Basically they are a high amp battery attached to two heavy duty jumper cables. The same principles apply as when you need to jump start your car, but the advantage is that you do not need another vehicle.

You can keep your jump starter plugged in at home to ensure that it stays fully charged, or in your trunk for emergencies.

Jump starters come in all shapes and sizes, but a general rule is the bigger your car, the bigger your jump starter needs to be. You don’t want to be stuck out in nasty weather with a jump starter that doesn’t have the juice to boost your car.

The power of each jump starter is measured in amps. This number will vary but for a V8 car you should be looking for at least 500 amps.

Some of the jump starters on the market come with built in lights. These are handy when you’re stuck with a dead battery at night and allow you to easily see what you’re doing as you hook up the power source (we also recommend always having a flashlight in your car).

We’ve come up with the Top 3 jump starters on the market for you to check out. By no means are these the ONLY good jump starters out there, but they are the most reliable and easy to use.

You can check out a full list of what Amazon.com has to offer here.

Clore Automotive JNC660 1700 Peak amp 12-Volt Jump Starter

• 1700 Peak Amps
• 425 Cranking Amps
• Clore PROFORMER battery technology
• 46″ #4 AWG welding cable leads
• Industrial-grade clamps
• Built-in charger
• Automatic charging
• Voltmeter provides charge status of onboard battery
• 12VDC outlet to power accessories
• 1 year limited warranty

Automatic charging eliminates the need to unplug or replug. Plus it ensures that you’ll never be stuck with an uncharged jump starter.

Cartips.com Rating: 9.8/10
Check It Out

Jump-N-Carry JNC300XL 900 Peak Amp Ultraportable 12-Volt Jump Starter

• 900 Peak Amps
• 225 Cranking Amps
• 27″ #4 AWG welding cable leads
• Full-size clamps to penetrate battery corrosion
• LED battery status indicator
• High intensity work light
• Grip-Lock clamp storage
• DC outlet to power 12 Volt accessories
• Includes wall charger and Male-Male 12V extension cord
• 1 year limited warranty

A smaller profile and the built in light are a definite plus. Not as much juice as the JNC660 so it may not jump cars in more extreme situations. If you have a V8 vehicle I’d recommend the JNC660.

Cartips.com Rating: 9.6/10
Check It Out

Schumacher XP400 Instant Portable Power Source

• On/Off switch activates the jump starting mode
• Built-in charger for automatic charging of internal battery
• Battery status LEDs tells when battery is charged or needs to be charged
• Sure-Grip clamps fit both top and side-mount batteries
• A maintenance-free, sealed lead acid battery allow for storage in any position

Low cost and small size make for a perfect jump starter for small cars. If you live in a cold location or have a medium to full sized car I would recommend something with more power. If you have a smaller 4 cylinder vehicle this is a perfect emergency solution.

Cartips.com Rating: 8.7/10
Check It Out

Had an experience with a jump starter? Let us know in the comments below.

For starters, what exactly is a hybrid car?

Essentially, it is nothing but a fuel efficient automobile with dual motors, an electric motor and a gasoline powered alternative. It also sports a specially engineered system that captures brake energy and transfers it towards the battery to keep it charged at all times.

So why go hybrid?

It’s a combination of two vehicular concepts, so why not go to one of the two? Why not drive a purely gasoline or electric powered car? If you think about it through principle, having two motors makes your system more vulnerable to a breakdown. The same concept exists in any other sort of transportation vehicle—the more motors or engines, the less reliable they can collectively be.

Two Motors

In reality, having two motors presents both pros and cons. For one, electric motors don’t take up any energy when they idle; in fact they simply turn off and therefore use less gas when the speed is low. Gas motors are more effective at high speeds and therefore deliver a more powerful drive—but during stop and go or low speed travel, the electric motor will suffice without costing you money and the environment smog. When you reach higher speeds, usually past 40 mpg, the gas motor will begin to kick in and allow car owners to travel quickly on the freeway.

Additionally, when using the gas motor, your electric motor will have time to charge. One problem with strictly electric power is that many owners find themselves stranded with a dead battery and no outlet. With a hybrid, the dual motors allow this problem to be virtually nonexistent. The gas motor will automatically kick in whenever the battery gets low and charge the battery simultaneously. This means a hybrid never needs to be plugged into a restrictive outlet, but be aware—just because you can’t run out of electric power doesn’t mean you can’t run out of gas. Keep on top of your gas meter just as you would any other vehicle, but if you do get stuck—it’s a lot easier to haul a gas can over than to get your electric car back to your outlet, so the hybrid does offer that distinct advantage over a straight electric solution.

But all this cutting edge and newly innovated technology can be quite expensive to the consumer. It has two motors and the necessary battery is rather hefty and complex, as is the convenient but pricey regeneration system that charges the battery during bra ke periods.

Seeing as all these systems must coexist in a rather complicated technical homeostasis, they are controlled by rather intricate computers. These computers are remarkably dependable, but like any other computer, it does suffer from a few fallbacks. This means to own a hybrid, you will have to spend quite a bit of time in the shop, and quite a lot of money paying for repairs.

Fuel-Efficiency

Compared to any other practical everyday car type, hybrids are indisputably the most gasoline efficient. On average, the can reach an alleged 48 to 60 miles per gallon, which is around 20%-35% better than some gasoline powered cars. This means that there are vehicles, like the Honda Civic, that are gasoline powered by get 36 mpg. The strange this is that these gasoline efficient standards cost from $14-$17 thousand where hybrids can set you back up to $25,000. With this in play, buying a hybrid becomes less of a “necessity” or even ideal to many people.

The difference is considered to be in fuel costs, where your standard gasoline powered car will cause quite heavy annual bills. But after a decade with a hybrid, it is predicted that only $2,300 will really be saved in the long run—this number is smaller than the price difference between hybrids and fuel-efficient gasoline powered vehicles.

The fuel efficiency is often attributed to improved aero dynamics such as weigh reduction and smaller gas powered engines. By principle, any vehicle would improve mileage greatly just by sporting a smaller sized engine. This is not done with most consumer cars due to the widespread desire for power and speed in most of today’s vehicles.

Most drivers find these mileage claims are actually a tad skewed—sometimes up to 10%. If you take a look at the manufacturer’s miles per gallon claims, they are measured under specifications that would yield similar results from any type of car, with slow speeds and no quick stops.

A Lean, Green Driving Machine

On the other hand, it’s not just fuel economy that hybrids promote; their ecological benefits are also considerably encouraging. Despite the marginal nature of the fuel economy improvements, the smaller number of emissions is undeniable. For instance, big cities with high traffic jams and plenty of low speed travel would benefit greatly from a widespread application of hybrid devices that cut down on pollution and emissions when a vehicle travels under 40 mph.

Global Application

Globally, the United States is not ahead of the hybrid game, but instead the Japanese seem to be setting the standard. Honda and Toyota have already taken the market by storm with the Insight and Prius. It is easy to see that US automakers like Ford have fallen behind, having to license over 20 different technologies from the Japanese just to throw together the Mercury Mariner. In the United States, SUVs and trucks are still commonplace, and Ford has tried to make the best of both worlds with a hybrid version of the Escape.

Many analysts claim that these GM hybrids are nothing but weak efforts and not serious attempts to join the hybrid market. They are often tied in with the Corporate Average Fuel Economy regulations, showing that American hybrids are nothing but corporate devices. Because regulations demand automakers possess a fleet with an average of 27.5 mpg, automakers are using hybrids as a way of offsetting their minimally efficient SUV’s and trucks, many of which only get up to 20 miles per gallon.

In Sum…

So at the end of the day, the decision is up to you. Maybe you find hybrid vehicles to cost prohibitive, or maybe the new, innovative, and ecologically friendly technology strikes a chord with you. Either way, personal preference is still in play. The technology is not yet developed to the point where prices can compete with gasoline powered models, but it is undeniably fuel efficient and emission reducing. The concept is fascinating, but right now there is an inherent price gap between gasoline and hybrid powered vehicles. So you know the pros and cons make your decision wisely!

The two biggest causes of car batteries failing is either leaving your lights on or alternator failure. One of these will probably happen to you at some point in your life.

So you have to know how to jump start a car safely and properly, so that when/if you ever do run into a dead battery in your car you can get back on the road quickly. You don’t always want to have to call out your car breakdown cover, particularly when it is something you can do yourself. Continue reading to find out how!

Preparing your vehicle to jump start a car:

First, you’re going to need a set of jumper cables. They are pretty common, so even if you don’t have a set you should be able to find someone who does. They aren’t expensive, so it’s actually a good idea to pick some up just in case anyways.

Move both cars so that the batteries are close to each other. If you don’t know where your battery is then pop the hood. Make sure that both vehicles are off, and have the parking brake on… you don’t want any accidents.

Make sure that both cars don’t have any accessories running. This means headlights, A/C, heaters, fans, cell phone chargers, radios etc. When you jump start the car it may cause damage to these accessories by pushing too much current through the car’s electrical system… so it’s better to be safe than sorry.

Take a look at the batteries before jump starting. Make sure you know which side is positive (+) and which side is negative (-) before going further. The positive terminal is usually marked red and the the negative is usually black, but check the markings on the battery to make sure.

If your battery is damaged or is leaking… don’t jump start your car. You will need a new battery first, and if you try to jump start it anyways you may cause a lot more unwanted problems. Besides, a damaged battery is not going to hold a charge anyways.

Make sure there isn’t any corrosion on the battery terminals. The terminals themselves won’t hurt you, so you can clean them off with a rag or a brush if you have one.

Time to learn how to jump start a car

Step 1: Connect one of the positive (+) ends of the jumper cables to the positive (+) terminal of the DEAD battery.

Step 2: Connect the other positive (+) end of the jumper cables to the positive (+) terminal of the GOOD battery.

Step 3: Connect one of the negative (-) ends of the jumper cables to the negative (-) terminal of the GOOD battery.

Step 4: Connect the other end of the negative (-) jumper cable to any non-painted metal part of the engine block on the DEAD battery’s car. Why not put it on the negative terminal of the dead battery? Because this could cause an explosion… and explosions are bad.

If you jump start your car by connecting the jumper cables in this order you minimize the chance of the cables sparking and is the safest way to jump start your car.

How do you know if you’ve connected everything right? The dome light in the car with the dead battery should come on when the circuit is complete (all the cables are attached). If the dome light doesn’t come on then you probably either have something connected incorrectly, or your jumper cables are toast.

OK now to jump start the car

Run the car with the good battery for a few minutes and then turn it off. That’s right, turn it off.

Why? Because if you jump start a car with the good battery’s car running, you may actually burn out the alternator on the good car because of too much current being drawn from the electrical system.

So turn off the good car’s engine, and try to crank the car with the dead battery. Most times this will be enough and your car should start.

If that doesn’t work, then you have to start up the good car’s engine. Bring the RPMs just above idle (push the gas pedal just a little bit) to increase the current flow from the alternator. Then try to crank over the bad battery’s car once again.

It can take a few minutes to jump start a car sometimes, so be patient. If you’ve done the previous steps correctly you should have your car running quickly. If you still can’t get enough juice to start the car, try moving the negative (-) cable that is attached to your engine block to the negative (-) terminal on the battery. This should be your last resort, but it may just give you the extra boost you need.

Now to take off the jumper cables

After you’ve jump started your car you need to safely remove the jumper cables off of the batteries.

Disconnect the negative (-) cable from the exposed metal on the engine block first.

Then disconnect the other negative cable from the good car.

Then both of the positive cables.

So you’ve just learned how to jump start a car. As I mentioned above, it’s always a good idea to have a good set of jumper cables in your car/truck in case you have to jump start it. They aren’t expensive and they can really save your butt from time to time.

What if you don’t have jumper cables or can’t find another vehicle to help you?

This one can be tricky. After all, what happens when your battery is dead and you’re not near any other vehicles to help you out? Even worse, what if you’re stuck this way in the winter?

If you have a standard transmission (aka stick shift) then you’re in luck because you can jump start your car without jumper cables using your clutch.

Jumper cables in your trunk are pretty standard emergency equipment, but you may also want to consider investing in a jump starter for your car.

A jump starter will be able to successfully jump start your car without jumper cables. Essentially it’s a battery pack attached to one half set of jumper cables. You hook up your jump starter, flip a switch and hopefully there is enough juice to jump your car.

Be sure to read our reviews of jump starters however, as you don’t want to get stuck with a jump starter that doesn’t have the umph to jump your car. You can check out reviews and get a pretty damn good deal on jump starters over at amazon.com here.

Leave us a comment below about jump starting a car, or even a horror story… I’ve sure got a few, but that’s a different post.