Discovering that you have a flat car battery is perhaps one of the most frustrating experiences in life, as it never comes at a convenient time. Find out what you can do if your car battery is dead with this quick guide.

You can suffer a dead car battery for a whole host of reasons, including cold weather, frequent short journeys, excessive strain and battery age. This is why flat car batteries are the number one reason for call-outs to breakdown services.

But before calling anyone out, read this guide: you may be able to solve the problem yourself.

Flat Battery - What Can You Do?

• A common reason for a dead car battery is that it's been drained by the lights being left on, without the engine running. If your battery hasn't completely discharged, you may be able to charge it using a car battery charger that plugs into the mains. We sell a range of these, so keep one in your garage and you'll always be prepared for when a flat battery strikes!
• However, if your battery has totally run out, it's likely that simply charging it won't work. Your next option is to try a jump start. You'll need a set of Jump Leads and a 'donor' car to do this - but first, see our how to jump start a car guide for some essential safety advice. If you don't have a second car, you can use a power pack to jump start a battery, making it a good idea to keep a power pack in the boot.
• If jump starting or recharging doesn't get your car going, you may have a more serious problem. If you can get your car to the nearest Halfords, our in-store staff can check your battery for free and determine whether the issue is simply a flat car battery, or whether it could be something else, such as a fault with the alternator.
• Bear in mind that even if you manage to recharge or jump start your battery, its life may have been significantly shortened after a discharge - you may want to replace it at some point for a new one.

Free Car Battery Checks at Halfords

Halfords can provide FREE car battery checks in-store, plus we have the UK's biggest range of batteries should your car need a new one. The batteries we sell cover around 95% of the vehicles on the road, so it's likely we'll have the right one for your vehicle.

If you're not sure what battery you need, just pop your car's registration into our handy look up tool.