Jump Start in Houston, TX

Say you land at Bush Intercontinental after a week away, ride the shuttle to ecopark2, and hear only a click. Call RoadReady Tow, and a live operator confirms the $140 + tax price and dispatches a provider in our network. The driver starts the engine and checks how the battery is holding up. If the battery will not hold a charge, the driver explains your options before leaving.

Why batteries die in Houston

Houston heat wears batteries down. NWS 1991–2020 normals for Hobby Airport put the average July high at 92.9°F and the July low at 76.6°F, so engine bays barely cool overnight. AAA Texas calls heat and vibration a battery's two worst enemies and puts typical battery life at three to five years. A battery that seemed fine in spring can quit in August without much warning.

Winters are mild, with a normal January low of 46.1°F at Hobby, but a battery weakened by summer often fails on the first chilly morning, especially on cars parked outside in Spring Branch or Gulfton.

Long commutes on the Katy Freeway recharge a battery. Cars that sit for days in airport lots, hospital garages or apartment decks slowly drain instead, and a July week at IAH or Hobby combines heat with no charging. Short trips between errands in Meyerland or Westchase rarely give the alternator time to catch up.

Which jump do you need?

• Cars and small SUVsSedans, compacts and crossovers take a standard jump from a portable booster, including in Texas Medical Center garages and Midtown apartment decks.Tell the operator: Make, model, year, and the garage name and level.
• Pickups and full-size SUVsGas pickups and large SUVs that sit in driveways between job-site runs usually take the same booster. A battery several Texas summers old may need a second try.Tell the operator: Make, model, any aftermarket wiring, and whether you are on a street, driveway or lot.
• HybridsA hybrid that will not power on usually has a weak 12-volt battery, not a dead hybrid pack. Heat shortens that small battery's life too.Tell the operator: Model and year, and whether the dash lights come on at all.
• Electric vehicles (12-volt battery)An EV can show a full main battery and still stay dark because its 12-volt battery is drained. That 12-volt battery is what the driver jumps.Tell the operator: Make, model, and the main battery percentage if the app shows it.
• Diesel trucks and work vansDiesels need more cranking power and often carry two batteries, so the provider brings a heavier booster. That suits work trucks and vans along the La Porte Freeway and East Freeway.Tell the operator: Diesel engine, number of batteries, truck size, and any yard gate.

When a jump is not the fix

• If the EV's main high-voltage battery is empty, a jump will not help. Ask for mobile EV charging, $175 + tax. Mobile EV charging in Houston.
• If the car stalled in high water at an underpass or flooded street, do not jump it. Get to higher ground and ask for a flatbed tow. A wet engine or wiring can be damaged further when power is applied. Towing in Houston.
• If the car dies again soon after, or the battery will not hold a charge, the next step is a tow to a shop or home, or a parts-store replacement. Replacement is not part of the jump. Towing in Houston.

Where you are in Houston, and what to tell us

• IAH ecopark and ecopark2Ecopark is on JFK Boulevard and ecopark2 on Will Clayton Parkway, both served by shuttle. Give the lot, the nearest row sign, and whether you are under cover.
• IAH terminal garagesFor the Terminal A/B or C/D/E garage, give the garage, level and nearest pillar marker.
• Hobby Airport ecoparkHobby's ecopark is on Airport Boulevard. Share your lot section and the closest light pole number.
• Texas Medical Center garagesTMC visitor garages are numbered. Give the garage number, level and the hospital you visited.
• Daikin Park lotsAfter an Astros game, name the lot, such as the Diamond Lot or Lot C, and the cross street, for example St. Emanuel or Chartres.
• Katy Freeway or the 610 LoopGive the direction of travel, nearest exit or overpass, and which shoulder you are on. On weekdays, the free county program below may also help.

Know before you call: Harris County's free freeway help on weekdays

The Harris County Sheriff's Office runs the free Motorist Assistance Program (MAP) on Harris County area freeways, offering jump starts, fuel and tire changes. It operates Monday through Friday, 24 hours a day, except county holidays. Call 713-CALL-MAP (713-225-5627) or *627 on Verizon, Xfinity and AT&T. Off the freeway or on weekends, call us. Source

How a Houston jump start works

1. 1Call (954) 539-7718: give your spot, such as an IAH ecopark2 row, a TMC garage level or a Heights address. You get a reference number.
2. 2Price and arrival time confirmed: $140 + tax, typically 30–45 minutes, confirmed before dispatch, with any gate code or garage level noted.
3. 3Driver jumps the car and checks the battery: after a Houston summer, the driver can tell you whether it seems near the end.
4. 4Pay at the end: pay the $140 + tax once it runs, then drive a while, ideally on a freeway like the Southwest Freeway, to recharge.

Houston jump start price

While you wait in Houston

• In summer heat, wait in shade or a cool lobby, not a closed car, and keep water with you.
• On a freeway shoulder, use hazard lights and stay buckled in or behind a barrier. Texas law requires drivers to move over or slow down for a stopped tow truck, but not all do.
• In heavy rain, do not walk through water at underpasses such as Memorial Drive, Allen Parkway or Main at Holcombe.
• In a garage, wait near the elevator lobby and keep your phone on.
• If you feel unsafe or anyone is hurt, call 911 first.

Houston neighborhoods we dispatch to

Montrose (77006) · The Heights (77008) · EaDo (77003) · Third Ward (77004) · River Oaks (77019) · Rice Military (77007) · Galleria / Uptown (77056) · Meyerland (77096) · Westchase (77042) · Energy Corridor (77079) · Kingwood (77339, 77345) · Clear Lake (77058, 77062)