# Car won't start?

> Source: https://motorservicing.co/my-car-wont-start/  
> Provider: Motor Servicing (Fuel Fixer Ltd), mobile car servicing across the United Kingdom.  
> Contact: 0333 366 1081 · Updated: 2026-07-31

**If your car will not start, the symptom tells you a lot. Slow cranking or clicking usually means a flat or failing battery. Cranking normally but not firing points at fuel, ignition or immobiliser. Complete silence with no dash lights usually means a battery or connection problem. A mobile technician can test and fix most of these on your driveway from £150 + VAT.**

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Battery replacement | From £150 + VAT, about 30 minutes |
| Diagnostic health check | From £150 + VAT, 30 to 45 minutes |
| Where | Your driveway, home or work |
| Not covered | Roadside recovery |

## What to do

1. **Listen to what it does** — Slow crank, rapid clicking, normal crank without firing, or total silence are four different faults.
2. **Check the obvious** — Dash lights, immobiliser light, whether it has been standing, and whether anything was left on overnight.
3. **Book a test rather than a part** — Replacing a battery that was not the problem is the most common wasted spend in motoring.

## Why your car won't start: what each symptom means

What it does | Most likely | 

Slow, laboured cranking | Battery low on charge or capacity | 

Rapid clicking, no crank | Battery too flat to turn the starter | 

One loud clunk, no crank | Starter motor or solenoid | 

Cranks normally, will not fire | Fuel, ignition, immobiliser or a sensor fault | 

Nothing at all, no dash lights | Dead battery or a loose or corroded terminal | 

Starts, then dies | Immobiliser, fuel delivery or an idle control fault |

## Battery, alternator or starter

These three get confused constantly, and guessing is expensive. A battery that reads 12.4 volts at rest can still fail under load, and an alternator that is undercharging will kill a brand new battery within months. That is why a proper test measures cold cranking amps under load and the charging output with the engine running.

Our [battery replacement](https://motorservicing.co/services/battery-replacement/) starts with that test. If the battery is fine, you are told before anything is fitted and you are not charged for a part you did not need. More detail in the [battery warning signs guide](https://motorservicing.co/blog/car-battery-warning-signs/).

## Who to call, depending on where it is

**On your driveway or in a car park at work:** a mobile technician. That is the job we do.

**At the roadside or in a public bay:** a breakdown or recovery service. We cannot work on public land.

**Making a grinding noise when you turn the key:** stop trying. Repeated attempts can damage the flywheel ring gear, which turns a starter job into a gearbox-out job.

## Questions

**Is it the battery or the alternator?**  
A load test plus a charging-system output test answers it in minutes. Replacing the battery without testing the alternator is how people end up buying two batteries in a year.

**Can you come out to a car that will not start?**  
Yes, if it is on private land such as your driveway or a workplace car park. For a roadside breakdown you need a recovery service.

**How much is it to find out what is wrong?**  
A diagnostic health check is from £150 + VAT and includes a full fault code scan, live data and a written summary of what was found.


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_Prices are starting prices in GBP excluding VAT and cover travel to your address. Content may be quoted with attribution to Motor Servicing and a link to https://motorservicing.co._