label Specialty
To leave a car parked for months in Gurugram, find a covered, dry spot above flood level, wash and empty the car, top up the fuel, and keep the 12-volt battery charged with a battery maintainer (or disconnect it). Put a little extra air in the tyres, and use wheel chocks instead of the handbrake if you're on private ground. Use a breathable cover. Keep the insurance and PUC valid, and ask someone to check on the car regularly. When you come back, check the tyres and brakes before you drive any distance.
- Where should the car sit while you're away?
- How long is the car going to stand?
- What should you do the week before?
- How do you stop the battery going flat?
- How do you protect the tyres and brakes?
- How do you deal with dust, sun and the monsoon?
- What paperwork should stay valid?
- What should the person checking on it do?
- What about everything you keep in the car?
- What should you check before driving again?
- Car storage checklist
- FAQs
- Sources and notes
Gurugram has plenty of reasons to leave a car standing for a few months: a posting abroad, a long stay with family, a move into a flat with no second parking slot, or just a second car nobody drives any more. A car that sits still doesn't stay in the condition you left it. The battery runs down. Tyres can flatten where they touch the ground. Dust from construction sites builds up on the paint. In the monsoon, a low basement can take in water. An hour of preparation before you go prevents most of this.
Where should the car sit while you're away?
The spot matters more than anything else you do. In Gurugram it usually comes down to one of four options.
| Where | What works | What to watch |
|---|---|---|
| Covered society basement | Out of sun and rain, guarded, usually has a power point nearby | Ask the RWA if the lower level has flooded in past monsoons. Also watch for rats and other cars scraping past. |
| Stilt or open society parking | Dry footing and easy for a helper to reach | Summer sun and dust. Use a good cover and check it after storms. |
| Private garage at a family home | Lockable, and you can run a battery maintainer safely | Needs ventilation. Never run the engine inside a closed garage. |
| Street or open plot | Sometimes the only choice | Exposed to weather, theft and towing. Avoid it for anything longer than a few weeks. |
If you're leaving your flat as well, sort out the car's spot before your household goods move. Our guide to storage between rented flats in Gurugram covers the household side.
How long is the car going to stand?
How much you need to do depends on how long the car will stand. The AA's advice on laying up a car says a modern car with a healthy battery should be fine for at least two weeks without being started. Beyond that you need a plan for the battery, and past about three months the rest of the steps below start to matter too.
| Time away | Minimum prep |
|---|---|
| Up to two weeks | Park somewhere safe, lock it, unplug accessories such as the dashcam |
| Two weeks to three months | Add a battery maintainer or regular drives, check tyre pressure, clean and cover the car |
| Three months or more | Do the full checklist below: fuel, tyres, brakes, pests, paperwork and a named helper |
What should you do the week before?
- Get any pending service done. Old engine oil and a known fault are both better dealt with now than after months of standing.
- Wash the car and let it dry fully. Bird droppings, tree sap and construction dust left on the paint can mark it. The AA also suggests a polish before a long lay-up.
- Clean the inside. Take out every food wrapper, water bottle and tissue box. Crumbs attract rats and insects, and a closed car gets very hot in May and June.
- Fill the fuel tank. The AA notes that a full tank doesn't attract condensation the way a part-empty one can. If your car has a CNG kit, ask the fitter or service centre what they recommend.
- Take photos of the bodywork and the odometer. If anything looks different when you get back, you'll have something to compare against.
How do you stop the battery going flat?
The 12-volt battery is the most common reason a parked car won't start. Alarms, immobilisers and the car's electronics keep drawing a little power even with everything switched off. The RAC warns that once a battery has been allowed to drop below about 11 volts, it starts to suffer internal damage.
- A battery maintainer (also called a trickle charger) works well if there's a safe power point. It stays connected and keeps the battery topped up. Follow the instructions that come with the charger and your car's handbook.
- Disconnect the negative terminal if there's no power point. The battery will lose charge more slowly. Some cars lose radio codes or settings when you do this, so check the handbook first.
- Driving the car beats idling it. The RAC says a few minutes of idling may drain a weak battery further, and that 20 to 30 minutes of steady driving is usually enough to top it up. If someone is starting the car for you, ask them to take it for a proper drive.
- Unplug everything: dashcam, phone charger, GPS tracker and any other plug-in accessories.
- Electric cars and hybrids have a 12-volt battery too. The AA points out that some can keep it topped up while plugged into the mains charger. Check your handbook, and for the main battery follow the maker's advice on the charge level to leave it at.
How do you protect the tyres and brakes?
A car that stands in one place for months presses the same small patch of each tyre against the floor. The RAC notes that this can cause flat spots, especially on older tyres. Tyres also lose air slowly.
- Add a little air. USAA suggests about 10 psi over normal pressure, without going over the maximum printed on the tyre's sidewall. Write the normal pressure on your return note so it gets set back.
- For very long stays, some owners raise the car on axle stands to take the weight off the tyres. Only do this on firm, level private ground, and have someone who knows how to do it safely.
- Handbrake: left on for months, brakes can seize. The AA and AA New Zealand both suggest wheel chocks with the handbrake off, and the car left in gear or in park. The AA adds that the handbrake should only be left off on private land with the wheels securely chocked. In a society basement that people walk through, ask your RWA what they expect.
How do you deal with dust, sun and the monsoon?
Gurugram is dusty for much of the year, and the summer sun is hard on paint, rubber seals and dashboards. Use a breathable, well-fitting car cover. A plastic sheet traps moisture against the paint, the same problem we describe in our post on protecting stored things from monsoon damp. Put a sunshade on the windscreen even under a cover.
For the monsoon, the questions are simple. Has this spot taken in water before? Is there a higher level or a stilt slot you can use from July to September? Ask neighbours and the maintenance office, not only the builder. If the car does stand in water, have it checked by a mechanic before you start it.
Rats are a common nuisance in parking areas, and wiring is what they chew. A clean cabin, a clean engine bay and a car that someone looks at regularly all make a difference. Ask the person checking on the car to look under the bonnet for droppings or chewed insulation.
What paperwork should stay valid?
A car parked for months still needs valid papers for the day it goes back on the road, and for any trip to a mechanic in between. Before you leave, check the expiry dates of your motor insurance and PUC certificate. You can look up a vehicle's details through the Ministry of Road Transport's Vahan services on Parivahan. If something expires while you're away, renew it online or arrange for the person looking after the car to handle it. Talk to your insurer before changing your cover, and keep in mind that third-party cover is compulsory for driving on Indian roads.
Leave a copy of the RC and insurance with your helper. Keep the originals somewhere safe, not in the glovebox of a car you won't see for months.
What should the person checking on it do?
A family member, a neighbour or a trusted driver makes a big difference. Give them a short written list:
- Visit every couple of weeks. Look under the car for leaks and under the bonnet for signs of rats.
- If the battery is connected, take the car for a proper drive of 20 to 30 minutes instead of just idling it. Release the handbrake and move the car a little so the brakes don't stick.
- Never run the engine inside a closed garage.
- After storms, check the cover and see whether water came into the parking.
- Send you a photo each visit. That takes ten seconds and tells you a lot.
AA New Zealand suggests leaving a note inside the car listing everything you changed, such as a disconnected battery, raised tyre pressures or chocks, so nobody drives off with any of them still in place.
What about everything you keep in the car?
Most cars carry a surprising amount: a child seat, seat covers, a roof carrier, umbrellas, a car-care kit, maybe golf clubs or cricket kit in the boot. Take it all out. Things left in a hot, closed car can crack or warp, and loose valuables invite break-ins.
A small storage room in Gurugram or a few boxes with our pay-per-box storage can hold these alongside your household goods. Leave out fuel cans, spare engine oil, aerosols and other flammables. Our list of what can and cannot be stored explains why. The storage calculator helps you work out how much space the car kit and the rest of your things need.
What should you check before driving again?
- Read your note, then take off the cover, remove the chocks and disconnect the charger.
- Reconnect the battery if you removed it, and reset the clock or radio if needed.
- Look for leaks, droppings and chewed wires. Clear leaves and nests from the engine bay and air intake.
- Set the tyre pressures back to the figure in the handbook or on the door sticker, and look for cracks in the sidewalls.
- Test the brakes gently. The AA notes they may have a layer of surface corrosion, which normal braking over the first few kilometres should clear.
- If anything feels wrong, such as a warning light, a pull to one side or a grinding noise, take the car to a workshop before a long drive.
Car storage checklist
- Covered, dry spot chosen, and its monsoon history checked
- Pending service done
- Car washed, dried and cleared of food and rubbish
- Fuel tank filled
- Battery on a maintainer, or the negative terminal disconnected
- Dashcam and plug-in accessories removed
- Tyres slightly over normal pressure, never above the sidewall maximum
- Chocks in place, with the handbrake decision agreed with your RWA
- Breathable cover and windscreen shade on
- Insurance and PUC dates checked, with copies given to your helper
- Helper named, with a written visit list and a spare key
- Note left inside listing everything you changed
- Child seat, roof carrier and other car kit moved to storage
Disclaimer: this is general guidance, not mechanical, legal or insurance advice. Your car's handbook and your service centre come first, especially for batteries, EVs, CNG kits and lifting a car on stands. Check insurance, PUC and other rules with your insurer and the transport department, since requirements can change.
Moving abroad or between homes at the same time? Our guides on long-term storage when relocating abroad and storing a motorcycle cover the rest of the job. We have private, lockable rooms with 24/7 CCTV in Gurugram, Delhi and Noida, on month-to-month plans.
Frequently Asked Questions
The AA says most modern cars with a healthy battery should be fine for at least two weeks. For longer, use a battery maintainer, disconnect the battery, or have someone take the car for a proper drive regularly.
Left on for months, the brakes can seize. Motoring groups suggest wheel chocks with the handbrake off and the car in gear or park, but only on private ground where that is safe and allowed.
Yes, the AA suggests topping up, because a full tank doesn't attract condensation. For CNG kits, follow your fitter's or service centre's advice.
Add a little air, around 10 psi over normal but never above the sidewall maximum, and have the car moved now and then. For very long stays some owners use axle stands.
It keeps the car out of sun and rain, but ask the RWA whether the lower level has flooded in past monsoons, and keep the car clean inside to discourage rats.
Yes, things like child seats, roof carriers and seat covers can go in a storage room. Fuel cans, oils and other flammables cannot.
Sources and notes
Checked 1 Nov 2026.
- Two-week battery guide, full fuel tank, polish, handbrake and chocks, never running the engine in a garage, brake corrosion after standing: The AA, Laying up and maintaining your car.
- Battery damage below about 11 volts, idling versus a 20 to 30 minute drive, trickle chargers, flat spots on tyres: RAC, How to look after your car at home.
- About 10 psi over normal pressure within the maximum, jack stands, chocks instead of the parking brake: USAA, How to store a vehicle long term.
- Battery maintainers, handbrake off with the car in park or chocked, a reminder note inside the car: AA New Zealand, Prepping your vehicle for long term storage.
- Vehicle registration details and online services: Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, Vahan services on Parivahan.
- Items that cannot go in a unit, private rooms, CCTV and monthly plans: Self Storage India storage rules, private rooms and city pages.
