It’s gonna get really cold outside the next few nights. I can still hear my mom, saying, don’t forget to warm up your car for at least 15 minutes before you take off. What? Do you really need to warm up your car? And, if so? For how long? It’s an old habit, people around here letting their car idle, get the engine warm, the inside nice and cozy. But, if you drive a car newer than 1988, you don’t need to.
Back in the day, carbureted engines needed extra time to stabilize the air-fuel mixture in cold weather, preventing stalling and sputtering. Today’s vehicles, however, use electronic fuel injection systems that automatically adjust for temperature, making long warm-ups largely obsolete. Modern engines are designed to circulate oil quickly and reach operating conditions without prolonged idling. AAA recommends starting your car and letting it idle only for the time it takes to fasten your seat belt—about 30 seconds. This brief period allows oil to lubricate critical components. After that, driving gently warms the engine faster and more efficiently than idling.
Now, if you drive an electric car…different story… cold weather reduces battery efficiency, so EV owners should precondition their cars by warming the battery and cabin while plugged in, before driving.
