How Cold Snaps Affect Car Batteries; How To Prepare Your Car Ahead Of Time

If you don't use your car for a few days during extreme cold temperatures, it may make it more difficult to start up.

AAA Oklahoma said cold air can cause the oil in the car to thicken and parts to move slower, leading the battery to require more power to turn over.

In frigid temperatures, it's nice to warm up your car before heading to work. So you may open up the door, and try to turn the key over only for nothing to happen.

"When it gets colder outside, obviously the engine is a little harder to start and it takes more amperage from the battery to turn that engine over so you might notice your engine drags or hesitates to start," said Randy Pierce with Riverside Ford of Tulsa.

A dead car battery is never a great way to start the day. Pierce said one way to keep your car battery ready to go is to have it tested.

"It'll tell us the battery is good, it'll tell us it needs to be charged and retested, which is what we may get with this car sitting here cause it hasn't run in quite some time, or it'll tell us to replace the battery," said Pierce.

Electric vehicles and gas cars alike feel the impact of cold temperatures. While both can be jump-started, Pierce said it's best to put a fresh charge on EVs every day, especially in the winter.

"It will precondition the battery and the heater, warm up your seats and your steering wheel and all of those things before you unplug the car from the wall, so you're using the power from the wall outlet not the battery range from the EV battery," said Pierce.

Related Story: Mechanic Shares Tips On Car Maintenance During Cold Weather

Some ways to keep your battery good to go are to start the car frequently, check the coolant level, put a car you don't drive as often on a trickle charger, and charge electric vehicles each day so they have a full battery to warm up and get where you need to go.