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If your alternator goes out, can you jump your car?
I have a road trip coming up, and my alternator is pretty old. I’m a little worried that, if I need to jump my car, I won’t be able to. Can you jump your car if your alternator goes out?
Natalie Todoroff · Updated on
Reviewed by Shannon Martin, Licensed Insurance Agent.
Yes, if your alternator goes out you can
jump your car
—but don’t expect to drive it very far. Your alternator plays a pivotal role in powering your car’s battery. If your alternator is on the fritz, it won’t be able to provide much charge to the battery, but a jumpstart could give it just enough juice to get you to a nearby repair shop. If you find yourself in this sticky situation, make sure that you conserve battery power by turning off any non-essential electronic systems like your maps and entertainment. After all, your car needs to power the fuel pump more than you need to listen to your favorite podcast.
Best of luck on your
road trip
! Knowing that your alternator is bad, you may want to add towing and labor
to your insurance policy
, just in case those handy jumper cables don’t do the trick and you find yourself stranded. If you don’t know where to begin looking for that kind of coverage, downloading Jerry
is the best place to start.We call Jerry not just an app, but a
super app
for insurance not only because it’s so highly rated, but because it’s super easy to use. Signup takes less than a minute, and if you ever have questions, Jerry’s team of friendly insurance agents are only a text message away.View full answer
- 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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