The EV will not wake up: usually the small battery, not the big one

What the warning actually means

The symbol is an ordinary battery icon, and it refers to the small battery that wakes the car and runs the lights, the locks and the screens. Without it nothing starts, no matter how full the traction battery is.

Common causes

• A discharged 12-volt battery, often after standing or cold weather
• An old battery that no longer holds its charge
• A charging fault, key recognition, software or a lockout giving the same symptom

What to do now

1. Check the handbook. EVs have their own designated jump points.
2. Disconnect in the reverse order once the car wakes up.
3. Have the battery and charging system tested afterwards. One drive does not refill a deeply discharged battery.

What people often get wrong

That a flat traction battery is the cause. It is usually the small 12-volt battery that is dead, and the traction battery can be full at the same time.

When the car must go to a workshop

If it happens repeatedly, the problem is not that the car needs a jump. The battery should be replaced or the fault found.

Read next

• The turtle symbol on an EV: reduced power, not a fault
• Battery light on while driving: what it means
• Red high-voltage warning on an EV: stop and call
• Hybrid car maintenance: what differs from a petrol car
• Electric car maintenance: what it still needs, and what it skips

This page is general information and does not replace a professional assessment. Symbols, codes and behaviour vary between makes. Always check the handbook for your own car.