How to Jumpstart a Car: A Simple, Step-by-Step Guide

There’s nothing more frustrating than turning the key and hearing nothing but clicks — or worse, silence. If your car won’t start, there’s a good chance the battery is dead. The good news? A jumpstart can get you back on the road in just a few minutes — no experience necessary.

Follow these easy, detailed steps to safely jumpstart your vehicle using jumper cables and another working car.

Before starting, ensure you have jumper cables, a car with a working battery, and a safe, open area to work in.

Step 1: Park and Prep Both Cars

  1. Position the working vehicle close enough so the jumper cables can reach, but make sure the vehicles are not touching.

  2. Turn both vehicles off completely.

  3. Put both cars in Park (or Neutral for manual cars) and engage the parking brake.

  4. Open the hoods and locate each car's battery terminals:

    • The positive (+) terminal is usually red.

    • The negative (–) terminal is usually black.

Step 2: Connect the Jumper Cables (In This Exact Order)

  1. Attach the red clamp to the positive terminal (+) of the dead battery.

  2. Attach the other red clamp to the positive terminal (+) of the working battery.

  3. Attach the black clamp to the negative terminal (–) of the working battery.

  4. Attach the other black clamp to an unpainted metal surface (like a bolt or engine bracket) on the dead car — not the battery.

🔧 Tip: Attaching the final black clamp to metal helps prevent sparks and is safer.

Step 3: Start the Cars

  1. Start the car with the good battery first and let it run for 2–3 minutes.

  2. Try starting the dead car. If it doesn’t start right away, wait a minute and try again.

Step 4: Let the Jumped Car Run

Once the dead car starts, let both cars run for 5–10 minutes. This helps charge the weak battery.

Step 5: Disconnect the Cables (In Reverse Order)

  1. Remove the black clamp from the metal surface on the dead car.

  2. Remove the black clamp from the negative terminal of the good battery.

  3. Remove the red clamp from the positive terminal of the good battery.

  4. Remove the red clamp from the positive terminal of the dead battery.

Step 6: Drive and Recharge

Drive the jumpstarted car for at least 15–30 minutes to allow the battery to recharge. If the car doesn’t start again later, the battery may be failing and need to be replaced.

Need Help? We’re Here for You

If your battery keeps dying or your car still won’t start, it might be more than just a simple jumpstart. At Lifetime Automotive, we can quickly diagnose and repair any electrical or battery issues to get you back on the road safely.

📍 Schedule an appointment or stop by our Tempe shop today.