Depending on where you live, warming up your car, truck, or sport utility vehicle might be an everyday thing. However, warming up your car before driving isn’t necessary for most modern passenger vehicles. Where did this advice come from, and why do sources say you no longer need to worry about it in winter 2022?

Should you warm up your car before driving?

While the jury is still out on warming up the car before driving, Consumer Reports did a deep dive to find out more on a recent Talking Cars YouTube show (episode 378). The appeal of warming up your car before driving in the winter is obvious: it’s cold out! However, some drivers are convinced this is a necessity for the engine.

A chief mechanic at the brand says that running the engine for a bit is a good idea before taking off. This helps get the cabin to a more comfortable temperature and can help defog the windshield. Beyond that, there isn’t much reason to warm up the car before driving.

Letting a car run for an extended period wastes fuel and generates emissions. It won’t waste a lot of fuel, but leaving your Kia Telluride SUV running for 20 minutes before getting into it will waste a lot of gas over time.

Warming up your car before driving isn’t necessary for modern vehicles and engines

Business Insider says modern engines are lubricated and ready to drive before the engine reaches the ideal temperature. When your car does not move for an extended period, the oil drains to the bottom of the oil pan. Once the engine turns over, the oil pump moves all the oil to the necessary places. The initial engine lubrication process is quite fast, with a cold engine idling at 1,200 rpm.

Ensuring you do oil changes and other routine maintenance is more important than warming up your car before driving. Most engines will last 200,000 miles or more these days with regular maintenance, which is undoubtedly less expensive than buying a new vehicle or engine.

It is worth noting that engines vary from car to car and year to year. If you have a specialty engine or an exotic vehicle, it is best to follow the instructions given to you in the manual. Your Lamborghini Aventador might not be the best winter vehicle anyway.

You can heat your engine by driving as usual

Modern vehicles can have an entire engine lubricated within 20 or 30 seconds. That is barely enough time to get seated and buckled in properly. While the cabin might not be heated through yet, the engine is ready to drive.

The idea that warming your car before driving is necessary comes from a time when that might have been true. Older engines needed time to lubricate the engine and prepare it for driving. Running the car for 20 minutes before hopping in just isn’t a thing anymore. The best way to get your engine warmed up is simply by driving it like normal.

If you live in a very cold climate, five minutes is really all you need to get the cabin to a comfortable temperature. So hop in your reliable sport utility vehicle, buckle up, and hit the road.