Micro-hybrid vehicles with stop start function and regenerative braking lead to higher requirements on flooded lead-acid batteries. A promising approach to improve the cycleability of flooded lead-acid batteries is the use of carbon additives in the negative active mass. In this study different carbons (carbon blacks and a lamp black) were studied by transmission electron microscopy and Raman spectroscopy. Furthermore, batteries containing carbon blacks and lamp black in the negative active material were cycled with 17.5% depth of discharge. Morphology, surface functionalisation, and the degree of order were correlated with the cycle life. In cycling tests, batteries with highly ordered carbon blacks increase the lifetime of the corresponding battery by up to a factor of two. (C) 2012 Published by Elsevier B.V.