In 2009 NAPA made a deal with East Penn Manufacturing to sell its Deka batteries rebranded as NAPA. NAPA Batteries – Who Makes NAPA Batteriesīefore 2009 there was no such thing as a car battery with the NAPA name. Although price plays an important role in who gets the contract, it’s not primary quality is. On the other hand, NAPA only rebrands domestic manufacturer parts. That means that a brake disc you bought last year from AutoZone doesn’t have to be the same one you will get this year, even though the packaging is the same. After that, whoever can meet that price gets the order. But, even though AutoZone is bigger, the parts NAPA resells are of much higher quality, as I will explain.Įach year, AutoZone makes an offer to Chinese manufacturers that it wants an x part for a certain price.

However, NAPA is mainly a chain of retail stores that rebrands parts other manufacturers make, much like AutoZone. It doesn’t only manufacture batteries but nearly half a million different automotive replacement and OEM parts. NAPA Auto Parts is the biggest of all the subsidiaries, with almost 6,000 stores to its name.

We can find those stores all across the United States, Europe, Australasia, and Canada. The list goes on and on.Īfter combining all the subsidiaries, the company has almost 8,000 company-owned stores and even more independently owned (affiliate) ones. It supplies pharmaceutical and petrochemical industries, food and beverage producers, paper, mining, oil, gas, etc. GPC also makes around 62,000 office products, electronic materials for more than 20,000 customers, and industrial parts. In the Australasian market, it operates under the original GPC name, with the leading brand being Repco. It also has multiple subsidiaries like the Alliance Automotive Group, UAP, and NAPA Auto Parts. All in all, GPC employs around 48,000 people. Founded in 1925 in Atlanta, Georgia, by Carlyle Fraser, GPC is one of the biggest OEM parts suppliers in the United States for various industries. To better understand NAPA batteries, we first have to get familiar with the brand owner, Genuine Parts Company (GPC). East Penn Manufacturing also makes Deka batteries which, together with NAPA, are some of the best out there despite being slightly more expensive. Even though Genuine Parts Company owns the brand, East Penn Manufacturing makes the NAPA batteries. To answer that question, it’s best first to ask who makes NAPA batteries. Now, you are presented with numerous options, cheap and expensive, good and bad, but where do NAPA batteries rank? That could be because they don’t require any attention during their 3–5-year lifespan, but once they do, it’s time for a new one. Most people overlook car batteries as being a part of regular maintenance.

Napa battery test