A car with the same voltage battery as your own, fully charged

A set of jumper cables (see below)

A wire brush (optional)

Gloves (optional)

Safety glasses (recommended)

About 5 minutes

2torial #0508: Learn2 Jump-Start a Car That jumpin' jive.. Car batteries can lose their charge for more than a few reasons. Leaving the lights on overnight has got to top the list, though, and it's such an unexpected thing that most of us are caught unprepared. It's times like these when many of us rely on the kindness of strangers to jump-start our cars, but sometimes YOU need to be the kindly stranger- or at least the one who knows which cable goes where. When you're stranded in the cold rain and snow, asking passing motorists if they'll provide a jump start for your car, you'll find that there are two kinds of motorists: those who have jumper cables and those who do not. If you get your own set of jumper cables, and keep them in the car, you'll increase your chances of getting a jump start by about a thousand percent (or at least it seems that way). Buy a good set of 100% copper heavy gauge (4 to 8 gauge) jumper cables that are at least 10 feet long. You'll make back your investment the first time that you're stuck with a dead battery. Step 1