On cold winter days, it’s common to go outside and warm up your car prior to driving.
This has a few benefits, advocates say. To start, there’s the surface-level benefit of having your car engine start and the interior of the car go up a few degrees, preventing you from feeling frigid in your own vehicle.
However, advocates say that the advantages don’t stop there. Some experts claim that warming up your car is essential for its long-term health—and, according to TikTok user Bev (@bevurly), engaging in this behavior is one of five things that drivers should do to prolong the life of their car. But is he correct?
Should you always warm up your car?
In a video with over 1.4 million views, Bev offers drivers five tips for their cars.
The first among the tips, and the one that’s sparked the most debate, is the importance of letting your car warm up.
“I don’t care what they say. 100 degrees outside, negative 100 degrees outside—just please wait there for five minutes,” he says. “Let the RPMs go down, then drive. It’s simple. It’s preventative and you should do it.”
Bev proceeded to offer four other tips, including not idling one’s car for a long time, not turning one’s A/C on all the way immediately upon entering the vehicle, not overfilling your gas tank, and not running a vehicle until it’s completely out of gas—all claims previously investigated by the Daily Dot.
Additionally, in a comment, the TikToker retracted his A/C comment, writing, “Hey guys, I did more research on the AC habit. I was wrong. Not necessary to wait for it to use it. Sorry!”
While all of these were discussed by commenters, many questioned his point about warming up one’s car.
What experts say about warming up your vehicle
In general, other experts disagree with Bev’s advice, claiming that, while one shouldn’t start their car and immediately press on the gas, the warmup time required by most vehicles is typically pretty short.
For example, AAA advises that one should “start the engine and allow it to idle only for the time it takes you to fasten your seat belt. This ensures that lubricating oil gets to all of the engine’s vital parts.”
Consumer Reports agrees. “Consumer Reports’ chief mechanic, John Ibbotson, says that giving the engine a chance to run for a minute before driving on a cold day is smart but that there’s no need to let it run longer beyond warming the cabin and defogging the windshield. And there’s a real downside: wasting fuel and generating emissions,” they write.
That said, some mechanics swear by the practice, so it’s safe to say there’s still some debate in the field.
@bevurly 5 Bad Habits That Are Bad For You Car! #cars ♬ original sound – Bev
Commenters share their thoughts
In the comments section, users were divided about the advice shared in the video.
“You don’t need 5 minutes to warm up, it takes maybe 1 second to get oil to the top. You need to drive it to warm up your transmission and other components. By the time you put on your seatbelt your ok,” said a user.
“Just avoid hard acceleration on a cold engine,” added another.
“Doesn’t need to be 5 min but yes let the rpms go down,” shared a third. “Usually takes 15-30 seconds to have the rpms drop and ur good to go.”
The Daily Dot reached out to Bev via TikTok DM and comment.
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