The Automobile Club du Luxembourg (ACL) has warned about car batteries as it has seen a 47% increase in battery problems during the confinement period.

For several years, the car battery has been at the top of the failures identified by the Automobile Club du Luxembourg. This trend was further accentuated during the confinement period (15 March to 31 May 2020) with a 47% increase in interventions for battery problems, compared to the same period in 2019.

Between mid-March and the end of May, Luxembourg experienced an unprecedented situation. The country found itself immobilised overnight following the spread of the Coronavirus across the European continent. While car journeys became less frequent, many people still had to use their vehicles, but less frequently.

During this time, the ACL continued to provide 24-hour on-call support. According to the latest statistics, troubleshooting for battery problems increased by 47% compared to the same period last year.

This is explained in particular by the combined effect of the aging of the vehicle fleet (the average age of a vehicle on Luxembourg roads is 7.5 years, while the average lifespan of a battery is 4 years) and the prolonged stoppage of vehicles during confinement. It is therefore important that the batteries are regularly checked in order to avoid consequent breakdowns.

The second cause of breakdown on the road is related to tyres. Today, a large majority of cars no longer have spare wheels and many people are no longer able to change a wheel on their own. As a result, the ACL is called upon more frequently to assist in the event of a puncture.

During the confinement period, the mechanics of the ACL breakdown service carried out on-site repairs in 88% of cases and were thus able to quickly restore mobility to people with a breakdown. This high rate of on-site repairs is explained by a large stock of available batteries (each intervention vehicle has several new batteries), as well as by the installation of universal spare wheels suitable for most vehicles in circulation.