The answer is that you should drive the car for about 10 minutes, or until the battery has charged and the engine has started.

The reason why it’s important to drive the car after a jump start is because the alternator needs to charge the battery. If you don’t drive the car after starting it with jumper cables, then there won’t be enough power in your battery to keep it charged. The alternator will only charge up so much before it runs out of juice and needs recharging itself.

If you start your car by jumping off someone else’s battery and then immediately turn off the ignition and stop driving, then when you get back in your car later on it may not run because there isn’t enough power left in your own battery.

Last modified: September 25, 2022