Answer a few quick questions
One question at a time — nothing here is submitted anywhere.
Your Roadside Action Plan
Based on your answers. You can start over anytime.
Why we recommended this
Questions to ask before saying yes
What Not To Do
Before Help Arrives
Use the questions above to figure out your next step. A dead battery is usually simple, but the exact symptom changes whether jumping it, calling roadside assistance, or getting it towed is the right call.
This is not professional mechanical advice. If the vehicle is stopped somewhere unsafe, moving to safety comes before anything else.
How this tool works
Location comes first. After that, the exact symptom — nothing at all, clicking, slow cranking, or lights working but no start — points toward different likely causes. Whether you have jumper cables and whether this keeps happening also change the recommendation, since a battery that won’t hold a charge usually means the alternator, not the battery itself.
None of this is submitted anywhere — every question and recommendation happens in your browser.
What actually determines the answer
- Location — an unsafe spot always comes before the battery question itself.
- The exact symptom — nothing at all, clicking, or lights-but-no-start point toward different causes.
- Whether you can jump it — having cables and a donor vehicle changes what’s practical right now.
- Whether it keeps happening — a battery that won’t hold a charge after being jumped usually means the alternator, not the battery.
Need roadside help? Visit Tow With The Flow for real answers when your car breaks down.