on the top of the battery and in one of the corners you will see a 2-character code. (It is not on the label nor on the rim around to cover. It's stamped in.)
The first character is a letter:
A=January
B=February
... and so on
The next character is a number, for the last digit of the year
1=2011
2=2012
3=2013
and so on
E5 = May 2015
Don't buy a battery more than 3 months' old. It's beginning to deteriorate. The store is supposed to send those back to the manufacturer
Quality batteries that are taken care will last several years. The one in my 2004 SUV is original, still started in -5 F degree weather last winter. (Dealer says I need a new one, though.) My deep cycle batteries in the boat are several years old, heavily used in the summer and fall. I just checked them last week and they are still going strong.
If your battery is not sealed you can check the cells with a hydrometer from your local parts store, or order a quality one online. If it's sealed (or not) you can take it to the parts store and they can run a test under load to better determine it's state.
__________________
-Rich
Rich & Yvonne
2006 Safari SE -Dora-
2004 4Runner SE 4.7L V8
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