Car Batteries.

Ideal use - starting motors, light electrical accessories use and light winch application. Best features - price (fairly cheap).

 Deep Cycle Batteries.

Ideal use - fridge, CB, HF Radio, camping lights, inverters, in fact any low amp drain over a long period of time. Best features:- long life and can be flattened many times without significant damage to the plates.

Hybrid Batteries.

Ideal use - for when multiple batteries are not an option. A new style of battery that combines some elements of both a starting and deep cycle battery.  

Gel & AGM Batteries.

These batteries offer very unique features. They are totally sealed, have very fast recharge rates, are much smaller in size but have a similar capacity to a conventional battery. 

When choosing a battery style we can use the analogy of a truck versus sports car. Both are motor vehicles but they are designed from the ground up for different purposes - just like battery types.
Starting batteries have 12 - 17 plates per cell giving us a huge area in contact with the acid, thus giving an enormous capacity to produce power (CCA) in a rush, but little staying power.

Deep cycle batteries may have as little as 4 plates per cell however the plates are much thicker and denser, therefore the acid penetrates more slowly, giving a lower CCA but much better staying power.