You usually only need about 30–60 seconds of idling before you start driving in winter, then drive gently for the first few minutes so the engine and cabin warm up properly.

Quick Scoop

How long to warm up your car in winter?

For most modern, fuel‑injected cars:

  • Idle for 30 seconds to 1 minute to let the oil circulate through the engine.
  • Then start driving gently (no hard acceleration or high RPM) for the first 5–10 minutes; driving warms the engine faster than idling.

For very cold conditions (around or below −20∘-20^\circ −20∘C to −30∘-30^\circ −30∘C):

  • You can extend idle time to about 2–3 minutes at most, especially if the car has been sitting outside and feels “stiff.”
  • A block heater plugged in for a few hours before starting greatly reduces the need for idling and makes cold starts easier.

For older cars with carburetors:

  • They may need 2–5 minutes of warm‑up so they run smoothly, but these vehicles are now relatively rare.

Why not idle for 10–15 minutes?

Long warm‑ups used to make sense for older engines, but modern engines are designed to self‑adjust fuel and air even in cold weather. Excessive idling:

  • Wastes fuel and money.
  • Increases emissions and soot buildup inside the engine.
  • Still leaves the engine colder than if you had just driven off gently. Normal driving brings everything to operating temperature faster than sitting in the driveway.

A simple real‑world pattern many mechanics recommend: start the car, scrape the windows, buckle up, and by the time you’re ready to go, that 30–60 seconds has passed.

Safe winter warm‑up routine

  1. Start the car, turn on defrost and seat/steering wheel heaters if you have them.
  2. Let it idle about a minute while you clear snow and ice from glass, lights, and cameras.
  1. Once you have clear visibility, drive off smoothly, keeping RPMs modest until the temperature gauge starts to rise.
  1. In extreme cold, consider a block heater or remote start with an automatic shutoff so you don’t accidentally idle for too long.

Mini “forum style” take

Some drivers still swear by a 10‑minute warm‑up “so the car’s nice and toasty,” while others just scrape, start, and go. The current consensus from automakers and mechanics leans hard toward the short idle + gentle driving approach: it’s easier on your engine, your wallet, and the environment, while still keeping you comfortable and safe in modern winters.

TL;DR: In winter, aim for 30–60 seconds of idling, up to 2–3 minutes in extreme cold, then drive gently —that’s usually the sweet spot between comfort, safety, and engine health.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.