Jump-Start a Dead 12V Battery

The Kia Picanto JA (2017–present) uses a conventional 12 V battery in the engine bay, so a flat battery — from lights left on, a long standstill, or an ageing cell — can usually be revived with jumper leads or a lithium jump pack. Follow the connection order below to bring it back safely without harming the Picanto’s electronics.

Before You Start

• Use a 12 V donor source only — another car’s 12 V battery or a 12 V jump pack. Never a truck’s 24 V system.
• Switch the ignition off in both cars and turn off all electrical consumers (lights, heater, radio).
• Park the donor car close enough for the leads to reach but not touching the Picanto. Handbrakes on, both in neutral or Park.
• Remove rings and watches, and keep the lead clamps from touching each other once connected.
• Do not jump a battery that is cracked, leaking, or frozen solid — replace it instead.

What You Need

• A set of jumper leads in good condition, or a 12 V lithium jump pack.
• A running donor car (for jumper leads) with a healthy 12 V battery.
• Gloves and eye protection are sensible — batteries give off flammable gas.

How to Jump-Start the Picanto

1. Position the donor car nose-to-nose with the Picanto, engines off, both handbrakes applied, ignition off.
2. Open both bonnets. On the Picanto the 12 V battery is on the driver’s side of the engine bay (the right as you stand at the front of the car on a left-hand-drive model). Identify the positive terminal — marked with a red cover and a ⊕ symbol — and the negative terminal.
3. Clamp one red lead to the Picanto’s positive (+) terminal, then the other end of that red lead to the donor battery’s positive (+) terminal.
4. Clamp one black lead to the donor battery’s negative (−) terminal.
5. Clamp the other end of the black lead to a solid, unpainted metal point on the Picanto’s engine — a bare bracket or bolt away from the battery. Do not clamp it to the flat battery’s negative terminal: this last connection can spark, and you want any spark clear of the gas the battery gives off.
6. Start the donor car and let it run for two to three minutes to put some charge into the flat battery.
7. Start the Picanto. If it does not fire, wait a couple of minutes and try again. If it still will not start after several attempts, stop — the battery may be dead or there is another fault.
8. With the Picanto running, remove the leads in reverse order: the engine-ground black first, then the donor black, then the donor red, then the Picanto red. Keep the clamps from touching anything as you work.
9. Drive for at least 20–30 minutes, or fit a battery charger — a single jump does not fully recharge a flat battery.

After a Jump-Start

• The clock and radio presets may need re-setting if the battery went fully flat.
• Auto Stop & Go (ISG) may stay inactive for a few drive cycles until the system relearns the battery’s state of charge — see Start/Stop activate or deactivate.
• If the battery keeps going flat, have the battery and the charging system load-tested — a battery near the end of its life or a weak alternator will not hold charge.
• If you removed the battery, follow the battery disconnect and reconnect steps to re-initialise the affected systems.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is the battery on a Kia Picanto?

Under the bonnet, on the driver’s side of the engine bay (the right as you face the car on left-hand-drive models). It is a conventional 12 V lead-acid battery, or an AGM battery on ISG (auto stop-start) trims — both are jump-started the same way.

Can I jump-start a Picanto with a jump pack instead of another car?

Yes. Connect the pack’s positive clamp to the battery’s positive terminal and the negative clamp to a bare engine-ground point, switch the pack on, and start the car. Follow the pack’s own instructions and keep the leads clear of the drive belt and cooling fan.

Why connect the negative lead to the engine and not the battery?

The final clamp you attach tends to spark. Making that connection on a metal engine point — away from the battery — keeps the spark clear of the small amount of flammable hydrogen a battery releases while charging.

My Picanto still will not start after a jump — what now?

Check the clamps are biting clean metal and the terminals are not corroded, then give the donor a few more minutes running. If it still will not turn over, the battery may be completely dead or the starter or charging system may be at fault.

If a warning light stays on after the battery recovers, you can look the fault code up on autodtcs.com.