It's really bad to "just let it run for a few minutes" at idle. That's far worse than not running it at all. When an engine operates, it should be operated so that it spends some time at its normal temperatures and pressures so that it can burn off and clear out the exhaust deposits and other impurities that will collect permanently if you turn it off prematurely.

My older hybrid (2005 Prius with 200k miles) gets sad if it doesn't get driven for a week. Actually driving is good for all cars because it gets the transmission, power steering and brake fluids flowing, the ball joints moving and the brake surfaces refreshed.

I found 15 minutes is enough.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My frustration with this is losing our parking space.

Just turn it on and let it run for a few minutes every few days.

Where are you people coming up with this stuff? Do not let it run “a few minutes”. You need to drive it around once in a while for at least 20 minutes. Preferably on the beltway. There isn’t even anyone out on the roads.

Anonymous wrote:My frustration with this is losing our parking space.

Just turn it on and let it run for a few minutes every few days.

Anonymous wrote:Go for a drive once every two weeks for an hour, including interstate/ rapid highway.

This. An hour is ideal, but nothing less than 30 minutes, especially in colder weather.

Anonymous wrote:My frustration with this is losing our parking space.

Then do it very late at night/early morning.

My frustration with this is losing our parking space.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At least turn it on for a few minutes.

No! You’ll kill the battery.

The length of the drive is to avoid draining the battery.

No, you don't. Few minutes is fine or around the block. We have a car we rarely use and just turn it on every so often. It only drains when we don't use it for a month.

You will need to disconnect the battery or it will die while it just sits there. YouTube videos can show you how - it’s easy.

Drive it once every 2 weeks, for at least 15 minutes, ideally highway. For 2 reasons:
- avoid flat spots on tires
- highway driving for that length of time causes condensation in the exhaust system to evaporate (heat)

Anonymous wrote:At least turn it on for a few minutes.

No! You’ll kill the battery.

The length of the drive is to avoid draining the battery.

An hour is overkill. Just drive it around the block every week. To keep the tires from getting misshapen.

At least turn it on for a few minutes.

Go for a drive once every two weeks for an hour, including interstate/ rapid highway.

I haven’t driven my car in 10 days. How long can a car sit without driving? Should I take it out for a drive every so often?