Trojan Batteries

If someone pointed you toward Trojan batteries, or you've been researching golf cart batteries and the name keeps coming up, this guide will tell you exactly what you need to know before buying. What they are, how the types differ, which one fits your situation, and which specs actually matter.

What is a Trojan battery?

Trojan Battery Company has been making deep cycle batteries since 1925. A hundred years in one product category is unusual, and it shows in how consistently the brand comes up when people talk about golf cart power.

But what does "deep cycle" actually mean?

A regular car battery is built for one job: a short, powerful burst of energy to start the engine, then an immediate recharge from the alternator. It's not designed to be drained down and recharged hundreds of times. A deep cycle battery is. It discharges slowly over hours, then takes a full recharge, and does that repeatedly throughout its life.

That's what golf carts, solar systems, and RVs need. A car battery in a golf cart will fail within months. A deep cycle battery will run for years.

Types of Trojan batteries — which chemistry is right for you?

Flooded lead-acid (FLA): the classic option

Flooded batteries are Trojan's original product line and still the most widely used. They use liquid electrolyte and thick lead plates, made with a proprietary lead-calcium alloy that slows water loss and extends service life.

Flooded batteries need regular attention: checking water levels monthly, topping off with distilled water after a full charge, keeping terminals clean, and ventilation.

Trojan's HydroLink single-point watering system is an optional accessory that makes this easier — you water all cells at once instead of individually.

What you get in return is the best price per amp-hour and a proven track record going back decades. These batteries are also highly recyclable at end of life.

AGM (AES): no maintenance, longer cycle life

Trojan's AGM batteries are sold under the Advanced Energy Storage (AES) label. AGM stands for Absorbed Glass Mat: the electrolyte is soaked into fiberglass mats, so the battery is sealed and spill-proof. No watering. No venting. No real maintenance at all.

What separates Trojan AES from standard AGM batteries is cycle life. Generic AGM models typically hold up for 300 to 400 full charge-discharge cycles. Trojan AES is rated for up to 1,200 cycles at 100% depth of discharge — about three times more.

Temperature performance is also notably better. The T875-AES, for example, operates from -40°F to 140°F and retains 85% of rated capacity at 0°F, where standard AGM batteries drop to around 70%.

The downsides: higher price than flooded models, and slightly lower capacity in the same physical footprint.

Lithium-ion: the option that pays off long-term

Trojan entered the lithium market in 2022, then launched the OnePack in 2024 — a 48V / 105Ah single-pack battery and the most capable option in their Trojan lithium golf cart batteries lineup (36V version also available).

Instead of six or eight individual batteries wired together with cables and terminals to manage, the OnePack replaces the entire bank with one unit. It's lighter, charges faster, and can push a golf cart up to 60 miles on a single charge.

👀 The catch is price. Lithium costs significantly more upfront than flooded or AGM. And not every older golf cart is compatible without a controller upgrade or charger replacement, so you'll want to confirm compatibility before buying.

Over a 10-plus-year lifespan with minimal maintenance, the total cost of ownership often works out in lithium's favor. But it requires a larger initial investment.

Trojan golf cart batteries: voltages explained

Golf carts don't run on one large battery. They run on a bank of smaller batteries wired in series to hit the system voltage — usually 36V or 48V. This is where first-time buyers often get confused.

To find out what your cart uses, check the owner's manual or count the filler caps under the seat. Each 6V battery has 3 caps; 8V has 4; 12V has 6. Buying the wrong voltage is a common mistake that costs real money to fix.

Popular Trojan golf cart models by voltage

The T-105 is Trojan's most popular model and one of the most widely used golf cart batteries in the US. If you're running a standard 36V or 48V cart and aren't sure which flooded model to choose, start here.

Trojan 8 volt golf cart batteries like the T-875 are the standard choice for carts configured for 8V. They're common in Club Car and EZ-GO models and let you build a 48V bank with six batteries instead of eight.

Key specs to look at before you buy

You don't need to become a battery engineer. But these six numbers and terms show up on every spec sheet, and understanding them takes about two minutes.

Voltage

Must match your system exactly. Mixing voltages inside a battery bank doesn't work and will damage your batteries and equipment.

Capacity (amp-hours / Ah)

Measured at the 20-hour discharge rate. A 225Ah battery delivers 11.25 amps steadily for 20 hours. Higher Ah means more runtime per charge. On a golf cart, this translates directly to miles or holes per round.

Cycle life

The number of charge-discharge cycles before capacity drops significantly. Trojan flooded: 800 to 1,000 cycles. Trojan AES AGM: up to 1,200. Lithium (OnePack): 4,000 at 80% DoD.

Depth of discharge (DoD)

How far you drain the battery before recharging. Trojan recommends 20 to 50% discharge for best longevity, even though the batteries can handle 80%. Draining deeper, more often, shortens lifespan noticeably.

Temperature range

Matters most for outdoor solar setups and cold climates. Trojan AES AGM operates from -40°F to 140°F. Standard flooded batteries are more sensitive to temperature extremes.

Warranty

Trojan warranties vary by product line. Check the specific warranty on the model you're considering — it's one of the clearest signals of what the manufacturer actually expects the battery to do.

Trojan vs. other deep cycle battery brands

Trojan is not the only deep cycle brand worth knowing. Here's how they compare to the most common alternatives buyers encounter.

US Battery costs less upfront but tends to fall short on service life. Interstate makes decent AGM batteries but lags behind Trojan on runtime and flooded cycle life. Lithium alternatives from brands like Battle Born are competitive on performance and lifespan but lack Trojan's ecosystem of golf-cart-specific models and its long service history.

📌 For high-cycle golf cart use, Trojan's plate thickness and decades of deep cycle engineering give them a consistent edge.

Which trojan battery is actually right for you

Every question this guide set out to answer comes back to one decision: how much are you willing to trade convenience for cost, and cost for longevity?

If you're a casual golfer who plays a few rounds a week, keeps the cart in a temperate climate, and doesn't mind checking water levels once a month — a set of Trojan T-105 flooded batteries is still the most sensible choice in 2025.

If you know yourself well enough to admit that maintenance won't happen consistently — or if your cart lives somewhere cold, charges in an enclosed space, or serves guests who expect it to just work — the AES AGM line removes the variables. You pay more per battery, but you stop managing them entirely. For seasonal use, cold climates, or anyone who's already killed a flooded set through inconsistent watering, the AGM premium pays for itself in peace of mind alone.

If you use your cart daily, run a fleet, or plan to keep the same vehicle for the next decade — run the numbers on lithium before defaulting to lead-acid. The OnePack's upfront cost looks alarming until you account for one replacement cycle of flooded batteries, years of zero maintenance, and the weight reduction that genuinely changes how the cart performs on hills.

Know your voltage. Know your usage. Buy from an authorized dealer. Everything else in this guide is detail that supports those three decisions.

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