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The Science of Jump Starting a Car: How Long Should It Be Kept Running? This question passes by every vehicle driver once in their driving life, “How long should you keep the vehicle running after jumping and starting it?”. This question does not have a definite answer but requires you to understand several other factors that affect the answer. Factors like the health of the battery, the condition of the charging system, weather conditions in the locality, and the size of the battery affect the time for which the vehicle must be kept running after it is jump-started. Typically, keeping the vehicle running for the next 15-30 minutes is a good starting point. Monitoring the battery voltage is another useful indicator that can tell if the battery is fully charged or not. Revving the engine can speed up the charging process, but make sure not to rev for extended periods. Click here to learn more about how to ensure that the battery remains charged after it is jump-started.