We’ve already seen some of the hottest temperatures on record this year and while the soaring temperatures may be great for suntans, ice cream sales and all-round positivity, the heat can make being in your car an uncomfortable experience.
Besides the obvious dangers to lives of pets and young children, an over-heated vehicle can make for a hot, unpleasant drive at best, and at worst cause serious harm to you and your vehicle.
To ensure you get the best performance from your car and keep yourself free from harm, here are 7 ways to keep your car cool this summer.
1. Pick your parking spot carefully
The easiest way to stop your car from over-heating is to try and park it in a shady area. This is obviously the ideal option, but if you can afford to spend an extra few minutes driving around to find that sweet, shady spot out of direct sunlight, you definitely won’t regret it.
2. No shade? Turn it around!
If you really can’t find any shade, try turning your car around so the front of the vehicle is not parked in direct sunlight. Although you won’t be able to keep the entire car cool, you’ll be able to avoid a sizzling steering wheel.
Remember that if you’re carrying multiple passengers or will have pets in the back, you’ll need to take extra precautions to keep that part of the car cool while you’re away.
3. The classic sunshade
It may not be the most visually appealing car accessory, but it’s the most-popular and most-effective way to keep your car cool when the mercury is rising.
If you have parked your car so the front is out of the sun, but the rear isn’t, place a sunshade over the rear window or even both to ensure a cooler car awaits when you return.
You might find that most sunshades are aimed more at parents with young kids with many featuring classic cartoons and kid-friendly characters – but it is possible to get a subtler cover if Frozen or Peppa Pig is not really your style.
A proper sunshade will not only keep your car cool while it’s parked in the sun during the day but will also protect you and your children from any harmful sun rays.
4. Cover your seats
Any owner with a car with leather seats knows all too well about the sticky situations that occur when car seats get too hot. No amount of sunny days is worth having to continuously peel your skin off the seat every time you leave the car.
Chucking some old (but clean) towels or a bedsheet over your seats during the day will ensure your leather seats stay cool in the soaring temperatures. Keep them stored in your boot so you have a seat cover on hand whenever you need.
5. Keep the windows cracked open
Now obviously we’d never recommend leaving your windows down when your car is parked up because well, the world just isn’t a nice enough place – but even opening your window a tiny bit will help the warm air escape your car and let a nice, cool breeze in.
Obviously, security is incredibly important when it comes to your car, so be sure that your windows are not open wide enough to fit an arm through and it should be perfectly fine and safe.
The previous 5 tips will stop your vehicle from getting too hot while it’s parked, but if somehow the suns powerful rays have managed to bypass your sunshade and your covered car seats that are in your car, which is parked in the shade with the windows slightly cracked or… you’ve just forgotten to take our advice, how can you cool down your car quickly?
6. Get the most from your AC
When returning to a boiling hot car, turn your air conditioner to maximum and wind down the windows in the back for 10 to 20 seconds. This will help to push any remaining hot air out and speed up the cooling process.
To get the most from your electric AC, once you’ve started to cool down, use the car’s air recirculating feature along with the air conditioning to maintain the coldest air.
7. Fix your hot surfaces instantly
One of the worst things about driving in the summer is the burns you receive when trying to use the steering wheel. To quickly cool down the steering wheel, pour a few drops of water and rub around the wheel.
You can also use a damp cloth to wipe down the wheel, gear stick and any other hot to touch surfaces. The water will absorb heat and evaporate, making the hot surfaces less painful to touch.
We hope that with these 7 ways to keep your car cool this summer, you enjoy some cool and carefree summer driving.
