While it may be very common to look around in the winter time and see vehicles “warming up” it’s not necessary for your vehicle to warm up and in some cases, illegal in Massachusetts.

• Massachusetts law allows idling up to 5 minutes – This limit is in place to reduce incidents of carbon monoxide poisoning, wasted fuel, increased pollution and the theft of vehicles. There are exceptions for vehicles under repair, delivery and emergency vehicles and any vehicle that may require auxiliary power that requires the engine to be running.
• Wasted Fuel – Tests in Canada reveal that with a 5-minute warm-up, total fuel consumption increased by 7 to 14 percent. Idling a vehicle always returns 0 miles per gallon.
• Increased Emissions – Vehicles pollute the most when they are first started up and cold. Idling exacerbates this since the best and fastest way to warm up a vehicle is to drive it.

Does your car need to be warmed up?  You’ll want to check your owner’s manual for specifics but most modern vehicles do not need more than 30 seconds of warm up. Daily warm up costs you gas, money and pollutes the air.

What about safety and comfort?  No one likes to get into a cold vehicle and sometimes you have to defrost a car covered in ice and snow. We certainly understand this but motorists should consider the necessity of allowing a vehicle to idle unnecessarily.