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How can I start my car if the battery is dead?
I’ve been sheltering-in-place at my girlfriend’s house for a couple of weeks and haven’t needed to drive. I came out to my car this morning and realized that the battery was dead. Is there a way I can start my car if the battery is dead?
Chloe Jenkins · Updated on
Reviewed by Shannon Martin, Licensed Insurance Agent.
“Unexpectedly realizing your car is dead can be incredibly disappointing. But it’s likely all you’ll need is a set of jumper cables and another vehicle to start your car if the battery is dead.
To jumpstart your car:
- Ensure the cables are in decent condition and the other vehicle has a working battery.
- Park the running vehicle close enough to the vehicle with the dead battery that the cables can extend from one battery to the next.
- Turn both cars off.
- Open the hoodand attach one of the jumper cables’ red clamp to the dead battery’s positive terminal (indicated with a “+” and usually red).
- Then, attach the other red clamp to the good battery’s positive terminal.
- Attach the black clamp to the good battery’s negative terminal (indicated with a “–” and usually black).
- Then, attach the final negative clamp to a piece of unpainted metal at least a foot away from the dead battery.
- Start the engine of the healthy car and run it to 1,500 rpm for several minutes. The dead battery should have enough charge to start the car at that point.
- If not, repeat the process again.
Once your vehicle starts, you’ll want to drive for about 30 minutes to recharge the battery before turning the engine off again.
You can ensure you don’t end up stranded if something like this happens and no one is around to give you a jump with a roadside assistance membership. If you’re looking for roadside assistance at a great price, try
Jerry
. Jerry’s membership provides you with industry-leading roadside assistance, including benefits like jumpstarts, towing, lockout service, and a mechanics hotline.”View full answer
- Gregory R.
WHY YOU CAN TRUST JERRY
Jerry partners with more than 50 insurance companies, but our content is independently researched, written, and fact-checked by our team of editors and agents. We aren’t paid for reviews or other content.
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