How Much Charge Does a Car Battery Need to Start

Published on: March 31, 2023
Written by Chris Dominic / Fact-checked by Nova Scarlett

After buying a branded car from the showroom, the new enthusiast may search in the search engine bar, does a new car battery need to be charged or how to charge a car battery after an enjoyable trip. Choosing a car is a good deal, but choosing a car battery to connect the positive to positive and negative to negative dots is a risky deal. However, a battery can be more powerful with high maintenance, on the other hand, keeping it without driving in the winter may create issues. 

how much charge does a car battery need to start(1)

A good battery is always that one that leads to taking full charge at 75% or more than that and working properly. So it makes sense to let it self-charge and let go of the driver for driving at any point of starting. Thus this is the user’s top-notch checking as a car owner to understand before every driving that the car battery is working or not. Along with questions such as how much charge does a car battery need to start, we have gradually answered more relevant questions and answers for the users. 

How Much Charge Does a Car Battery Need to Start

The exact answer is only 12V for a car and normalize the meter between 12.8V to 12.2V. Sounds enough right if you have the best portable car battery chargers in your car deck? But the user should remember the usage must not exceed the 14.8V limit after starting. 

Minimum usage Limit To the extent 
12 V12.8V-12.2V14.8V on the way

What do you think? Do you maintain the car once a month? If you are a regular user and obsessive about your car, it definitely requires maintenance. Since we have our profound crew members with versatile famous brand cars which are considered to be the rock crawler as well as sounds powerful to drive outside. 

What’s the Minimum Charge My Battery Needs to Start My Car

That can be counted by voltage unit? For instance, for starting, the average voltage of a newly made or bought car should be 11V while it can exceed 14.8V sometimes. 

Starting point Starting battery voltage Result Consequence and solution 
Before start <10.8VToo low Unable to start vehicle mostly 
Before start 10.8V~11.8VLow Turn off all electrical appliances  
Mid-level 11.8V~12.8VNormal 
Mid-level 12.8V~13.2Vlow The battery may not take charge 
After start 13.2V~14.8VNormal 
After start >14.8VHigh High risk to damage battery 

Demonstrating the Chart

From the above chart, users can understand how to demonstrate a car battery. When the battery takes charge and accelerates the voltage up to 14.8V, it can damage the battery however, mostly insane works can be done while car racing though these are designed to be powerful like a rock that could never be broken until the electrical doctor is in charge.

Gradually, the lower the voltage the normal power the battery can take into it. So far, 11.8V~12.8V and 13.2V~14.8V are considered to be the normal battery value which is the solution for all cars as well as the battery. 

How Long Does It Take to Charge a Dead Car Battery

People sometimes ask instead whether a completely dead battery can take charges or is it possible to charge a dead battery with jumper high-end cables? Nothing is irregular to recharge a car battery within 20-24 hours of usage. However, most people give 10 hours of charging to the battery to avoid overcharging and the risk of the blast. 

Unfortunately, one of our crew members just picked up a new car battery which takes 4-8AMP and let it charge overnight. Intermittently overcharged and flattening the battery to 12.8V, sounds horrible. If you have a superfast option to boost the battery, it will take no longer than 4-6 hours to start the engine, however, this may damage the car battery’s long-term performance gradually. 

Will Hooking the Battery Up Backwards Cause it to Lose its Charge?

Hooking the battery up backwards can lead to severe consequences of improper battery hookup. The reversed polarity can cause the battery to lose its charge rapidly, potentially damaging the battery and other electrical components in the process. It is crucial to ensure correct battery connections to avoid any detrimental effects on the charge and overall functioning of the battery.

What Percent Does a Car Battery Need to Start

what percent does a car battery need to start

Basically, the answer depends on the battery condition. If a car is charged between 70-75%, it should be considered fully charged. You can read it like, 12.4-12.6 volts or higher let’s start your car with only 75% charge. If the reading before starting is less than 10.4V, it indicates a serious issue that it has a weaker ability to hold a charge. 

As long as the battery means to run your engine, idling a car to charge a battery is nothing impossible. Electrical systems cannot drain the battery quicker. Generally, 0% of the battery indicator shows the battery lost the power to start an engine, meanwhile, it loses power at almost 33% according to our experience and AAA. Though it is nothing unusual that a car battery even after a long-term of high maintenance can last 5-7 years.   

Voltage of Battery (V)State of Charge (%) 
12.65+100
12.5090 (ok)
12.4575 (ok)
12.3560 (low charge)
12.2550 (low charge)
12.0625 (low charge)
11.90Discharged 

Are 10 Volts Enough to Start a Car

Yes, but sometimes, we do not even prefer the starting voltage that much? Why? Suppose, the battery is equal to 10V or less than that, the user may find too many electrical faults in the car while driving. You know without a warm feeling driving in a butter-smooth car is not enjoyable for anyone. Read more: Can I Hook a House Fan to a Car Battery

Users can use a trickle charge. Is it good to trickle charge your car battery? Well, so many trickle charges are an option for car batteries not to stop working but too long last the car driving also. On a long-term basis, the trickle charge reduces the risk of overcharging by the electricity, and also less consumption to fuel as well, and let recharge any 0.8AMP to 4AMP batteries. 

3 types of car batteries we have experienced, for instance, 

SLI: Starting, lighting and ignition, all together lead to standard flooded lead-acid batteries; 

EFB: Enhanced Flooded Batteries;

AGM: Absorbent Glass Mat. 

Now you know why the battery holds 10V or less than that, there will remain a dead cell that will require replacement soon. 

Why Is There Inadequate Voltage to Start a Car Engine? 

Some basic characteristics which are usual for insufficient voltage, for instance,

Instant starting of the car after a jump start (you have to until 30-35 minutes after a jump start);

  • Ignoring the ignition of a weak starting of the vehicle;
  • Unstable idling;
  • Avoid checking whether a car battery is draining or not while it is off (lead-acid battery can discharge in itself);
  • Not following strategies for keeping car batteries from dying out in winter (keep it far from cold waves, park in the garage and keep the battery free of dirt).

Above tasks, if one does to the battery, there can cause a lot of damage to a car battery and inadequate voltage turns to a dead battery. 

Solutions When the Battery Voltage Is Too Low

solutions when the battery voltage is too low

1. Call an auto repair shop assistant: If you have internet access and search for roadside automobile assistance in the search engine bar which is very nearest to your home and optimize the battery if any issue you can see. 

2. Apply a multimeter: If the battery is not working at its optimal level, a multimeter is fruitful for checking the current and voltage produced by a cell to identify a faulty battery. We know that a general usage battery measures 12.5 or more than that after making itself fully charged. But if any issue occurs, for instance, false starts, the horn will not work properly, car light brightness decreases, illuminated battery lights on the dashboard and so on. 

One can set the multimeter dial range between 15-20V (DC Voltage). If the Cold Cramping Amperage estimates below 32 degrees or 0 degrees, the battery voltage is not acceptable and is less than 10.6V. 

Black Probe of Multimeter Red Probe of Multimeter 
COM portVΩmA port
positive terminalNegative terminal

Take the reading and if it shows 12.2 V-12.6 V, the battery is in better condition to support your car for at least 2 or 3 years more. 

3. Purchase a high-quality jump starter: You might have heard of a jump starter cable for the purpose of displacement of a car. Neither waiting for a road rescue nor bringing a multimeter, a high-quality jump starter includes LED light and functions of a power bank to recharge your car battery in an emergency. 

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Wrap Up 

Recharging a car battery involves so many facts and maintenance to get acknowledged and lead to a long-term application, for instance, driving an engine of a car. 

To recharge your car battery or for checking the battery’s state of charge, there remain multiple electronic gadgets. However, people in winter times face the most significant issues like battery draining, recharging, battery idling and more. Therefore, before getting started with a car driving, please identify what needs to be installed or for maintenance gadgets purchased which is really necessary. 

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