Getting a car safely off the ground at home takes four things working together: solid, level ground, a jack to raise it, stands or ramps to actually hold it, and wheel chocks to stop the rest of the car from moving. A jack is not one of the things that holds the car; that is the single most important distinction in this entire setup, and it is worth understanding before you buy any of this equipment, not after.
Direct answer: four things, and a jack is only one of them
Most people think of this job as “using a jack.” That framing is the root of most jack-related accidents, because a jack is designed to raise a vehicle under active control, not to hold one indefinitely while you work underneath it. The actual job requires four separate pieces of equipment, each doing a job the others cannot: the ground has to be flat and stable, the jack raises the car, stands or ramps bear the weight once it is up, and chocks keep the wheels still on the ground from rolling. Skipping any one of the four does not make the job faster; it removes a safeguard that exists because the other three cannot cover for it.
The ground: flat, hard, and confirmed level
Before anything else, confirm the surface you are working on is flat, hard, and genuinely level, not just level by eye. A jack and stands are both engineered to work on a predictable, solid surface; loose gravel, a soft or uneven patch, or a slope you have not actually measured all change how stable the whole setup is while a car is in the air. If you are not certain the ground under you qualifies, check it with a level across the full area the vehicle will occupy before you start, not just at the spot you plan to jack from.
The jack: what it is for, and what it is not for
A floor jack’s job is to raise the vehicle, under your control, while you are actively operating it. That is the entire job. A hydraulic jack is not designed to hold a load indefinitely once you stop operating it and walk away, or slide underneath; it can lower gradually, or in some failure cases suddenly, once you are no longer actively controlling it. Our piece on why a floor jack is not a support goes into exactly why this distinction holds regardless of how new or expensive the jack is, and it is worth reading in full before your first lift.
The stands, or the ramps: what actually bears the weight
Once the car is raised, something else has to hold it while you work, and that something is jack stands or ramps, never the jack itself. Which one is right depends on the job: stands are the only real option once a wheel comes off, while ramps work well for jobs that leave the wheels on the ground, like an oil change. Our comparison of jack stands vs ramps walks through which is actually suited to which job, since the internet genuinely disagrees on this and the honest answer depends on what you are doing, not on picking a universal winner. If stands are the right call for your job, our buying guide to jack stands covers the ratchet-versus-pin decision and what to check on a pair before you trust them.
The wheel chocks: the cheap step people skip
Wheel chocks go behind and in front of the wheels that are staying on the ground, to stop the car from rolling while the other end is in the air. This is one of the cheapest items in the entire setup and one of the most commonly skipped, usually because the parking brake feels like enough. It is not a substitute; a chock stops the car from moving even if the brake alone would not have.
Your car’s own jacking points, not a guess
Every vehicle has specific factory jacking points built into the frame or unibody to handle the load safely, and they are listed in your owner’s manual. Lifting from anywhere else risks bending sheet metal or, worse, finding a point that looks solid but was never designed to carry the car’s weight concentrated at that spot. Find your actual jacking points before your first lift, and use only those points, every time.
The full sequence, in order
- Confirm the ground is flat, hard, and level.
- Set the parking brake and chock the wheels that will stay on the ground.
- Locate your vehicle’s factory jacking point for the corner you are lifting.
- Position the jack under that point and raise slowly and steadily.
- Position stands (or drive onto ramps, for jobs that don’t require wheel removal) directly under the vehicle’s rated lift points, with enough clearance for the stand’s saddle.
- Lower the vehicle gently onto the stands and confirm they are taking the weight evenly before doing anything else.
- Test the setup, every time, before you or anything else goes underneath.
What “test before you slide under” actually means
Testing means more than glancing at the stands. Give the car a firm push or shake at a corner once it is resting on the stands, and watch and listen for any shift, tilt, or sound of settling. Confirm all four points of contact (both stands, or a stand and remaining ground contact, depending on the job) look and feel solid before any part of you goes under the vehicle. This costs a few seconds and it is the single check that catches a stand that was not seated correctly the first time.
Where the buying decisions fit into this
This pillar covers the setup and sequence; the specific buying decisions behind each piece of equipment live in their own guides. If you are choosing between stands and ramps for a specific job, or deciding whether you even need a low-profile jack for a lowered or sports car, those are genuinely separate questions from the safety sequence above, and each is covered in full in its own dedicated guide linked throughout this piece rather than folded into this one, so the buying advice stays specific to the actual decision in front of you.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use a jack alone if I am only going to be under the car for a minute?
No. A jack is designed to raise a vehicle under active control, not to hold one unattended, even briefly. Use jack stands or ramps every time, regardless of how long the job will take.
Do I need both stands and ramps, or just one?
Most home garages eventually want both, since they suit different jobs: ramps for tasks that leave the wheels on, stands for anything requiring a wheel off. Neither replaces the other for every job.
Are wheel chocks really necessary if the parking brake is set?
Yes. A chock stops the vehicle from rolling independently of the brake, and it costs very little compared to the risk of skipping it.
Where do I find my car’s actual jacking points?
In your owner’s manual, which will show the specific reinforced points on the frame or unibody designed to carry the vehicle’s weight. Do not guess based on what looks solid.
What if my garage floor is not flat?
Confirm with a level rather than judging by eye, across the full area the vehicle and stands will occupy, and do not proceed if you cannot confirm the surface is both flat and stable.
