COVID-19 Will my car battery die if I don't drive for four months?

By David Sholicar

The engine ticking over keeps a vehicles battery healthy. Left sitting on a drove then it is likely that the battery will lose life.

car battery

Depending on the age of the car this can be frustrating especially if you have to reset alarms, stereos etc. Alarms can also drain the battery so – assuming your car is otherwise secure – you could switch that off to maximise battery life. Most factory alarm systems have a transportation setting for flatbeds or ferries so check your manual for how to do it.

If you are not able to take your vehicle out once a week then you can buy a cheap trickle charger and make a habit of regularly plugging it in to top the battery up and leaving it all day or overnight as required. Or if you have a garage you can have a smart charger that only draws current when required and can be left plugged in all the time, keeping the battery in tip-top condition for when you do get back on the road.

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About the author

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By David Sholicar
David is the National Retail Operations Manager for Protyre. One of David’s areas of responsibility and expertise is dealing with the DVSA and MOT’s for Protyre. As the Authorised Examiner Designate Manager ( AEDM ) David deals with applications for changes to the many Vehicle Testing Stations ( VTS’s) including managing the growth of the Number of MOT testing stations that Protyre operate, allocating MOT tester roles, and monitoring the MOT Test logs to ensure that Protyre MOT standards are maintained as the best in the industry.
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