You’re ready to roll, hop in your car, turn your key, and…nothing. Not even an engine crank—probably shouldn’t have left your lights on all night.

If this situation sounds familiar, you already know how frustrating and inconvenient a dead battery can be. Luckily, learning how to jumpstart your car is quick and easy—all it requires is a quality pair of jumper cables and a good Samaritan with a running car. Once you’re back on the road, the alternator will recharge your battery, but it’s a good idea to get your battery checked out anyway. A bad battery is a quick fix and can prevent you from being stranded once again. Read on to learn the proper way to jumpstart your car.

Buy a Quality Pair of Jumper Cables

First things first, buy a good pair of jumper cables and keep them in your car at all times. Jumper cables can be found at any auto parts store. Find a pair with thick, well-insulated, long cables and clean metal clamps. A rusty, old pair of jumper cables can be dangerous and produce sparks! Want to be extra prepared? Get a portable jump starter and charge its battery—this prevents you from relying on someone else with a running car.

Find the Battery Terminals

Open the hood of the dead car and locate the battery terminals, typically located on the battery itself and denoted by (+) for positive and (-) for negative. Also, most batteries put a red cover on the positive end and black on negative.

Park the Running Car Close to the Dead Car

Depending on the length of your cables, park the running car close to the dead car, turn off the engine, and pop open its hood. Activate the parking brakes on both vehicles and turn off all electrical components, including hazard lights if you are in a safe location.

Next, locate the battery terminals in the running car. They look like metal knobs on the battery. Be careful while handling the jumper cables! Not only can the sharp metal clamps scratch your car, but, if the clamps touch each other or another part of the car, very dangerous sparks can be produced.

Connect the Positive Terminals

Start with the dead car, clamping the red jumper cable to the positive terminal. Make sure the clamp has a strong connection to the metal terminal and cuts through any corrosion or buildup on the battery.

Now move to the running car and also connect the red cable clamp to the positive terminal. Make sure the negative clamps are not touching anything metal or each other! It’s best to have a friend hold them for you.

Connect the Negative terminals

Still at the running car, clamp the black cable to the negative terminal. Finally, connect the final clamp to the negative terminal of the dead car. If you can’t find the negative terminal, any unpainted piece of metal several inches away from the battery will work.

Start Up the Car

Start up the running car first, then try the dead car. Ideally, it should start right up. Still nothing? Check the connections of the clamps and make sure they have a strong connection to the terminal. Sometimes the dead battery has to “charge” for a few minutes. Let the cars sit for a few minutes, then try again.

Let it Charge

Once the dead car is back running, drive around for at least 20 minutes to recharge the battery. Is a dead battery becoming recurring problem? It may be time to have your Mazda serviced. Try searching for a Mazda dealer near me and let us check your battery! While you’re here, check out the new lineup of Mazda models, all with brand new batteries and guaranteed to keep you on the road!