What should you do if the battery warning light comes on?

The first thing you should do is turn off any electrical systems in your car that you don’t need. That means turning off the stereo, air conditioning, heated seats and anything you may be charging in the car. If it is safe to drive without your headlights and you can see clearly, turn them off as well to conserve power.

You then have two choices and they depend really on where you are when the battery light stays on.

Stop as soon as it’s safe to do so

If you’re a long way from home, or you don’t know where your nearest garage is, then your safety and that of your passengers and other road users is paramount. You could lose power steering, making your car harder to control, followed by complete power loss, at any time and this has the potential to cause an accident.

With that in mind, you should focus on finding somewhere safe to stop your car and call your local garage or breakdown service to come and recover your vehicle.

If you are close to home, or to a garage that will be able to check your car, you should be able to keep driving for a short while without losing power. Again, ensure that all unnecessary electrical systems are turned off as this will increase the distance you will be able to drive.

It is important, though, that you have your car checked by your local garage as soon as possible. When you do turn your car off, you may not be able to start it again if the battery does not have enough charge to power the starter motor.