Always check that you’re either in park or neutral before revving the engine. If you accidentally shift into drive or reverse, you could cause a serious accident. If you do put your car in neutral, engage your e-brake. That way, you have a much lower chance of rolling forward or backward.

Pushing your RPMs too high could “redline” your car, meaning you’re stressing your engine out for a long period of time. Too much stress on your engine could cause your car to stop working, and you may have to do damage control if you redline your vehicle.

In manual cars, you can also just step on the clutch without shifting into neutral if you’d like to. [8] X Research source While it might feel strange to shift into neutral in an automatic car, shifting while driving actually won’t damage your engine. [9] X Research source

Keep an eye on your tachometer as you rev the engine. If the needle gets anywhere close to the red line, stop revving right away.