How to Jump-Start a Car With a Flat Battery

Picture this: you’ve just hopped in the car for your morning commute and turned the key… only to find your batteries flat. It’s every driver's worst nightmare and, unfortunately, it’s more common than you might think.

Thankfully, it doesn’t have to be all doom and gloom. With a few simple tricks, you can jump-start your dead battery and get back on the road in no time. Keep reading to learn how to jump-start your flat battery in just a few ticks.

What causes flat car batteries?

There are actually many reasons why your car battery may be flat. Some of the most common include:

Deteriorated battery

In order to hold its charge, your car battery needs to be maintained. If it’s been longer than four or five years since you replaced your battery, it’s probably not in tip-top condition, and this could be the cause if it losing charge too quickly.

Electrical issues

Deteriorated wires to and from the battery could also be at fault, if your headlights are dimmer than they usually are, or things like your radio or windscreen wipers are behaving erratically. It could be that the battery isn’t getting the charge it needs in, or providing the power out through the cables.

Failing alternator

The alternator charges the battery from the engine’s motion; a failing or failed alternator is usually the cause if you’re able to charge your car using a standard battery charger (or start the car through jump starting), then begin to drive before running out of power a few minutes into the journey.

Extreme temperature changes

Much like the battery in your phone failing at 35% on a cold night, extreme temperature changes can wreak havoc with your car battery. Fluctuating between extremes can shorten your battery’s lifespan by causing a build-up of lead sulphate crystals. If you live in an extreme climate, you may need to change your battery more regularly.

Human error

We’re all human, and none of us are perfect. Whether you’ve had a long day at the office and forgot to turn your headlights off, or you didn’t close the boot correctly on the way back from your shopping trip, human error could be the cause of your flat battery.

How to jump start a flat battery

There’s never a convenient time to have a dead battery. You’re always in a rush and your plans don’t usually want to wait for your car to kick back into action. Thankfully, though, there is a way to revive your battery and get those wheels turning again. You’ll need another functional car close by and a set of suitably-sized jump cables for this method.

• Park the second car next to the vehicle with the dead battery, but make sure they aren’t touching. They should be close enough for the cables to reach.
• Ensure both cars are switched off.
• Attach one end of the positive cable to the positive terminal on your dead battery. Now, connect the other end of the cable to the other car’s positive terminal.
• Now, attach the negative cable to the negative space on the working battery.
• Next, attach the opposite end of the negative cable to an engine block or metal surface near the dead battery. This grounding point should be away from the battery. Take care not to hit the ends of the cable together while you’re doing this.
• Start up the working vehicle first, leave it running for around 30-60 seconds, then switch on the car with the faulty battery. If it doesn’t start, leave it another 30-60 seconds and try again. If this still doesn’t start then check the connections.
• If your car starts, leave it switched on for at least 10 minutes (but preferably more like 30 minutes) to enable the battery to fully recharge.

If you’re noticing that you get flat batteries frequently, you should take your car into your local Tyre Pros centre to be looked at.