Top tips to keep your car cool

We all love summer, but the heat can be tough to deal with. For drivers who don’t love the heat, getting into a car that has been parked in the sun can feel very unpleasant. Stay cool and keep your car cool when it’s parked up this summer.

Use a sunshade or window visor

This is a classic method of keeping your car cool, and it should be your go-to option to tackle the high interior temperatures. Every time you leave the car for more than a few minutes, put up a sunshade or window visor. To keep things even cooler, use a sunshade for the rear window too. A window tint can also help and will prevent the sun from fading your car’s interior. 

Use a dash cover

A fabric or upholstered cover for your dash can keep things cool and comfortable, as it saves you from having to touch hot vinyl surfaces. Dash covers also protect the vinyl of the dash from getting damaged in the sun. Sun damage can cause cracking and fading. 

Cover your steering wheel

Even with a sunshade, the steering wheel can get hot. Cover it with a hand towel, which will keep your steering wheel cooler to the touch when you come back to the car. 

Park in a shady area

Whenever you can, park in a shady area. If you’re going to be somewhere for a while, it’s well worth having to walk a little further in order to be able to get a shaded parking spot. You’ll be glad you did when you get back into a car that doesn’t feel like a furnace inside. 

Keep your belongings out of the sun

Any delicate items, like CDs, that you leave in your car should be stored out of the way of direct sunlight. Try storing your CD cases under the seat or in the glove box. If they won’t fit, you can cover your belongings with a blanket, or keep anything sensitive to the heat in the trunk instead. 

Park in a garage

If you can, park your car in a garage. In the garage, your car is out of direct sunlight and you will have almost constant shade. Even a warm garage is cooler than direct sun all day.

Keep windows slightly cracked

It’s not a good idea to leave your windows all the way open when you’re leaving it unattended, but you can leave them very slightly cracked. Just keep the crack small and make sure that nobody could fit their arm through the gap. Even a small crack encourages some ventilation and keeps the car a bit cooler. 

Buy a solar-powered fan

A solar-powered fan, paired with a cracked window, can keep your car cool very effectively, even on very hot days. These fans expel hot air from your car and create constant air circulation, so they lower the temperature in the car. Choose solar, so it’s not using up power while the car is parked.