What to do if…
your car battery is dead while you are parked and you need to leave soon

What to do now

1. Make the place safe first. Put the handbrake on, select Park or neutral, and switch on hazard lights if other road users may not expect you to be stopped. If you are on a motorway or high-speed road, focus on getting to a place of relative safety and away from moving traffic, not fixing the car.
2. Check whether this looks like a flat battery. Common signs include clicking when you turn the key, dash lights dimming or going out, very weak headlights, sluggish central locking, or no response from the starter. If it is totally dead, check only for obvious loose battery clamps if you can do that safely.
3. Choose the quickest safe option.
   • Jump pack available: use it exactly as the device instructions say.
   • Jump leads and a suitable helper vehicle available: do a careful jump start using the steps below.
   • No equipment or helper: call your breakdown provider, insurer, bank-account cover, or a local recovery service, and arrange a backup journey such as a taxi, lift, or public transport.
4. If using jump leads, use a controlled order.
   1. Position the donor car close enough for the leads to reach, but do not let the cars touch. Put both handbrakes on, switch both vehicles off, remove the keys if possible, and turn off lights, heaters, radios, and other electrics.
   2. Connect the red lead to the positive terminal on the donor battery, then to the positive terminal on the flat battery, unless your handbook says to use remote jump points or a different order.
   3. Connect the black lead to the negative terminal on the donor battery, then to a solid unpainted metal earthing point on the disabled car, such as the engine block or chassis, well away from the battery and fuel system.
   4. Start the donor car and let it run briefly so some charge can transfer.
   5. Try to start your car. If it does not start after a few attempts, stop and call for professional help.
   6. If your car starts, let it run briefly while the batteries stabilise.
   7. Follow your handbook or jump-lead instructions for disconnecting. If they say to switch engines off before removing the leads, do that. Remove the leads carefully in reverse order, keeping the clamps from touching each other or either vehicle.
   8. Restart or continue only if the car starts normally and feels safe to drive.
5. If the car starts and you still need to leave, avoid getting stuck again immediately. After the leads or booster pack have been safely removed, avoid switching the car off again straight away if you can. Drive normally rather than doing short stop-start errands, but do not drive if there are serious warning lights, smoke, burning smells, overheating, steering problems, brake problems, or anything else that makes the car feel unsafe.
6. If you must abandon the car and go now, leave it as safely as you can. Park legally if possible, lock it, take the keys, remove valuables from sight, and avoid leaving hazard lights on for long periods if the battery is weak.
7. If you are on an English motorway and it is not safe to self-fix, follow motorway breakdown advice. Use a free emergency roadside telephone where provided, contact your breakdown recovery service, or call 999 and ask for the police if you are unable to get to safety or are in immediate danger. Elsewhere in the UK, follow local road signs, emergency telephone instructions, police advice, or call 999 if there is immediate danger.