Garmin GPS Internal Batteries
Wed, 01/21/2026 - 3:38pm
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    18 years
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I am wondering what experience people have had with the internal batteries on Garmin GPS units. I assume most are rechargeable Lithium-Ion (Li-ion) batteries. Will they eventually quit working completely or are are the Garmins designed in such a way that they will continue to work if they are connected to 12 volt power?
My Experience
I have several older Garmins, both automotive and handheld, with bad batteries. All boot fine when external power is applied. I'm not aware of any Garmin GPS that won't.
Handheld GPS units and batteries
For what it's worth, nearly all handheld Garmin units are serviceable...meaning that they are generally quite easy to open by the user. When I had the eTrex Touch for the two months that I did (it was returned to possibly be purchased at a later time when all of it's "issues" have been resolved), I noted that the unit is held together with six Torx drive screws. I didn't open it, but these units are in no way "sealed" as most of today's mobile phones are. Assuming the batteries are not proprietary, by the time the original battery fails I'm sure there will be replacements readily available. I'm sure Garmin won't recommend a user swap out a built-in battery but I would think it would be totally doable by anyone with some skill.
I believe that even with a "bad" battery in the unit, the unit can still be powered externally by a USB power source. I believe all battery powered Garmin units have the capability to also be externally powered.
nuvi 760, nuvi 765T, nuvi 855, nuvi 3790LMT, nuvi 3490LMT - SoCal area