How to change your car battery at home, by DriveCoded on YouTube. 1 min 13 s.
- Video length
- 1 min 13 s
- Time to do it
- 20 minutes
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Steps
- 9
What you need
Steps
Park on a level surface, turn off the engine and remove the key. Wait a few minutes so the battery and surrounding parts cool down.
Open the bonnet and find the battery. Check which side the positive (+) and negative (-) terminals are on before touching anything.
Put on safety glasses and gloves. Loosen the clamp bolt on the negative terminal with a wrench and lift the cable off. Tuck it aside so it cannot touch the battery post.
Loosen and remove the positive terminal cable the same way. Keep the two cables apart so they cannot touch each other.
Undo the hold-down bracket or strap that keeps the battery in place. Lift the old battery straight up and out. Batteries are heavy, so lift with your legs.
Set the new battery in the tray with the terminals on the same sides as before. Refit the hold-down bracket and tighten it so the battery cannot move.
Clean the terminal posts and cable ends with a terminal brush if they look crusty. Connect the positive cable first and tighten the clamp.
Connect the negative cable last and tighten it. Give both clamps a firm wiggle to check they are tight and seated fully on the posts.
Check that no tools or loose parts are left in the engine bay. Start the car and confirm the battery light goes out and the engine runs normally.
Tips and common mistakes
Always disconnect the negative terminal first and reconnect it last to avoid short circuits.
Never let a wrench bridge both battery posts at once, as it can cause sparks and burns.
Some start-stop cars need the new battery registered with a scan tool, so check your handbook.
Old batteries are hazardous waste, so take yours to a garage or recycling centre.
Questions
Do I need to disconnect the negative terminal first?
Yes. Removing the negative cable first cuts the ground path, so a slipped wrench cannot short the battery. When refitting, connect the positive first and the negative last.
Will my car lose its radio and clock settings?
Most cars will reset the clock and radio presets when the battery is out. A memory saver plugged into the 12V socket can keep those settings alive during the swap.
How do I know which battery to buy?
Check the group size, cold cranking amps and terminal layout on the old battery label or in your handbook. Buy a battery that matches those figures.
This guide was drafted from the video's details and general task knowledge. It has not been checked against the full video. Check the video and relevant product instructions before following a procedure. Report a correction.
