Do you need someone to start your car when you go on vacation (winter)?

One of my roommates is going on vacation for a week and has asked me to start up their car and let it run for 10 minutes every day. I think they are worried about their battery? It is winter, 30 degrees F, some snow on the ground. It is a regular 2015 Honda sedan.

I've never heard of this and tried to find some articles but am not finding clear answers.

Is this necessary or beneficial to the car?

Only if the battery is old. In any event, I assume you told him you'd do it so what is the problem?

Yes because if you don't it will be very stiff, I dident start my car for 2 weeks and it was stiff, I thought the suspension was broken

Nope

Actually some older cars do need to be started every few days in cold weather, but a 2015 shouldn't need that.

I'm in Wisconsin, if the temps were -10 I'd be out once a day to start the car just to make sure it'd start. But 30 degrees F isn't an issue. That's nowhere near cold enough to affect a battery unless the battery is very weak, has low levels of water in it (check it, the top rectangular bar thingie can be lifted to look) or if the battery is severely old. 2 years isn't old.

I keep a car in the city in a rented unheated garage. It rarely gets used in the Winter. The battery is disconnected and on a BATTERY MINDER charger. I don't live in the city.

The current battery is 6 years old and I've never had an issue with it starting the car.

That's really a pretty bad idea.

A car with a decent battery should start right up after only a week, regardless.

10 minutes at idle won't really get the engine up to full operating temperature, either.

But… Sometimes it's better not to argue.

Its NOT necessary if their only going to be gone for a week. You could put a trickle charger on the batty. And be just as good.

It actually doesn't even need that. 30 degrees isn't cold enough to do any harm to it.

If it is started and just idled every day, the exhaust will have condensation in it to cause corrosion to the pipes and muffler. Doing it once after 3 days will be fine, if they want to do that, but I doubt it is necessary.

Run it 15-20 minutes once a week. That tops up the battery and burns off condensation from the crankcase and exhaust system.

If it can't sit for a week, it needs more than running the engine for a few minutes.