Charging Your Battery

How to Charge Your Car Battery - It Only Takes About 10 Mins

Left your lights on over night again? Don't worry. A dead car battery can soon be brought back to life. Assuming you have a battery charger, of course.

  1. If possible, remove the battery leads.
  2. Consult your charger's instructions to make sure it's suitable for your car's battery and that it's set correctly.
  3. Fit the charger's red clip to the battery's positive (+) terminal and the black clip to the negative (-) terminal.
  4. Connect the charger to the mains and switch on. A green light should show. If nothing happens, switch off the charger at the mains and check that the leads are correctly attached to the battery.
  5. Once charging is complete, a second light or (change in colour) will tell you. Disconnect the charger from the mains and remove the cables, starting with the black lead. Reinstall and / or reconnect the battery.

And off you go. In the process of driving around (for a minimum of 20 mins with the radio and other non-essential electricals off) you'll fully recharge the battery so you won't have to repeat the process all over again when you stop.

If you don't have a battery charger to put life back in your battery, then humble jump leads can do the job just as effectively.