Charge Volvo Dead Car Battery
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Can’t start your Volvo due to a dead battery? Learn how to fix the problem by charging the battery using a Smart Car Battery Charger. This guide provides instructions on charging a dead battery on a Volvo. The battery on most Volvo vehicles is located in the trunk, but that is not where the car charger is connected.
What you will need
- Smart Car Battery Charger
Warning
- Risk of battery overheating or explosion. Do not leave the car unattended.
Procedure
Follow these instructions to charge a Volvo battery.
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- Remove the emergency key from the Volvo keyfob.
Use the emergency key to open the driver’s door.
Pull the hood release and open the hood.
Volvo battery in the engine bay
Locate the battery in the engine bay and remove the cover.
Connect your charger’s Red clamp (+) to the positive battery terminal.
Connect the negative lead to a ground, such as a strut tower bolt. Find a good ground location for the negative terminal of the battery charger. You can attach it to a large bolt connected to the chassis or a part of the frame that is clean and dirt-free. Don’t attach to the negative battery terminal, which could cause an explosion.
Do not connect directly to the battery’s negative post. 
The battery is in the trunk.
If your Volvo has the battery in the trunk, you will have a positive connection in the engine bay near the fuse box (by the driver’s strut tower), where you can connect the red (+) clamp from the battery charger.
Lift the cover to expose the positive post.
Use an unpainted bolt on the frame to connect the negative (-). It could be a strut tower bolt or a ground connection on the frame.
Connect your smart charge to a power outlet.
Allow the battery to charge. This can take a few hours. Check the battery every 30 to 60 minutes to prevent overheating.
Usually, with a trickle charger, it will take around 20 hours to recharge a completely discharged battery fully. However, this could vary depending on your battery capacity, discharge level, battery age, etc.
Trickle chargers are great for charging your Volvo battery because they help prevent overcharging and help maintain the battery at a fully charged level. However, it’s important to note that you can overcharge your battery with a trickle charger if you leave it on for too long. It’s not recommended to leave the trickle charger hooked up for long periods, such as weeks.
If your Volvo battery gets partially discharged, especially if the car has been parked for a long time, your car will not start, or it will start and show a Low Battery warning on the instrument panel.
If you need help replacing the battery on your Volvo, follow this guide. These instructions will help you charge the battery on Volvo vehicles such as S60, V60, XC60, XC70, V70, S80, C70, C30, S40, V50, XC90, S70, V40, 850, 200 700, and 900 Series.
Check these troubleshooting and repair guides for more help on your Volvo.
