How Often Should You Start Your Car? Winter and Storage Guide
Published Oct 23, 2026 · 6 min read · By Hassan, Owner of Roadmate Services
A car that sleeps all winter tends to wake up grumpy in March. So, how often should you start your car? In cold weather, start it and drive it, not just idle it, about once a week for around 30 minutes. If it will sit for a month or longer, connect a battery maintainer instead of starting it. A healthy battery under 3 years old copes with both far better than an old one.
Quick answer: how often to start your car
| Situation | What to do |
|---|---|
| Daily driver in winter | Your normal driving is enough |
| Parked for a week or two | One real drive a week, about 30 minutes |
| Stored for a month or more | Battery maintainer, or disconnect the negative terminal |
| Battery 3 years old or more | Get it tested before winter |
| Only idling it in the driveway | Skip it: drive it or use a maintainer |
| Most cars, most winters | Drive, do not just start, once a week |
The 30-minute weekly drive is the advice of AAA’s Car Doctor (Boston.com, April 2025). It is a rule of thumb, not a guarantee for every battery.
The key word is drive. Starting the car is the hard part for the battery; the drive afterwards is what pays it back.
Why a parked car’s battery runs down
A parked car is never fully off. The engine computer, the alarm, keyless entry and the radio memory all take a small, steady amount of power. Mechanics call it parasitic draw. Over days it is nothing. Over weeks it adds up.
Cold makes it worse. As NHTSA puts it, when the temperature drops, so does battery power. The chemistry slows down just as a cold, thick engine needs more power to turn over. Your battery, like most of us, does not do its best work at 7 AM in January.
Should I start my car every day in cold weather?
No, not if the battery is healthy and you drive the car at least once a week. Daily starts are where good intentions go wrong.
Cranking a cold engine takes a big gulp of charge. Five minutes of idling in the driveway does not put it back, because the alternator makes little power at idle and the heater and defroster use most of it. Do that every day and the battery ends up lower than if you had left the car alone. The five-minute driveway idle is a battery’s least favourite kind of exercise.
We cover the numbers in how long it takes to charge a car battery, including whether idling helps. If your battery dies after short trips even in mild weather, read why your car battery keeps dying.
How long can a car sit without being started?
There is no honest single number. AAA’s Car Doctor told Boston.com that a fully charged battery should allow the car to start even after weeks of sitting, but that even good batteries drain slowly when a car is driven rarely.
What shortens the time:
- An older battery. AAA puts typical battery life at 3 to 5 years (AAA).
- A battery that was already low from short trips before you parked.
- A cold snap while the car sits.
- A newer car with a lot of electronics staying awake.
Hassan’s advice on batteries is simple: they last 3 to 5 years, and many new cars show the old battery’s health, so replace it when the time comes rather than waiting for it to fail.
Winter car storage: how to winterize a car for storage
Storing a car for winter, whether a summer car, a second car or one left while you travel? Work through this before you park it.
- Fill the tank and add fuel stabiliser. A full tank leaves less room for moisture, and stabiliser slows the fuel going stale. More on that in does gas go bad.
- Set the tires to the placard pressure. The sticker is in the driver’s door jamb. Tires lose pressure in the cold and while parked.
- Look after the battery. Connect a battery maintainer if you have an outlet. If not, disconnect the negative terminal, following how to disconnect a car battery.
- Clean and dry it. Wash off road salt and let it dry before it goes under a cover.
- Check the manual about the parking brake. In freezing weather a parking brake can stick. See whether your manual says to leave it off and use wheel chocks for long storage.
- Keep rodents out. Close up the cabin, leave no food inside, and check under the hood when you come back. Mice love a quiet engine bay with soft wiring to chew.
- Cover it. Use a breathable car cover, especially outdoors, so moisture does not get trapped against the paint.
Twenty minutes of prep in November saves a very quiet turn of the key in spring.
How often should I start my car in storage?
With a battery maintainer connected, you do not have to start it at all. A maintainer watches the battery and adds charge only when the voltage drops, so it can stay connected for long periods, unlike a standard charger (NAPA).
No maintainer and the battery is still connected? Take it for a real drive every week or two, long enough to warm the engine fully. Starting a stored car for five minutes and switching it off again is worse than leaving it alone.
Starting a stored car safely
Not everything is a roadside job, and we will say so. A maintainer on a stored car is the cheapest way to avoid calling anyone in March, us included.
When a parked car will not start
Clicks, a slow crank or a dark dash after a long sit usually mean a flat battery. Start with what to do when your car battery dies.
In Columbus, our battery jump start service is estimated at $75 to $150. After the jump, the technician tests the battery, the alternator and the charging system, so you know whether it was just the long sit or a battery on its way out.
If the battery has failed, we can replace it where the car is parked, quoted by phone. We fit DieHard batteries: Silver with a 2-year warranty, Gold with 3 years and AGM with 4 years. We work 6 AM to 8 PM daily, and our average arrival in Columbus is about 32 minutes, depending on traffic, weather and location.
Frequently asked questions
How often should you start a car that is not being driven?
Starting it is not the goal; charging the battery is. AAA's Car Doctor recommends driving, not just running, the car for about 30 minutes each week. If you cannot do that, a battery maintainer keeps the battery charged without starting the car at all.
Should I start my car every day in cold weather?
No, not with a healthy battery. A daily five-minute start in the driveway uses a lot of charge to crank the engine and puts little back. One proper drive a week does more good than seven short starts.
How long can a car sit without being started?
There is no single number. AAA's Car Doctor says a fully charged battery should still start the car after weeks of sitting, but every car slowly drains its battery while parked. An older battery, a cold snap or a car with a lot of electronics shortens that time.
Does idling charge the battery?
Barely. At idle the alternator makes less power, and the heater, lights and defroster use much of it. A drive at road speed charges the battery far better than idling in park.
Is it bad to start a car and not drive it?
Done often, yes. A short start drains the battery more than it recharges it, and the engine never warms up fully. If you start a parked car, drive it long enough to matter.
Should I disconnect the battery for winter storage?
It is a good option if you have no maintainer and no outlet. Disconnecting the negative terminal stops the slow drain. You may lose radio presets and clock settings, and some newer cars need a relearn afterwards, so check your owner's manual first.
The bottom line
For a car you still use, drive it about once a week for around 30 minutes in winter; starting it alone does more harm than good. For a car stored a month or longer, a battery maintainer beats starting it, and disconnecting the negative terminal is the backup. Get any battery over 3 years old tested before the cold arrives.
Car will not start after sitting?
Call (380) 288-2822, 6 AM to 8 PM daily, Eastern Time. A dispatcher confirms the price and an arrival estimate before anyone heads your way.
Give your car a weekly drive. It is the only workout that comes with heated seats.