Stuck with a dead car battery? Here is step-by-step guide to jump start it

Stuck with a dead car battery this December? You’re not alone. Whether it’s the festive road trips or chilly mornings draining your battery, knowing how to jump-start your car can save the day.

If you want to jump-start a car with cables, then you’ll need to find someone with a car who’s happy to help. Their car must have a fully charged battery with the same voltage as yours (usually 12 volts).

Here’s a simple, step-by-step guide to get you back on the road quickly and safely this holiday season.

1. Line up both cars

You can park both cars so their batteries are within easy reach of one another, so that you know the cars are actually touching.

Keep the handbrakes on and the ignition off.

2. Connect the red jump lead

Use the red jump lead to connect the working battery’s positive (+) terminal to the flat battery’s positive (+) terminal. Never touch the ends of the red and black leads together, as this could create sparks and cause vehicle damage.

3. Connect the black jump lead

Take the black jump lead and attach it to the negative (-) terminal on the working battery.

Then attach the other end to an earthing point (unpainted metal on the engine block or chassis) well away from the flat battery and fuel system.

4. Start the other car

Keep both engines off and wait for 3 minutes, then start the working car’s engine and let it run for 1 minute.

5. Start your car

Turn on the engine in the car with a flat battery.

6. Let both cars run

Leave both cars to idle, at a fast pace, for around 10 minutes.

7. Turn off and disconnect

Turn off both cars’ engines and carefully disconnect the leads in the reverse order to the way they were connected (remove the black lead from your car first and finish with the red lead from the other car.

Make sure the leads don’t touch one another or either car as you remove them.

8. Restart your car

Try turning the keys in the ignition to see if your car will start up.

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