Feeling the heat? Here’s how to keep your car cool

Temperatures are on the rise and across the UK people are basking in the summer heat. However, the hot temperatures can quickly cause a car interior to become an unpleasant place to be with surfaces such as the dashboard and seats soon turning frying-pan hot.

So how do you stop your car from becoming unbearably hot when the mercury is rising? Here are some easy tips to follow.

Park in the shade

Sounds simple, doesn’t, it? Parking in the shade is one of the easiest ways to reduce the temperature in your car, blocking direct sunlight from entering the vehicle. Aim for a tree, building or even a covered car park to keep your vehicle cool.

Try a reflective cover

Reflective covers are a common sight in countries such as Spain and Portugal, and they’re a cheap and easy way to block a lot of the sunlight from penetrating into the cabin. They also keep the sun off the dashboard, steering wheel and gearstick, so there’s less chance that you’ll singe your hands when getting in.

Try a towel

If you can’t park in the shade and don’t have a reflective cover to hand, then a towel can be an easy alternative. Trap the towels in the doors or windows and you’ll block a lot of sun from entering the cabin and warming it up. You could even use a smaller towel to cover the steering wheel so it stays cooler.

Crack a window

We’d only recommend doing this when you can be certain of a car’s security, but cracking a window a few millimetres can really help to take the edge off the heat. It allows fresh air to circulate throughout the interior of the car, helping to keep it cooler.

Use the doors

When you return to your car, it can be tempting to hop straight in and let the air conditioning take over. However, this can take time. Try this one trick beforehand; open one rear door, and then repeatedly open and close the opposite front door around 15 times. It’ll help circulate the air around the cabin and cool it down.

Redirect airflow

If you’re lucky enough to have a car with air conditioning, then it can be tempting to direct all of the available airflow towards your face. However, doing so will make cooling the whole car down take a lot longer, so try to direct your vents in a variety of directions through the car.