When contemplating a road trip, the sheer mileage you may drive can seem a little intimidating. Anything from several hundred to over 1000 miles can produce images of your odometer climbing up toward that inevitable high-mileage mark where cars tend to break down. But this doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re damaging your car by taking a long road trip, does it? Many people wonder if they’re doing damage to their car on long road trips, which is exactly what we’ll cover in this article.
Provided your car is in good shape (and barring any accidents), taking a long road trip isn’t bad for your car. In fact, long road trips can often produce less wear and tear on your car than city driving or short trips (like to and from work).
Read on as we discuss everything you need to know to keep your car (and you) in good working condition during long road trips.
Why Long Road Trips Aren’t Bad for Your Car
Cars are made for one purpose: To get you from point A to point B in a safe, efficient manner. Everything else is for your convenience or enhanced safety. So when you think about your car in this light, it’s easy to see why long road trips aren’t bad for your car. They’re doing what they’re designed to do.
That said, a long road trip can be bad for your car if the vehicle isn’t in proper working condition. For example, you shouldn’t take a long road trip if your car:
- Is low on oil.
- Hasn’t been serviced in a long time (3,000 to 5,000 miles).
- Is making strange noises.
- Feels strange when you drive it.
- Is leaking fluid.
- Tends to overheat.
- Has flat or low tires.
- Doesn’t have fully functioning headlights, brake lights, blinkers, etc.
Essentially, if you know there is something wrong, then it is possible that your car can’t handle a road trip. However, this is not the road trip’s fault. Instead, it’s just making apparent something that was already wrong with the car.
That’s not to say that things can’t go wrong on a road trip — even if you’ve just had the car serviced. Cars are complex machines and it’s impossible for even the best mechanic to see into the future. Dealing with a broken-down car is a risk you take every time you get behind the wheel. That’s just the nature of owning a car, long road trips or not.
But in general terms, long road trips are actually better for a car than short trips. Here’s why.
Why Long Road Trips Are Better Than Short Trips
When you take a long road trip, most of the drive is spent on highways. Miles roll by where you don’t need to stop or even slow down. This is when the engine is at its prime. Newton’s first law of motion comes to mind. The engine is doing exactly what it was designed to do, purring away and pulling the miles under you.
When driving short trips, you’ll likely be stopping at red lights, accelerating at green lights, yielding to pedestrians, and the like. All this stop and go actually wears the car down faster than maintaining a high speed like you do on a road trip.
So 500 miles of a road trip will actually wear down your car less than 500 miles worth short trips. Of course, to a certain extent, not driving the car at all will allow it to last longer by experiencing less wear. But this isn’t a practical option for most people. A car that’s never driven ceases to be a car, some would say.
Do Cars Need Rest During Long Road Trips?
Another common question about car and road trips has to do with breaks. Does it benefit a car to take a break during a long road trip?
Not really. Provided your car isn’t overheating, you don’t need to stop for breaks for the car’s sake. Still, whenever you stop to use the restroom, stretch your legs, or gas up, your car gets a short break. Not that your car needs these breaks, but they don’t hurt anything either.
There’s no reason for you to stop just to give your car a break — it will surely outlast you on a road trip. But remember that driving drowsy or sleepy is dangerous, so think about how often you need a break. Your car will be fine, provided there’s nothing wrong with it.
Can You Use a Rental Car for Long Road Trips?
If you’re concerned about putting too much mileage on your car, you may consider getting a rental car for a long road trip. However, for most people with properly functioning cars, this can be a waste of money. When you consider that the average per-day cost of a rental car in the US is nearly $100, the cost of your trip adds up quickly. You still have to buy gas for the rental car, and you’ll probably want extended insurance coverage just in case.
During the normal course of a long road trip, you would be pretty hard pressed to put $100 worth of wear on your car per day.
Of course, if your car is one-of-a-kind, a collectors item, or there’s something wrong with it that you can’t fix before your road trip, a rental car may be the best option. You’ll also want to consider whether your car is comfortable and spacious enough for a long road trip.
Is it Okay to Take a Brand New Car on a Long Road Trip?
You may not want to take your brand new car on a long road trip, but there’s really nothing wrong with doing so. The car is meant to be driven, and you can rest easy knowing that your new car will perform nicely and won’t have any problems along the way. A road trip is an excellent way to get to know your new car and get comfortable driving it.
Preparing Your Car for a Long Drive
It’s always a good idea to make sure your car is functioning properly before a long drive. There are a number of things you can do to prepare your car for a long road trip. Here are some of the most important:
- Have a mechanic check your car. Tell him or her that you’re going on a long road trip and that you want to make sure everything is okay. Here are a few things the mechanic should do:
- Check/Change the oil.
- Change the air filter.
- Inspect all lights and signals.
- Check tire tread condition and tire pressure.
- Check power steering and brake fluid.
- Check windshield wiper fluid.
- Make sure you have an inflated spare tire and a jack/tire iron.
- Ensure you have jumper cables.
- Bring a first aid kit.
- Bring a flashlight.
- Bring charging cords.
- Bring a small tool kit.
In Conclusion
Long road trips aren’t bad for your car, provided everything is operating as it should. In fact, if you compare city driving of any distance to the same distance of highway road-trip driving, you’ll find that the road trip driving causes less wear and tear on the car.
So don’t be afraid to take your car on a road trip. Cars are made to be driven, and road trips are where efficiency is best. But make sure to get your car checked out to make sure everything is okay before you go. And make sure to take care of yourself on the trip! You need more rest than the car does on a long road trip.