This paper presents a novel impedance-based approach to efficiently estimate the state of charge (SOC) of a Li-ion battery. By using an AC impedance analyzer, a database is constructed, containing records of AC impedance versus SOC. In practical applications, the SOC values can be found instantly once the contents of the database are referenced. For validation purposes, AC impedance comparisons are conducted using AC impedance analyzer as a benchmark at SOC of 0%, 50% and 100%, which indicate errors of 8.636%, 2.604% and 0.600%, respectively.