How to Jack Up a Car Safely: Jacks, Stands, and Lift Points

A floor jack is one of the most useful tools in a DIY mechanic's garage — and one of the most misunderstood. Every year, people are seriously injured because they treated a jack as a support device rather than a lifting device. Before you change a tire, rotate your brakes, or inspect the underside of your car, understanding how to jack up a car safely is not optional. This article teaches the complete process: the right tools, how to find proper lift points, the step-by-step raising procedure, and — most critically — why you must always lower your car onto jack stands before you go anywhere near the underside. Get this skill right once, and it protects you for every DIY job you will ever do.

Tools You Need: Jacks, Stands, and Safety Gear

Choosing the right equipment before you start is the difference between a safe job and a dangerous one. Here is what the well-equipped DIYer keeps on hand.

Jack Types

• Floor jack (trolley jack) — a low-profile jack that rolls under the car and lifts via a pump handle. The standard choice for home garages. Works fast, offers good control, and can reach most vehicles. Look for a rated capacity of at least 2 tonnes for most passenger cars.
• Scissor jack — the compact jack that comes with your car for emergency tire changes. Slow, less stable, and limited in height range. Fine for a roadside flat; not ideal for workshop use where you will be under the car.
• Bottle jack — a tall, compact hydraulic jack with very high load capacity. Excellent for trucks and SUVs with high ground clearance. Less maneuverable under low-slung cars.

Jack Stands (Axle Stands)

Jack stands — sometimes called axle stands or 'horses' — are the load-bearing support that holds the car safely once it is raised. They do not move. They do not fail from a slow hydraulic leak. They are not optional. Any time you plan to go under a car or leave it raised for more than a moment, the car must be on jack stands. Buy a pair rated for at least 2 tonnes per stand. Look for a height-adjustment pin or ratchet mechanism and a wide, stable base.

Other Safety Gear

• Wheel chocks — rubber or plastic wedges placed against the tires that remain on the ground. They prevent the car rolling forward or backward while you work. Never skip them.
• Level ground — this is not equipment, but it is a requirement. Never jack a car on a slope, soft soil, or gravel.
• Mechanic's gloves — protect hands from sharp edges and pinch points around jacking areas.
• Owner's manual — essential for finding the correct jack points for your specific car.

Finding the Correct Jack Points on Your Car

Putting a jack or stand in the wrong place is one of the most common — and most expensive — beginner mistakes. Lifting on the wrong spot can crack a sill panel, puncture a fuel line, or cause the car to tip.

Pinch Welds and Reinforced Lift Points

Most modern cars have two types of underside structure relevant to jacking. The pinch weld is the seam where two body panels are welded together along the rocker sill, running along the sides of the car between the front and rear wheels. This seam is designed with extra metal — it is a valid lift point if approached correctly (with a rubber-sleeved jack pad or a puck adapter), but using a bare jack cup here can crush and permanently deform the weld, which is both structural damage and costly cosmetic damage.

Many modern cars also have designated reinforced jack points — sometimes marked with a triangle or notch in the plastic undertray — positioned along the pinch weld line. Always look for these first. Some front-wheel-drive cars have a reinforced subframe point at the center front and rear, suitable for placing a floor jack under the whole axle for wheel rotation work.

Always Check the Owner's Manual

Every car is different. The definitive source for jack and stand placement is your vehicle's owner's manual. It will show an underside diagram with recommended lift points clearly marked. If you have lost the manual, most manufacturers publish them as free PDF downloads by model and year.

Critical warning: Never jack under a plastic undertray, a suspension arm, a steering rack, a brake line, or any non-reinforced body panel. Damage can be immediate and catastrophic — or silent and structural, only becoming apparent during a future accident. When in doubt, check the manual before lifting. A three-minute pause now can save you thousands in repairs.

Step-by-Step: How to Raise and Support a Car Safely

Follow these steps in order, every single time. Shortcuts in this procedure are how accidents happen.

Step 1 — Choose a safe location. Park on a firm, level, hard surface: concrete or asphalt. Never on grass, gravel, dirt, or any slope. Apply the parking brake. For automatic transmissions, leave in Park. For manuals, leave in gear.

Step 2 — Chock the wheels you are not lifting. If lifting the front of the car, place wheel chocks behind both rear tires — snug against the tire on both the uphill and downhill sides. If lifting the rear, chock both front tires. The chocks must be touching the tire before you start jacking.

Step 3 — Loosen wheel nuts before lifting (if changing a tire). With the tire still on the ground, break the wheel nuts loose by about a quarter turn — do not remove them. The ground prevents the wheel spinning. Once the car is airborne, this becomes much harder.

Step 4 — Position the jack under the correct lift point. Consult your owner's manual. Slide the floor jack under the car so the saddle (the cup at the top of the jack) sits directly under the designated reinforced point. Use a rubber jack pad or puck if working on pinch welds to prevent damage. The jack must be centered, not angled.

Step 5 — Raise the car slowly and evenly. Pump the jack handle with steady strokes. Watch the saddle-to-lift-point contact as the car rises to confirm it is staying centered. Lift only as high as you need — typically enough to fit a jack stand plus a small margin. Do not lift so high that the car becomes unstable.

Step 6 — Place jack stands immediately. This step cannot wait. Slide a jack stand under a frame rail, reinforced subframe point, or the pinch weld (check the manual for stand placement — it can differ from jack placement). Adjust the stand to the correct height, lock the pin or ratchet, and position it securely. Then slowly lower the jack until the car rests on the stand. The jack should now be almost unloaded — it stays in place as a backup, but the stand is carrying the weight.

Step 7 — Test for stability before going under. Give the car a firm push from the side with both hands on the door sill. It must not rock, tip, or shift. If it moves at all, lower it, check your setup, and start again. Only when the car is absolutely stable should anyone go underneath.

Step 8 — Do your work safely. Never reposition a jack stand while under the car. Never add oil or fluid to the jack to raise it slightly while you are underneath. If you need to reposition, come out, lower the car completely, reposition, and raise again.

Lowering the Car and Common Mistakes to Avoid

Lowering is the reverse of raising, but with its own hazards. Rush it and you can pinch a brake line, drop the car off a stand, or trap a tool under a sill.

To lower safely: Make sure tools, rags, and any parts are clear of the lift zone. Pump the jack back under the car and raise slightly — just enough to take the load off the jack stand. Remove the stand. Then slowly open the jack's release valve, lowering the car gently and evenly to the ground. Remove wheel chocks last.

The Most Common Mistakes

• Using a jack on soft ground. A jack on soft soil or grass will sink as the car's weight transfers. The car tilts. This is how cars fall.
• Skipping jack stands entirely. 'I am only going under for a second' is a sentence that has preceded many serious injuries. Hydraulic jacks can fail. They can be bumped. They leak slowly. Stands do not.
• Lifting too high. The taller the lift, the more unstable the geometry. Lift only as high as the task requires.
• Jacking on a slope. Even a slight incline causes lateral load on the jack and stands, making the car prone to sliding off. Always find flat ground.
• No wheel chocks. Parking brakes only hold the rear wheels, and only when engaged. A car in 'Park' on an automatic can still roll slightly. Chocks are your last line of defense.
• Wrong jack point. Cracked sills, crushed floor pans, damaged subframes — all from jacking in the wrong place. Check the manual.

Safety Checklist Before You Go Under

Run through this list every time, without exception. Treat it like a pilot's pre-flight check — not a formality, but a real verification that each item is confirmed.

Jacking up a car safely is a skill, not a shortcut. The procedure takes five minutes when done properly. That five minutes is the margin between a productive maintenance session and a life-changing accident. Commit these steps to habit, and every other DIY job — oil changes, brake work, suspension inspection — becomes a safer, more confident operation.

Related reading

• Essential Car Tools for Beginners
• How to Check Tire Wear and Pressure (and When to Replace)

This article was prepared by the Car Care Lab editorial team for educational purposes, drawing on widely published service information, manufacturer guidance, and maintenance videos. Intervals, prices, and procedures are representative guides only — always follow your vehicle's owner's manual, and if you are unsure or the job affects safety-critical systems (brakes, steering, high-voltage EV components), have it done by a certified workshop.