In case you are new to jumper cables, you should know that they are not all the same. Finding the right jumper cable can be a little tricky as you need to know the features that you should be looking for. From safety features to the dimensions of the cables itself, here are some of the things that you need to know when buying a jumper cable.

A heavy-duty branding on the packaging of a jumper cable box doesn’t cut it. You need to get the right gauge and width for your car. For most cars, a 6-gauge cable should be enough to jump-start a car while bigger vehicles like light trucks may need something lower. The rule of thumb is that lower numbers lead to faster charge times and deliver more power.

When you are out shopping for jumper cables, make sure that you get a good solid clamp with strong teeth. You do not want your cables to slip off from the terminals for safety reasons. You want to look for handles that are rubber coated for maximum grip. You should never settle for any jumper cable that’s lower than 12-feet. While longer cables are fine, you should not settle for anything shorter.

Finally, you need to know how to operate the jumper cables to kick-start a dead car. You want to connect the cables to the appropriate ends on each car. The red cable needs to have one end connected to the positive battery terminal of the non-functioning car with the other end attached on the positive battery terminal of the functional car. When attaching the black cable, you want one end to be connected to the negative battery terminal of the functioning car while the other side is grounded to the dead car using an unpainted knob or screw. Simply start the boost car and wait a few minutes, and it should ideally kick start the other vehicle.