Advice · updated 2026-10-03
Fitting a battery on a driveway
On a driveway we need the handbrake on and enough room to open the bonnet or boot. The same applies to a workplace bay. We'll come to the car in London, Birmingham or Manchester.
Set the car up before the tools come out
Handbrake on, and park or first gear as the car requires so it cannot roll. On a slope, chock a wheel. The fitter should not be the person who discovers the car moves when the bonnet is leant on. Automatics stay in park with the brake set.
Leave room in front of a bonnet battery and behind a boot battery. If a second car is tight against the side you need for an under-seat battery, move it before the visit. Mention a shared drive on the quote.
Keys, tailgates and flat batteries
Some tailgates and boots will not open on the button once the battery is flat. Use the key blade in the hidden lock, if the car has one, or have that plan ready. A battery in the boot is no use if the boot will not open and nobody knows the manual release.
Alarm codes that appear after a power loss should be to hand. One-touch windows may need a reset afterwards. That reset is not battery registration. Registration, when required, is still done with a scan tool at the car.
The fit itself
Negative lead off first, battery out, tray checked, new battery in, hold-down on, positive lead on first, negative last. AGM stays AGM. EFB may upgrade to AGM. A cracked, leaking, swollen or frozen battery is not jumped on the drive as a warm-up.
Then a running check, often about 13.8 to 14.7V, allowing for smart charging to sit lower once the battery is reported full. The alternator is not a bulk charger. Type your mobile number. We call you back to agree the driveway visit in one of the three cities.
Questions before you send a quote
What if the drive is steep?
Handbrake on and a wheel chocked. Tell us it slopes so the visit is planned for that.
What if the boot will not open?
Use the mechanical key if the car has one, and say on the form that the battery is flat and the boot is shut.
Do you only do driveways?
Driveways, workplace bays and car parks are the same visit. We'll come to the car.
A worked example
A sloping drive in Sutton Coldfield, handbrake on, a brick chocked behind a rear wheel, bonnet opening clear of the up-and-over door. The battery is under the bonnet. The fitter replaces an EFB and takes the old unit. The customer had the key ready because the car was too flat to unlock from the fob alone.
Safety
Chock the wheels on a slope. Do not run the engine in a closed garage. Do not jump a damaged battery. Call 999 if the car is in a live lane rather than on the drive.