Cold weather stopped your car dead. You need to decide right now: grab jumper cables or call a tow. Here is how to make that call in two minutes.
> **Quick Answer:** Jump start first. A dead or weakened battery is the most common cold-weather no-start, and a jump takes five minutes. If the car starts but dies again within a few miles, the battery or alternator is failing and you need a tow. If it cranks slowly and won't fire, or makes no sound at all, try one jump. No improvement after two attempts means call for a tow.
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## How Do I Know If It's the Battery or Something Worse?
A cold battery is the culprit the vast majority of the time. At 0°F, a fully charged lead-acid battery loses roughly half its cranking power, and a battery that was already borderline in warm weather simply quits.
Listen to what the car does when you turn the key:
- **Slow, labored cranking** ("rur... rur... rur"): weak battery. Jump it.
- **Rapid clicking** (click-click-click-click): dead battery or bad connection. Jump it. If the clicking continues after a jump, you may have a bad starter or a battery that can no longer hold a charge. See [car won't start clicking noise in cold weather](/car-wont-start-clicking-noise-cold-weather/) for what that specific symptom usually means.
- **Single loud clunk and nothing**: seized starter motor or, less commonly, seized engine internals. Do not crank repeatedly. Call a tow.
- **Nothing at all, no dash lights**: fully dead battery or broken cable connection. Check the terminals first. Then jump.
- **Cranks fine but won't catch**: the battery is not the issue. Could be a frozen fuel line, a flooded engine, or a failed fuel pump. Do not keep cranking. Diagnose before you call.
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## What's the Right Way to Jump Start a Car in the Cold?
Connect red to the dead battery positive terminal, red to the good battery positive terminal, black to the good battery negative terminal, black to an unpainted metal ground on the dead car (not the battery negative post, to reduce spark risk near the battery). Let the good car run for three to five minutes before attempting to start the dead car. Cold batteries need that warm-up time.
Once the car starts, drive it for at least 20 to 30 minutes at highway speed, not idle. Idling barely charges a battery. If you only drive around the block and park, you will be back in the same spot in an hour.
If the car does not start after two full jump attempts with proper cable connection and wait time, stop. Repeated cranking on a seized or fuel-starved engine causes real damage. At that point you want a tow, not another try.
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## When Is It Smarter to Just Call a Tow Right Away?
Skip the jump and call a tow if any of these apply:
- The battery is more than four years old. A jump might get you going, but the battery will likely fail again before you reach a shop, possibly on a highway.
- You hear a single hard clunk when the key turns. That is a starter or engine mechanical problem. Jumping changes nothing.
- The car starts but the battery warning light stays on after a minute of driving. Your alternator is not charging. You have maybe 20 to 40 minutes of electrical power left before the car dies again, potentially mid-intersection.
- You are in a
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location where a second breakdown is dangerous: a highway, a dark rural road, or an unfamiliar area at night.
A local tow typically runs $75 to $125 for the first few miles. Weigh that against a second breakdown on the road. If your insurance policy or roadside plan covers towing, the math is even easier. Check [does State Farm cover towing and roadside assistance](/does-state-farm-cover-towing-and-roadside-assistance/) or your own insurer's terms before paying out of pocket.
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## What If the Jump Start Works but the Car Dies Again Quickly?
The battery took a charge but cannot hold it. That means either the battery itself is at end of life, or the alternator failed and is no longer recharging the battery while you drive. Both are tow situations.
A functioning alternator outputs roughly 13.5 to 14.8 volts at the battery terminals while the engine runs. If you have a cheap multimeter in your glovebox, check it. Below 13 volts at idle with the engine warm means the alternator is not keeping up. Above 15 volts means it is overcharging, which is also a problem. Either way, do not risk driving far. Read more about what happens when the charging system quits in [car alternator died while driving: tow needed](/car-alternator-died-while-driving-tow-needed/).
If you previously had a dead battery and a jump start failed, the cost breakdown for a tow is covered in [dead battery jump start failed: towing cost](/dead-battery-jump-start-failed-towing-cost/).
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## Common Questions
**Q: Can cold weather alone kill a good battery overnight?**
A: Yes. At temperatures below 10°F, even a healthy battery near the end of its service life can drop below the threshold needed to crank a cold engine. If your battery is three or more years old and this happened after a cold night, the battery is telling you it's done.
**Q: How many times can I try to jump start before I give up?**
A: Two full attempts with a proper connection and a three-to-five minute charge time between tries. After that you risk overheating the starter motor and masking a deeper problem with repeated cranking.
**Q: Will a portable jump starter work as well as jumper cables from another car?**
A: For a battery that still has some life left, yes. A quality lithium jump pack like a NOCO Boost or Antigravity unit delivers enough cold cranking amps for most passenger cars. For a completely dead battery in extreme cold, a running vehicle with a larger battery sometimes does better.
**Q: If I get a jump and the car runs fine, do I still need to go to a shop?**
A: If the battery is under two years old and this was a one-time event after extreme cold, you can monitor it. If it has happened before or the battery is older, get it tested. Most auto parts stores (AutoZone, O'Reilly, Advance) will load-test your battery for free.
**Q: Does roadside assistance cover a jump start, or just towing?**
A: Most roadside plans, including AAA, GEICO, State Farm, and Progressive add-ons, cover jump starts as a separate service from towing. Call your provider before paying for either out of pocket.
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*Need roadside help? Visit [Tow With The Flow](https://towwiththeflow.com/car-wont-start-in-cold-weather-tow-or-jumpstart/) for real answers when your car breaks down.*
Car Won't Start in Cold Weather: Tow or Jump Start?
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