Whether you drive an older car that turns into a greenhouse on wheels in summer, or a newer model equipped with zonal air conditioning, there are still some things you can do to keep your car cool in summer that can have year-round benefits.
Here are five of the best ways to keep your car cool in summer – which are hopefully better than leaving it in the shade of a tree only to arrive back and find the sun has moved across the sky and your car is now a sauna.
1. Get your A/C serviced
Air conditioning is only any good if it works – and if you’re not someone who takes their car in for a full annual service, it’s worth getting your A/C checked at least once a year.
A car air conditioning recharge involves topping up the cooling gases so the system can tackle warm air – it also removes excess humidity, which means it’s useful for demisting the windscreen in winter as well.
2. Solar shading for car windows
Solar shading for car windows helps to keep the inside cool by reducing the amount of infrared radiation that passes through the glass.
A similar technique is used in some office buildings to naturally keep the interiors cooler, and it’s good news in terms of energy saving, as it’s a passive technique – so it doesn’t drain your battery or keep your air conditioning running.
Tinted windows for cars can be added at any time just using the correct legal window tinting films, and they can be removed when you want too, without damaging your vehicle or your tinted windscreen glass.
3. Zonal air conditioning
If you are lucky enough to have one of those more modern vehicles with zonal air conditioning, make sure it’s properly set up.
That means figuring out what feels most comfortable for you when driving with or without passengers – and when you first get in on a hot day, putting all zones on full blast with recirculated air to bring the temperature down as quickly as possible.
4. Back to black
Dark upholstery and especially black leather seats can be an unwelcome shock to your back and bum if they’ve been in direct sunlight – so cover them up when you’re not in your car.
Beaded seat covers might not be the height of fashion, but any light-coloured cover will help to avoid the seat becoming furnace-hot during the day, and can easily be removed in winter when you need direct contact with heated seat cushions too.
5. Car window sun screens
Rear window tinted glass can block out a lot of the sun, but in the front, there are legal limits on how dark car window tints can be – and we can help you make sure you stay within the legal limit.
A darker windscreen sun strip across the top can cut out more of the direct sunlight during the hottest part of the day, but when you’re parked up, reflective car window sun screens are a good way to deal with the rest of the sunlight.
Just prop them up on your dash to physically block the last of the light from coming in – and like dark rear car window tints, there are year-round security benefits from limiting passers-by from seeing into your vehicle too.
