Your starter won’t give you a heads-up before it quits; it just dies on you. One morning, everything’s fine, and the next, you’re stuck in your driveway staring at a dashboard lit up like a Christmas tree. Heat, dirty oil, and plain old age take their toll on starters. When you hear that sluggish groan or that distinctive click, you know what’s coming. Getting a new one doesn’t just solve your immediate problem. It saves your battery and flywheel from getting hammered every time you try to start the car.
A dying starter pulls way too much power and fries your battery in the process. Even worse, if the solenoid gets stuck, it can keep the engine spinning when you don’t want it to. Swap it out sooner rather than later with a reliable replacement, and you’ll get back that smooth startup you didn’t realize you missed.
Aftermarket starters hold up just as well as factory parts, but they won’t drain your wallet. You get the same reliability without the premium price tag. If you need a quality starter that won’t let you down, CarParts.com has what you’re looking for.
The 5 Best Starter Brands
These brands have earned a following for consistent build quality, strong warranties, and coverage across thousands of applications.
- JC Whitney
- Quality-Built
- WAI
- AC Delco
- A-Premium
JC Whitney
JC Whitney has been part of American car culture since the 1910s, first as a mail-order supplier and now as its own line of replacement parts. The company focuses on straightforward fitment and clear warranty terms rather than marketing gloss. Today, its starters cover a wide mix of cars and trucks, all backed by a one-year, unlimited-mileage warranty.
Key Features
Price: $60 to $155
Warranty: 1-year, unlimited-mileage
Condition & Fit: Sold new, direct fit
Coverage: Fits a broad slice of popular vehicles, from sedans to light trucks.
Ideal for drivers who want a no-nonsense fix at a fair price.
Our Score: 9.5/10
Quality-Built
Quality-Built is part of Motorcar Parts of America (MPA), which remanufactures and tests electrical components for nearly every major automaker. Each starter goes through triple inspection and full end-of-line testing. The company’s plants in North America run under ISO and IATF certification.
Key Features
Price: $40 to $445 for new and reman units
Warranty: 1-year limited warranty
Condition & Fit: New or remanufactured, all direct-fit
Coverage: Deep catalog for domestic and import models alike
Ideal for those who want factory-grade process control without paying dealer prices.
Our Score: 9/10
WAI
WAI Global builds brand-new starters for cars, heavy trucks, and marine equipment. The company designs and tests in-house, even producing its own electronics through subsidiary TRANSPO. Every unit is run through speed, torque, and voltage tests, then endurance-tested under heat and load before release.
Key Features
Price: $60 to $530
Warranty: Limited lifetime warranty
Condition & Fit: All-new, direct fit
Coverage: Extends from small sedans to industrial diesels
Ideal for buyers who prefer brand-new construction and long warranty protection.
Our Score: 8.5/10
AC Delco
ACDelco carries the weight of General Motors behind it. Its Gold and Silver lines follow OE engineering standards, and many units are built in the same facilities that produce GM original equipment. Gold-series starters typically come with a two-year, unlimited-mileage warranty, and remanufactured models get new brushes, bushings, and solenoid contacts before being performance-tested.
Key Features
Price: $60 to $990
Warranty: 24 months/unlimited miles for most Gold and OE units
Condition & Fit: New and remanufactured, both direct-fit
Coverage: For GM vehicles, but extends across many makes
Ideal for owners who want OE pedigree and consistent engineering standards.
Our Score: 9/10
A-Premium
A-Premium focuses on affordability without cutting corners on warranty length. Most of its starters carry a three-year, unlimited-mileage warranty. That’s longer than almost any brand in its price tier. Detailed spec sheets list power output, rotation, and pinion count, and customer reviews often highlight accurate fit and quick installation.
Key Features
Price: $70 to $200
Warranty: 3-year, unlimited-mileage
Condition & Fit: New, direct fit
Coverage: Broad mix of US, Asian, and European vehicles
Ideal for cost-conscious owners who want long-term assurance.
Our Score: 9/10
Our Recommendation
Among these five, JC Whitney earns our nod for overall balance of price, availability, and straightforward warranty coverage. Its starters fit cleanly, the company’s return process is simple, and the cost sits comfortably below comparable OE brands. For anyone replacing a failed starter in a daily driver, JC Whitney strikes the right mix of dependability and value.
What to Consider When Looking for Replacement Starters
1) Application and Fitment
Starters aren’t interchangeable across trims or engines. Output (in kW), rotation, and pinion count must match the original. The wrong gear pitch can grind the flywheel or stall engagement. Always confirm those numbers before buying.
2) New vs. Remanufactured
A new starter avoids core charges and uncertainty about prior wear. A well-done reman unit is stripped to the housing, fitted with new electrical and mechanical parts, and tested before shipping. Either route works, but skip anything without a transparent rebuild process.
3) Testing and Quality Control
Look for hard testing data. Quality-Built publishes its end-of-line testing stats, WAI measures torque and voltage under load, and ACDelco verifies each model to OE crank-speed targets. That discipline separates professional-grade parts from catalog fillers.
4) Warranty and After-Sale Help
Warranty terms reflect confidence. Pick a brand that stands behind its product with clear terms instead of fine print.
5) Total Ownership Cost
Sticker price tells only part of the story. Factor in shipping, core deposits, and return windows. Spending a few extra dollars for a longer warranty often pays off after one avoided tow bill.
6) Coverage and Availability
Brands that keep adding new part numbers stay useful long after a model leaves production. That breadth makes future replacements easier to source.
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Any information provided on this Website is for informational purposes only and is not intended to replace consultation with a professional mechanic. The accuracy and timeliness of the information may change from the time of publication.
