<PAGE>
 
   As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on September 10, 1996

                                                        Registration No. 333-
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

                       SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                             WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549



                                    FORM S-8
                             REGISTRATION STATEMENT
                                     UNDER
                           THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

                               EXIDE CORPORATION
             (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)


            Delaware                                           23-0552730
  (State or other jurisdiction of                           (I.R.S. Employer
  incorporation or organization)                         Identification Number)

     1400 North Woodward Avenue                                  48304 
     Bloomfield Hills, Michigan                               (Zip Code)
(Address of Principal Executive Offices)

                                                                      

                               EXIDE CORPORATION
                     1996 NON-EMPLOYEE DIRECTORS STOCK PLAN
                            (Full title of the plan)

                               Bernard F. Stewart
                  Executive Vice President and General Counsel
                               Exide Corporation
                           1400 North Woodward Avenue
                        Bloomfield Hills, Michigan 48304
                    (Name and address of agent for service)

                                 (810) 258-0080
         (Telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)

                                    Copy to:
                            Carter W. Emerson, Esq.
                                Kirkland & Ellis
                            200 East Randolph Drive
                            Chicago, Illinois 60601
                                 (312) 861-2000

                        CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE

<TABLE>
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 <S>                         <C>                        <C>                       <C>                       <C> 
 Title of securities to be   Amount to be registered     Proposed maximum          Proposed maximum         Amount of registration
 registered                                             offering price per        aggregate offering                fee/2/
                                                             share/1/                  price/1/
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
<S>                          <C>                        <C>                       <C>                       <C>
Common Stock, par value              20,000
 $.01 per share                      shares                  $27.44                   $548,800                     $189.24
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
</TABLE>

- -------------------------------
/1/Estimated solely for the purpose of calculating the amount of registration
  fee in accordance with Rule 457(h), based upon the average of the high and low
  sales price of the Common Stock on the New York Stock Exchange as reported in
  the consolidated reporting system as of September 6, 1996.

/2/Registration fee is calculated on the basis of 1/29 of 1% of the proposed
   maximum aggregate offering price.
<PAGE>
 
                                     PART I

              INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE SECTION 10(A) PROSPECTUS

         The documents containing information specified in Part I (plan
information and registrant information) will be sent or given to employees as
specified by Rule 428 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the
"Securities Act"). Such documents need not be filed with the Commission either
as part of this Registration Statement or as prospectuses or prospectus
supplements pursuant to Rule 424 under the Securities Act. These documents and
the documents incorporated by reference in this Registration Statement pursuant
to Item 3 of Part II of this Registration Statement, taken together, constitute
a prospectus that meets the requirements of Section 10(a) of the Securities Act.

                                    PART II

               INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT

         Pursuant to Rule 416 under the Securities Act, this Registration
Statement shall be deemed to cover any additional shares offered under the Plan
in order to reflect share splits, share dividends, mergers and other capital
changes.

ITEM 3.  INCORPORATION OF CERTAIN DOCUMENTS BY REFERENCE.

         The following documents filed by Exide Corporation (the "Corporation")
with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "Commission") are incorporated
herein by reference (File No. 1-11263):

     (a) the Corporation's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended
         March 31, 1996;

     (b) the Corporation's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarter
         ended June 30, 1996 filed on August 14, 1996; and

     (c) the description of the Common Stock contained in the Corporation's
         Registration Statement on Form S-1 filed November 23, 1994
         (Registration Number 33-56581).

         All reports and other documents subsequently filed by the Corporation
pursuant to Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 and 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act
of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act") prior to the filing of a post-effective
amendment which indicates that all securities offered hereby have been sold or
which deregisters all securities then remaining unsold, shall be deemed to be
incorporated by reference herein and to be a part hereof from the date of the
filing of such reports and documents.

         Any statement contained in a document incorporated or deemed to be
incorporated by reference herein shall be deemed to be modified or superseded
for purposes of this Registration Statement to the extent that a statement
contained herein or in any other subsequently filed document which also is
incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference herein modifies or
supersedes such statement. Any such statement so modified or superseded shall
not be deemed, except as so modified or superseded, to constitute a part of this
Registration Statement.

ITEM 4.  DESCRIPTION OF SECURITIES.

         Not applicable.

ITEM 5.  INTERESTS OF NAMED EXPERTS AND COUNSEL.

         Not applicable.

                                       1
<PAGE>
 
ITEM 6.   INDEMNIFICATION OF DIRECTORS AND OFFICERS.
 
               Section 145 of the Delaware General Corporation Law (the "DGCL")
provides, in effect, that any person made a party to any action by reason of the
fact that he is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of the Corporation
may and, in certain cases, must be indemnified by the Corporation against, in
the case of a non-derivative action, judgements, fines, amounts paid in
settlement and reasonable expenses (including attorney's fees) incurred by him
as a result of such action. In the case of a derivative action, such person must
be indemnified against expenses (including attorney's fees). In either type of
action the person must have acted in good faith and in a manner reasonably
believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the Corporation. This
indemnification does not apply, in a derivative action, to matters as to which
it is adjudged that the director, officer, employee or agent is fairly and
reasonably entitled to indemnity for expenses. In a non-derivative action, this
indemnification does not apply to any criminal proceeding in which such person
had reasonable cause to believe his conduct was unlawful.

               Article Tenth of the Corporation's Certificate of Incorporation
and Article V of the Corporation's Bylaws provide that the Corporation shall
indemnify each person who is or was an officer or director of the Corporation to
the fullest extent permitted by Section 145 of the DGCL as currently in effect
or as the same may be amended (but only to provide fuller indemnification) in
the future.

               Article Ninth of the Corporation's Restated Certificate of
Incorporation provides that, to the fullest extent permitted by the DGCL, a
director of the Corporation shall not be liable to the Corporation or its
stockholders for monetary damages for a breach of fiduciary duty as a director.

ITEM 7.   EXEMPTION FROM REGISTRATION CLAIMED.

               Not applicable.

ITEM 8.   EXHIBITS.

               See Exhibit Index.
 
ITEM 9.   UNDERTAKINGS.

          (a)  The Corporation hereby undertakes:

               (1)  to file, during any period in which offers or sales are
being made, a post-effective amendment to this Registration Statement:

                    (i)    to include any prospectus required by section
                           10(a)(3) of the Securities Act;

                    (ii)   to reflect in the prospectus any facts or events
                           arising after the effective date of this Registration
                           Statement (or the most recent post-effective
                           amendment thereof) which, individually or in the
                           aggregate, represent a fundamental change in the
                           information set forth in this Registration Statement;

                    (iii)  to include any material information with respect to
                           the plan of distribution not previously disclosed in
                           this Registration Statement or any material change to
                           such information in this Registration Statement;

               provided, however, that paragraphs (a)(1)(i) and (a)(1)(ii) do
not apply if the information required to be included in a post-effective
amendment by those paragraphs is contained in periodic reports filed by the
Corporation pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act that are
incorporated by reference in this Registration Statement.

               (2)  that, for the purpose of determining any liability under the
Securities Act, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be a new 
registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the 
offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona 
fide offering thereof.

                                       2
<PAGE>
 
               (3)  to remove from registration by means of a post-effective
amendment any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the
termination of the offering.

          (b)  The Corporation hereby undertakes that, for purposes of
determining any liability under the Securities Act, each filing of the
Corporation's annual report pursuant to Section 13(a) or Section 15(d) of the
Exchange Act (and, where applicable, each filing of an employee benefit plan's
annual report pursuant to Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act) that is
incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement shall be deemed to be a
new registration statement relating to the securities offered herein, and the
offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona
fide offering thereof.

          (c)  Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the
Securities Act may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons
of the Corporation pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the
Corporation has been advised that in the opinion of the Commission such
indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and
is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification
against such liabilities (other than the payment by the Corporation of expenses
incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the Corporation
in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such
director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being
registered, the Corporation will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the
matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of
appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is
against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and will be governed by
the final adjudication of such issue.

                                       3
<PAGE>
 
                                  SIGNATURES

          Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as
amended, the Corporation certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe
that it meets all of the requirements for filing on Form S-8 and has duly caused
this Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned,
thereunto duly authorized, in the City of Reading, State of Pennsylvania, on
September 10, 1996.

                               EXIDE CORPORATION
                               
                               By:  /s/ Alan E. Gauthier
                                  ---------------------------------------------
                                   Alan E. Gauthier
                                   Executive Vice President and Chief Financial
                                     Officer


          Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as
amended, this Registration Statement has been signed by the following persons in
the capacities indicated on September 10, 1996.


       SIGNATURE                                  CAPACITY
       ---------                                  --------

/s/ Arthur M. Hawkins           President, Chairman of the Board and Director
- ----------------------
Arthur M. Hawkins               (Principal Executive Officer)
                                
/s/ Alan E. Gauthier            Executive Vice President, Chief Financial 
- ----------------------          Officer and Director(Principal Financial 
Alan E. Gauthier                and Accounting Officer)
                                
                                
/s/ Douglas N. Pearson          Executive Vice President - North American 
- ----------------------          Operations and Director       
Douglas N. Pearson              
                                
/s/ Earl Dolive                 Director
- ----------------------
Earl Dolive                     
                                
/s/ Robert H. Irwin             Director
- ----------------------
Robert H. Irwin                 
                                
/s/ Arthur R. Taylor            Director
- ----------------------
Arthur R. Taylor

                                       4
<PAGE>

                                 EXHIBIT INDEX

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
 
  Exhibit                                                      Sequentially
  Number                 Description of Document               Numbered Page
- -----------      ---------------------------------------      ---------------
<S>              <C>                                          <C>
   4.1           Restated Certificate of Incorporation              N/A
                 of the Corporation, incorporated by
                 reference from Exhibit 4.2 to the
                 Corporation's Registration Statement on
                 Form S-3 (Registration No. 333-00885),
                 as amended.

   4.2           Restated Bylaws of the Corporation,                N/A
                 incorporated by reference from Exhibit
                 3.2 to the Corporation's Registration
                 Statement on Form S-1 (File No.
                 33-68016), as amended.

   4.3           Exide Corporation 1996 Non-Employee
                 Directors Stock Plan.                              ___

    5            Opinion of Kirkland & Ellis.                       ___

   23.1          Consent of Arthur Andersen LLP.                    ___

   23.2          Consent of Kirkland & Ellis
                 (included in Exhibit 5).                           N/A
</TABLE>
[{"type": "S-8", "sequence": "1", "description": "FORM S-8", "secsgml_size_bytes": 16423}]
{"company-data": {"conformed-name": "EXIDE CORP", "cik": "0000813781", "assigned-sic": "3690", "irs-number": "230552730", "state-of-incorporation": "DE", "fiscal-year-end": "0331"}, "filing-values": {"form-type": "S-8", "act": "33", "file-number": "333-11695", "film-number": "96628147"}, "business-address": {"street1": "1400 N WOODLAND AVE", "city": "BLOOMFIELD HILL", "state": "MI", "zip": "48304", "phone": "8102580080"}}
As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on September 10, 1996

                                                        Registration No. 333-
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

                       SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                             WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

                                    FORM S-8
                             REGISTRATION STATEMENT
                                     UNDER
                           THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

                               EXIDE CORPORATION
             (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

            Delaware                                           23-0552730
  (State or other jurisdiction of                           (I.R.S. Employer
  incorporation or organization)                         Identification Number)

     1400 North Woodward Avenue                                  48304 
     Bloomfield Hills, Michigan                               (Zip Code)
(Address of Principal Executive Offices)

                                                                      

                               EXIDE CORPORATION
                     1996 NON-EMPLOYEE DIRECTORS STOCK PLAN
                            (Full title of the plan)

                               Bernard F. Stewart
                  Executive Vice President and General Counsel
                               Exide Corporation
                           1400 North Woodward Avenue
                        Bloomfield Hills, Michigan 48304
                    (Name and address of agent for service)

                                 (810) 258-0080
         (Telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)

                                    Copy to:
                            Carter W. Emerson, Esq.
                                Kirkland & Ellis
                            200 East Randolph Drive
                            Chicago, Illinois 60601
                                 (312) 861-2000

                        CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE

- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Title of securities to be   Amount to be registered     Proposed maximum          Proposed maximum         Amount of registration
 registered                                             offering price per        aggregate offering                fee/2/
                                                             share/1/                  price/1/
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Common Stock, par value              20,000
 $.01 per share                      shares                  $27.44                   $548,800                     $189.24
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- -------------------------------
/1/Estimated solely for the purpose of calculating the amount of registration
  fee in accordance with Rule 457(h), based upon the average of the high and low
  sales price of the Common Stock on the New York Stock Exchange as reported in
  the consolidated reporting system as of September 6, 1996.

/2/Registration fee is calculated on the basis of 1/29 of 1% of the proposed
   maximum aggregate offering price.
PART I

              INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE SECTION 10(A) PROSPECTUS

         The documents containing information specified in Part I (plan
information and registrant information) will be sent or given to employees as
specified by Rule 428 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the
"Securities Act"). Such documents need not be filed with the Commission either
as part of this Registration Statement or as prospectuses or prospectus
supplements pursuant to Rule 424 under the Securities Act. These documents and
the documents incorporated by reference in this Registration Statement pursuant
to Item 3 of Part II of this Registration Statement, taken together, constitute
a prospectus that meets the requirements of Section 10(a) of the Securities Act.

                                    PART II

               INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT

         Pursuant to Rule 416 under the Securities Act, this Registration
Statement shall be deemed to cover any additional shares offered under the Plan
in order to reflect share splits, share dividends, mergers and other capital
changes.

ITEM 3.  INCORPORATION OF CERTAIN DOCUMENTS BY REFERENCE.

         The following documents filed by Exide Corporation (the "Corporation")
with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "Commission") are incorporated
herein by reference (File No. 1-11263):

     (a) the Corporation's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended
         March 31, 1996;

     (b) the Corporation's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarter
         ended June 30, 1996 filed on August 14, 1996; and

     (c) the description of the Common Stock contained in the Corporation's
         Registration Statement on Form S-1 filed November 23, 1994
         (Registration Number 33-56581).

         All reports and other documents subsequently filed by the Corporation
pursuant to Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 and 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act
of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act") prior to the filing of a post-effective
amendment which indicates that all securities offered hereby have been sold or
which deregisters all securities then remaining unsold, shall be deemed to be
incorporated by reference herein and to be a part hereof from the date of the
filing of such reports and documents.

         Any statement contained in a document incorporated or deemed to be
incorporated by reference herein shall be deemed to be modified or superseded
for purposes of this Registration Statement to the extent that a statement
contained herein or in any other subsequently filed document which also is
incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference herein modifies or
supersedes such statement. Any such statement so modified or superseded shall
not be deemed, except as so modified or superseded, to constitute a part of this
Registration Statement.

ITEM 4.  DESCRIPTION OF SECURITIES.

         Not applicable.

ITEM 5.  INTERESTS OF NAMED EXPERTS AND COUNSEL.

         Not applicable.

                                       1
ITEM 6.   INDEMNIFICATION OF DIRECTORS AND OFFICERS.
 
               Section 145 of the Delaware General Corporation Law (the "DGCL")
provides, in effect, that any person made a party to any action by reason of the
fact that he is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of the Corporation
may and, in certain cases, must be indemnified by the Corporation against, in
the case of a non-derivative action, judgements, fines, amounts paid in
settlement and reasonable expenses (including attorney's fees) incurred by him
as a result of such action. In the case of a derivative action, such person must
be indemnified against expenses (including attorney's fees). In either type of
action the person must have acted in good faith and in a manner reasonably
believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the Corporation. This
indemnification does not apply, in a derivative action, to matters as to which
it is adjudged that the director, officer, employee or agent is fairly and
reasonably entitled to indemnity for expenses. In a non-derivative action, this
indemnification does not apply to any criminal proceeding in which such person
had reasonable cause to believe his conduct was unlawful.

               Article Tenth of the Corporation's Certificate of Incorporation
and Article V of the Corporation's Bylaws provide that the Corporation shall
indemnify each person who is or was an officer or director of the Corporation to
the fullest extent permitted by Section 145 of the DGCL as currently in effect
or as the same may be amended (but only to provide fuller indemnification) in
the future.

               Article Ninth of the Corporation's Restated Certificate of
Incorporation provides that, to the fullest extent permitted by the DGCL, a
director of the Corporation shall not be liable to the Corporation or its
stockholders for monetary damages for a breach of fiduciary duty as a director.

ITEM 7.   EXEMPTION FROM REGISTRATION CLAIMED.

               Not applicable.

ITEM 8.   EXHIBITS.

               See Exhibit Index.
 
ITEM 9.   UNDERTAKINGS.

          (a)  The Corporation hereby undertakes:

               (1)  to file, during any period in which offers or sales are
being made, a post-effective amendment to this Registration Statement:

                    (i)    to include any prospectus required by section
                           10(a)(3) of the Securities Act;

                    (ii)   to reflect in the prospectus any facts or events
                           arising after the effective date of this Registration
                           Statement (or the most recent post-effective
                           amendment thereof) which, individually or in the
                           aggregate, represent a fundamental change in the
                           information set forth in this Registration Statement;

                    (iii)  to include any material information with respect to
                           the plan of distribution not previously disclosed in
                           this Registration Statement or any material change to
                           such information in this Registration Statement;

               provided, however, that paragraphs (a)(1)(i) and (a)(1)(ii) do
not apply if the information required to be included in a post-effective
amendment by those paragraphs is contained in periodic reports filed by the
Corporation pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act that are
incorporated by reference in this Registration Statement.

               (2)  that, for the purpose of determining any liability under the
Securities Act, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be a new 
registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the 
offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona 
fide offering thereof.

                                       2
(3)  to remove from registration by means of a post-effective
amendment any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the
termination of the offering.

          (b)  The Corporation hereby undertakes that, for purposes of
determining any liability under the Securities Act, each filing of the
Corporation's annual report pursuant to Section 13(a) or Section 15(d) of the
Exchange Act (and, where applicable, each filing of an employee benefit plan's
annual report pursuant to Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act) that is
incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement shall be deemed to be a
new registration statement relating to the securities offered herein, and the
offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona
fide offering thereof.

          (c)  Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the
Securities Act may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons
of the Corporation pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the
Corporation has been advised that in the opinion of the Commission such
indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and
is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification
against such liabilities (other than the payment by the Corporation of expenses
incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the Corporation
in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such
director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being
registered, the Corporation will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the
matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of
appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is
against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and will be governed by
the final adjudication of such issue.

                                       3
SIGNATURES

          Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as
amended, the Corporation certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe
that it meets all of the requirements for filing on Form S-8 and has duly caused
this Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned,
thereunto duly authorized, in the City of Reading, State of Pennsylvania, on
September 10, 1996.

                               EXIDE CORPORATION
                               
                               By:  /s/ Alan E. Gauthier
                                  ---------------------------------------------
                                   Alan E. Gauthier
                                   Executive Vice President and Chief Financial
                                     Officer

          Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as
amended, this Registration Statement has been signed by the following persons in
the capacities indicated on September 10, 1996.

       SIGNATURE                                  CAPACITY
       ---------                                  --------

/s/ Arthur M. Hawkins           President, Chairman of the Board and Director
- ----------------------
Arthur M. Hawkins               (Principal Executive Officer)
                                
/s/ Alan E. Gauthier            Executive Vice President, Chief Financial 
- ----------------------          Officer and Director(Principal Financial 
Alan E. Gauthier                and Accounting Officer)
                                
                                
/s/ Douglas N. Pearson          Executive Vice President - North American 
- ----------------------          Operations and Director       
Douglas N. Pearson              
                                
/s/ Earl Dolive                 Director
- ----------------------
Earl Dolive                     
                                
/s/ Robert H. Irwin             Director
- ----------------------
Robert H. Irwin                 
                                
/s/ Arthur R. Taylor            Director
- ----------------------
Arthur R. Taylor

                                       4
EXHIBIT INDEX
Exhibit                                                      Sequentially
  Number                 Description of Document               Numbered Page
- -----------      ---------------------------------------      ---------------
4.1           Restated Certificate of Incorporation              N/A
                 of the Corporation, incorporated by
                 reference from Exhibit 4.2 to the
                 Corporation's Registration Statement on
                 Form S-3 (Registration No. 333-00885),
                 as amended.

   4.2           Restated Bylaws of the Corporation,                N/A
                 incorporated by reference from Exhibit
                 3.2 to the Corporation's Registration
                 Statement on Form S-1 (File No.
                 33-68016), as amended.

   4.3           Exide Corporation 1996 Non-Employee
                 Directors Stock Plan.                              ___

    5            Opinion of Kirkland & Ellis.                       ___

   23.1          Consent of Arthur Andersen LLP.                    ___

   23.2          Consent of Kirkland & Ellis
                 (included in Exhibit 5).                           N/A