What the symptoms tell you

Dashboard dead or a single click when you turn the key: almost always a flat or failing battery, or the starter. Lights and dash come on but the engine cranks slowly: weak battery. Engine cranks normally but won’t fire: usually fuel (pump, filter, empty tank) or ignition (plugs, coil). No crank but everything else works: starter motor or a security/immobiliser lockout.

What to do

Check the obvious first — is there fuel, is the gear in park/neutral, are the battery terminals tight and clean. A jump-start will get you going if it’s the battery, but if the battery keeps dying the real fault is often the alternator or a drain, which needs testing. If it won’t start at all, call for a mechanic rather than risk draining the battery flat with repeated attempts.