The Best Jumper Cables

What to Look for in Booster Cables

There are a number of things for you to look out for when you are choosing the best jumper cables. Here are the main ones:

• Price. Obviously, you will have a budget but you will get what you pay for. A cheap product may not be robust enough for your needs. Think of it as an investment because, in theory, a set of booster cables should last you for many years.
• Length. Booster cables should be at least 12 feet in length some are much longer. The extra long jumper cables allow you to connect cars that are not parked facing each other. This can be useful on busy streets.
• Gauge. This is given as a numerical value in the product description and is used to describe how thick the wire is inside the cable. It can be a good indicator of the overall quality. A low gauge number gives you a thicker wire. So, if you are going to be jump starting a truck, you need around a 4 gauge. To jump start a normal car, a 6 or 8 will be fine. A 10 is probably best avoided as it will transmit little electricity.
• Thickness. Thicker cables are better because they are more durable. The label “heavy-duty jumper cables” means very little unless a cable thickness is also given.
• Clamps: Clamps must have strong teeth to make sure that they stay attached to the battery. It is a good idea if the cable will fit both top and side port batteries. They need to be wrapped in rubber for safety and comfort.
• Insulation: Strong insulation made from a material such as PVC will be resistant to damage by chemicals and oil. Some insulation materials will prevent the cable from tangling and will keep it flexible at low temperatures which is important.

How Do Jumper Cables Work?

When a car or other vehicle will not start because it has a flat battery, it is possible to use the charge from the battery of another vehicle instead. You do not have to fit the other battery in the car that will not start. You simply have to use special leads called jump leads, or boost leads, to transfer the charge from the battery across to the other vehicle.

This method can be used for both a weak or dead battery. The power from the live battery recharges the dead battery a little and provides enough power to start the engine. Then, the vehicle’s normal charging system should take over and the connection to the external battery can be removed.

Jumper leads are essentially a pair of wires that can conduct electricity and are insulated. They have clips or clamps at each end which are made of copper or steel. They are usually red or black and red and the clips may be labeled with a black or red color or with a plus or minus sign to indicate polarity and where to fix them to the battery.

Many vehicle owners choose to carry jumper cables in the trunk of their cars in case they accidentally drain their own battery. It’s easy to do this by leaving the lights on for too long when the engine is not running. It is vital that safety procedures are followed to avoid electrocution and these are usually provided with the jump cables.

How to Use Jumper Cables?

Knowing how to jump start your car if the battery fails is a key skill that could come in very handy one day. Most jump leads will provide you with step by step instructions on how to use them correctly and safely. Here is a quick guide on how to use jumper cables.

• Are the vehicles suitable? Make sure that both the donor car and the recipient are suitable for a jump start. Modern cars have very complicated and delicate electronic systems. A jump start can cause huge voltage surges which can cause damage to both the donor and recipient car. Also, it’s best to avoid jump starting a hybrid or electric car. The donor car must have a fully charged battery and be of the same voltage as the recipient battery.
• Safety precautions. Check for signs of physical damage to either of the batteries and to the jump cables. Make sure that no one is smoking and that there are no naked flames in the vicinity. Take off jewelry (metal jewelry can cause sparks) and loose clothing and put on safety goggles.
• Park the vehicles close to each other. Park the vehicles as close as you safely can. On a busy highway, they may have to be one behind the other. Both vehicles should have the ignitions turned off and be in ‘Park’ or ‘Neutral’.
• Attach one red clamp. Start by attaching one of the red (positive) clips of the jump start cable to the positive terminal of your recipient battery. The terminal will have a “POS” or “+” written on it and will be bigger than the negative terminal.
• Attach the other red clamp. Then clip the other red clamp jump start cable to the positive terminal of the donor car.
• Attach one black clamp. Attach one of the black clamps to the negative terminal of the donor battery.
• Attach the other black clamp. Then attach the other black clamp to some area of unpainted metal on the engine block or chassis of the recipient car. It must be well away from the flat battery and fuel system. It is acting as an earthing point.
• Wait. Wait for three minutes.
• Start up the donor. Start up the donor vehicle and let it run for a while.
• Start up the recipient car. It should start up immediately. If it doesn’t, check that all the cables are attached and then try again.

If this does not work, stop trying as there is probably another fault. If the recipient car does start, you need to let both cars idle for around 10 minutes. Then, you need to turn off both engines before you disconnect the jumper cables. Do this in the reverse order to the above steps. Never let the leads touch because they will spark. Now restart the recipient car and drive it around for 15 minutes. If it will not restart, it means there is a more serious problem.

Jumper Cables vs Jump Starters

You do have another option for jump starting a car with a flat battery these days. You could decide to invest in one of the jump starters. Originally these were lead-acid batteries in a portable pack.  Now, the packs use a portable lithium-ion battery as the power source. There are pros and cons to both methods.

Booster cables can be purchased cheaply and don’t take up much room but have a few disadvantages. Should your battery run flat, you are completely reliant on a kind motorist to come to your rescue. Furthermore, that motorist must have a car that is of a similar voltage to yours and they must be willing to take the risk that their car could get damaged. It is getting harder and harder to find cars that do not have delicate electronic systems. The newer the vehicle, the greater the risk.

Jump starters are more expensive to purchase. The lead-acid jump starters contained a lead-acid battery and these were both bulky and heavy compared to jump leads. However, this is not true for the modern lithium jump starters which are very light and compact. There are also no fiddly leads to contend with.

Best Jumper Cables FAQ:

Q: What is a Jumper Cable?

A:  Jumper cables are a set of two insulated wires which can conduct electricity from one car battery to another. They are insulated with a material such as PVC for safety and durability. They have clamps on each end for attaching them to the car batteries. They are often colored black and red to signify positive and negative.

The best booster cables are available in various lengths and in various gauges. You may also see a value for amps and volts specified. This indicates how much power the cable can transmit.

Q: Is the clamp style on the jumper cables important?

A: Yes, it is important to choose portable jumper cables that have clamps that will attach firmly to both batteries. The best jumper cables attach quickly without you having to struggle with them and they grip well so that they won’t slip off. Many jump leads have alligator clips with teeth that have a strong grip. The best heavy-duty jumper cables have a parrot clamp that has a double connection for optimal power transfer and is fully insulated for extra safety.

They need to be durable for repeated use and should not heat up when they are being used. Solid copper is a good option for efficient electrical transfer. The cheaper clamps often have copper plates on the end but the rest of the clamp is made from another material. These are not as effective.

The clamps should be wrapped in a rubber-like material to make them comfortable to grip when you are putting them on and taking them off.

Q: Why would I buy short jumper cables instead of long jumper cables?

A: Many brands of heavy-duty jumper cables are available in various lengths. Some are available in 12-foot lengths but others can be as long as 25 feet. The advantage of the very long jumper cables is that the two vehicles do not have to be that close together to carry out a jump start. Sometimes, it is not possible to park the vehicles nose to nose. This can happen on a busy city street or on the freeway. With a long jump cable, you can park one vehicle behind the other and still have enough length to carry out a jump start.

However, this might not be the best buy for you. Obviously, the shorter leads (around 12 feet) are easier to store in the trunk of your car because they take up less room. They are also more likely to get tangled and can be trickier to use. If you do not feel that you could use the long jumper cables safely, it would be best to get a shorter set.

Q: If I have to jump-start my car, does that mean I need to replace the battery?

A: Batteries can run down for many reasons. Perhaps some lights were left on inside the car by mistake? If there is an obvious cause for the flat battery, it is unlikely that you will need to replace it and you should get several more years of motoring out of it.

However, if you are finding that you are continually having to use car jumper cables and there is no obvious cause, it indicates that something is going wrong. It could be that the battery is old. All batteries have a certain life expectancy and after that has expired they can become unreliable. In that case, it is time to get another battery.

It is important to note that there could be other mechanical issues with your vehicle, which means that the battery is failing to charge. These need to be checked out by a mechanic.

 

Our Top Pick

CARTMAN Booster Cable 4 Gauge x 20Ft in Carry Bag (4AWG x 20Ft) UL-Listed

We consider the Cartman Booster Cable 4 Gauge x 20 Ft jumper cables the best of the best. It’s garnered our top pick, as it’s hard to top the benefits and quality offered by this single product. These jumper cables are reliable and perform consistently, ensuring you’re never stuck on the side of the road with less-than-ideal cables. They offer enough conductivity to suit most cars and their 12 or 24-volt batteries. Well-insulated and able to resist materials like rain, motor oil, and chemicals, you can trust in these jumper cables to withstand just about everything. The cables themselves are covered in T-Prene coating, which offers excellent flexibility under any weather and any kind of conditions. You’ll have the right quality equipment you need to jump a dead battery with these jumper cables in your car.