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Does your car battery charge while driving?
I have a habit of accidentally leaving my car lights on and coming back to a dead car battery. After I get a jumpstart, do I need to wait a while before driving? Does your car battery charge while you’re driving?
Melanie Johnson · Updated on
Reviewed by Shannon Martin, Licensed Insurance Agent.
Oh no—coming back to a dead car battery is never fun! I’m glad you’re able to jumpstart it fairly easily. Your car battery does charge while you’re driving, so after a couple of minutes, you should be able to disconnect the jumper. Just make sure to keep the car running for at least 30 minutes, so it can fully recharge.
A few tips for recharging your battery:
- Keep the engine running for 30 minutes to an hour—if you turn the car off too early, you might need another jumpstart.
- Driving at higher speeds charges your battery quicker than at lower speeds because more electricity is generated.
- If you need to recharge your battery faster, you might consider investing in a portable battery charger. Just keep in mind these are not great for repeated use, as they can damage your car’s battery over time.
Continually jumpstarting your car puts a lot of strain on your car’s accelerator. It’s great that you can jumpstart your car like a pro—the next step is working on keeping those lights off!
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- Gregory R.
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Jerry partners with more than 50 insurance companies, but our content is independently researched, written, and fact-checked by our team of editors and agents. We aren’t paid for reviews or other content.
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