While the two-week suggestion is more of a guideline than a rule and it can vary from model to model, it’s something you should take seriously. The main reason? A car battery, like any other battery, will lose charge when it’s not used. Though it may be powered off completely, there’s an ongoing reaction happening within the battery. Eventually, the power source will self-discharge until it’s completely dead.
According to Ronald Montoya, starting and driving your vehicle for 15 minutes keeps the battery charged and prevents corrosion around the terminals. Other experts recommend reducing the time between drives to once a week and increasing the road time to about 30 minutes, but there’s no tried-and-true science behind it. Pay close attention to the condition of your vehicle when you start it and base your schedule on whether it seems to be holding up well between drives.
Alternatively, if you’re unable to run it periodically, you could disconnect the battery completely or use a “trickle charger,” which keeps the battery charged at a very slow rate. However, that only solves one issue that can arise from a sedentary car.
