Skip to content

How to Keep Your Car Cool in the Summer

By John Funk, August 30, 2022

The satisfaction of buying your own car meets nothing else. However, when it’s a scorcher outside, entering your car that’s been parked directly in the sun for hours is never a pleasant experience. The intense heat of the summer season can make this time of year downright unpleasant for many.

Every car, including high-end ones, isn’t immune to the misery of a stiflingly hot interior, and getting into a car that has been parked outside in hot weather can feel like being roasted alive.

Why does the interior of a car that’s parked in the sun feel so much warmer?

On a hot sunny day, the sun’s heat enters a car through the windows and gets trapped inside, increasing the temperature. The greenhouse effect is one of the main reasons for this. The increase in temperature is highest in the first few minutes after a car is parked outside in the sun.

The light energy passes through the glass into the closed vehicle in the form of short wavelengths. Some of the energy is reflected back out, again in short wavelengths. However, some of it is absorbed by objects in the car’s interior, such as the seats, carpet, and dashboard, and then reradiated in longer wavelengths in the invisible infrared range — that is, heat.

The heat is trapped by automobile glass, which is not as permeable to longer wavelengths, and the air inside the car is also trapped. The heat from the surfaces produces long-wave infrared radiation that radiates off the hot surfaces and the glass (car’s windows) won’t allow much of the longer wavelengths back through, thereby preventing most of the radiated heat from leaving. With more energy going in and very little getting out, the inside of the car quickly gets hotter than the outside.

If your mind is filled with questions such as: How can I keep my car cool in the summer?” “How can I keep the inside of the car cool in summer? Or “How can I keep a black car cool in summer?” and you are looking for a solution, then you have come to the right place.

How to Keep Your Car Cool in the Summer

It is important to keep your parked vehicle cool in the summer as hot cars can be both uncomfortable and unsafe.

By taking some preventative measures, you can keep your parked car cool in the summer.

Park Indoors or Beneath Some Trees

  • If you are fortunate enough to have a garage or lucky enough to have a basement parking facility in the building where you live, then parking your vehicle in such an indoor facility, which has the advantage of a near-constant shade, is a much better option than leaving it outdoors.
  • Indoor parking can also protect your vehicle from hazardous outdoor elements that can otherwise damage your vehicle and shorten its lifespan.
  • Parking under a tree can also keep your vehicle cooler and be worth the extra walking that’s required. However, it may not be advisable, as tree sap, branches, nuts, pollen, and so on can cause damage to your vehicle when they fall on your vehicle.

Use a Windshield Sunshade or Window Visor

  • A windscreen sunshade is a tried and tested method of keeping the car cool in the summer, and this traditional method should be your go-to option to counteract hot interior temperature throughout the summer.
  • They help in keeping a car’s temperature down by blocking the primary entry point for the sun. They can keep your car a couple of degrees cooler by reflecting or absorbing the heat from the sun.
  • You can put up a sunshade or window visor whenever you exit your car, even only for a few minutes. You can also keep it cooler for a long period of time by putting a sunshade in your rear window as well.

Buy Car Covers

Use Good Quality Window Tints

  • Window tints can be very effective to keep the parked car cool, and in some cases, they can be a necessary investment, especially if you are living in an extremely hot and sunny area.
  • A good quality window tint can be a powerful tool as it can cut down on the sun’s harmful UV rays that can otherwise cause damage to your vehicle’s interior and exterior.
  • A good quality tint can be more effective in cooling the car down than a window shade; however, there are widely varying laws in some countries for how they can be used. Many states in the US don’t allow any tint to be on a windshield, and there are a few other states that only permit tinting that allows a minimum of 70% of the sun’s light through the windows.

Cover Your Car’s Interior

  • If you are not completely satisfied with the windshield sunshade, you can consider covering parts of your car’s interior, such as the dashboard and seats.
  • Dark leather seats can absorb heat quickly and become extremely hot. This can be prevented by using lighter-colored fabric seat covers, especially during the peak summer season.
  • There are several models of dashboard covers available on the market and you can choose an effective one to cover your car dashboard. A fabric or upholstered dash cover can be very useful in making your vehicle’s interior more comfortable. Such covers can also effectively protect sensitive vinyl from sun damage that can otherwise result in cracking and fading.
  • You can also consider covering your steering wheel, as it can also get baked in the sun, just like your seats and dashboard.

Keep Your Car’s Windows Slightly Cracked

  • Leaving your windows slightly open will promote ventilation that will help to keep your car cool. This allows a modest amount of built-up heat escape and helps to facilitate some airflow through the vehicle’s cabin.
  • While leaving the window slightly open, you need to make sure that it is narrow enough that no one could fit their arm through. This could reduce the chances of theft. However, it may not work against a few skillful thieves. There is also the risk of a sudden, unexpected rainstorm that can make a mess of your car’s interior.

Why to Use a Top-Quality Seal Skin Car Cover for Your Vehicle

There may be multiple options to keep your vehicle cool during summer; however, most of them have certain drawbacks that can cause damage to your car. Using a top-quality car cover is one of the most effective methods to protect your vehicle from various damages and keep it cool during summer.

An effective car cover is more or less like a sunscreen for your vehicle that can block harmful UV rays and prevent photodegradation. It can also yield a reflective cooling effect.

At Seal Skin, we offer high-quality UV-resistant car covers that can protect the finish from fading and cross-linking. Our car covers can provide UV protection for your interior and you will find that the dash will last longer. This will help you save your hard-earned money on detailing.

You can call us at 800-915-0038 during our office hours (Monday to Friday from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM EST) and we will help you find the right car cover that fits your needs and budget. We will also help you if you have any questions about our products, shipping policies, and exchange/refund policies.