Should I Let My Car Warm Up Each Morning?

Reader Contribution by Richard Backus
Published on October 1, 2008
article image
Adobe Stock/michalpalka
Winter tire. Front view of SUV car with headlights on.
An automotive whiz answers the question, “Should I let my car warm up?” — and explains why it’s not a great idea.

Is it best to let my car warm up in the morning when it’s really cold? Or does that just waste gas?

Logan Widmore
Pocatello, Idaho

Although you might think it’s easier on your car to let it sit and gently warm up, doing so is a bad idea for a number of reasons. Most importantly, it does indeed waste gas.

The vast majority of cars on the road today use electronic fuel injection. When your car’s engine is cold, the computer tells the fuel injectors to stay open longer, allowing more fuel into the engine to help it run cold. As the engine warms up, the injectors let in less fuel and everything returns to normal, so to speak.

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