How to Jump Start a Car

Disclosure: Neighbr is ours. The advice works with any app, or with pen and paper.

• Red, red, black, then black on bare metal — not the dead battery.
• Off in reverse order.
• Check the owner’s manual first; some cars have their own jump points.

What you need

Jumper cables and a second car with a good battery, or a charged booster pack. Read the jump-starting page in your owner’s manual first: some cars have jump points under the hood instead of easy access to the battery, and some hybrids and electric cars have their own instructions.

Don’t jump a battery that is cracked, leaking or looks swollen. In a deep cold snap a flat battery can freeze; if it might be frozen, don’t jump it — get it towed or replaced.

Jumper cable order: which cable goes on first

1. Park the cars close, but not touching. Turn both off, put them in park and set the parking brakes.
2. Red clamp on the dead battery’s positive (+) terminal.
3. The other red clamp on the good battery’s positive (+).
4. Black clamp on the good battery’s negative (−).
5. The last black clamp on clean, unpainted metal on the dead car’s engine or frame, away from the battery. This is where a small spark is safest.
6. Start the working car and let it run for a few minutes.
7. Start the dead car. If it doesn’t catch, wait a few minutes and try again.

Taking the cables off

Take them off in the reverse order: black from the metal, black from the good battery, red from the good battery, red from the formerly dead one. Don’t let the clamps touch each other while any are still connected.

Then drive for at least 20 to 30 minutes, not just around the block, so the battery can recharge.

How to jump start a car with a battery pack

Make sure the pack is charged and switched off. Connect its red clamp to the battery’s positive terminal and its black clamp to bare metal or the negative terminal, as the pack’s instructions say. Switch it on, start the car, then switch the pack off and remove the black clamp first.

A booster pack in the trunk means you don’t need a second car — worth it for a Canadian winter.

Car won’t start with a jump?

• Rapid clicking often means the battery is still too flat — check the clamps are tight and let the working car run longer.
• One click or nothing can point to a bad connection, a corroded terminal or the starter.
• Starts, then dies again soon after often means the battery won’t hold a charge, or the alternator isn’t charging it.

If a few tries don’t work, stop and get the battery tested; many auto parts stores will do it.

Who to ask when you’re stuck

On a highway or a busy road, call roadside assistance (an auto club, your insurer or your car’s maker) and stay safely away from traffic. In your own driveway or parking lot, a neighbour with a car and cables can usually help in ten minutes.

Ask a neighbour with Neighbr

Neighbr is free with no fees, and it never handles money — you settle up directly, by cash, e-Transfer or however you both agree. Helpers are neighbours, not a roadside service — on a busy road, call roadside assistance.

Common questions

Which jumper cable goes on first?

Red on the dead battery’s positive terminal first, then red on the good battery’s positive, black on the good battery’s negative, and black last on bare metal on the dead car.

What order do you take jumper cables off?

The reverse: black from the dead car’s metal, black from the good battery, red from the good battery, then red from the car you jumped.

How long should you drive after a jump start?

At least 20 to 30 minutes, so the alternator can recharge the battery.

How do I find someone to jump start my car near me?

For a roadside breakdown, call roadside assistance. At home, ask a neighbour — on Neighbr, “Jump-start my car” is one of the popular asks.

Published 10 October 2026 · No affiliate links