As with many other dashboard warning lights, the reason behind them becoming illuminated is usually something straightforward. However, there’s always the chance that the cause is something a little more serious, and costly.

If you see your battery light on, it has probably been caused by one of these things:

1. Faulty Alternator

If your alternator fails, your car’s electrical systems are all draining power directly from the battery, hence why your car will lose power and ultimately come to a stop. There is simply not enough power stored in your car’s battery to power all the necessary electrical systems and keep your car running at the same time.

2. Broken Alternator Belt

This is perhaps the most serious problem, as the belt not only drives the alternator, but the engine coolant pump and power steering system.

If your engine warning light comes on and you notice that either your engine temperature is increasing, or your car becomes much harder to steer, you may have an issue with the alternator belt.

If this is the case, we would recommend that you stop your car as soon as it’s safe to do so and call your local garage or breakdown service. If you continue to drive with a broken alternator belt you could cause serious damage to your car’s engine.

3. Damaged Battery or Cables

Probably the most common cause of the battery warning light is a failure of the battery itself. Over time, batteries can become damaged, the terminals can become corroded, or the cables can become dislodged or damaged.

If this happens then the battery will no longer be able to hold the charge from the alternator and will gradually lose power over time.

You can check the battery for damage or corrosion, but you must be extremely careful and wear eye protection when you do so. We would always recommend that you have your battery checked by a professional technician if you suspect that it may be damaged in any way.

As you can see, if your battery warning light comes on and stays on it can be a sign of something simple or something that has the potential to cause serious damage to your vehicle’s engine. Either way, it’s always better to be safe than sorry so don’t ignore that light and have your car checked by your local garage as soon as possible.