10 Top Tips to Keep Cool in Your Car This Summer

19th Jul 2018

The usual steady summers have excelled in the UK this year. The perks of the current heatwave are of course BBQs, beer gardens and suntans. However, knowing how to manage your personal health and safety throughout these sweltering months can be quite daunting for the UK!

Especially for drivers without the luxury of air conditioning, travelling in your car unequipped for the heat can leave you feeling dehydrated, tired and dizzy. We've all been there... at the end of the working day when you open your car door and get whacked in the face with a fog of scorching heat that's been festering in your car all day. Getting the car cool before heading out on the roads is essential, especially if it means you'll be stuck in traffic.

Luckily most modern cars are well-equipped with air conditioning, providing a perfect answer to keeping the temperature cool in your car. However, did you know that by using your air conditioning continuously in your car can increase your fuel consumption by up to 20 percent?

There's no denying that air conditioning is lush (even if it does cost you a few extra pennies), but drivers of older cars without the luxury may struggle extensively. Whether it's a holiday road trip, sitting in traffic on your way to and from work or simply leaving your car all day in the burning sun, Evans Halshaw have listed ten top tips to help keep you and your car cool this summer....

1) Drive With Wet Hair
Protect your hair from heat damage AND keep yourself cool! Wind down your windows and take advantage of a free blow dry.

2) Hang a wet rag in the middle vent of your car
You don't have air conditioning? Do not fear, you can make your own - for free! Hanging a wet rag in the middle vent of your car will drastically cool down standard air coming from the blowers.

3) Freeze water bottles to use as an ice pack
The oldest trick in the book. Freeze up a water bottle (make sure it's not completely full), wrap it in a tea towel and use it to rest behind your neck. Once it's melted, benefit from an icy cold drink.

4) Use a dashboard cover
If you're leaving your car out in the sun all day, you can guarantee the inside will be almost unbearably hot. Simply cover up your dashboard either with a dashboard cover or anything opaque black and benefit from warm but usable seats, steering wheel and gear stick.

5) Park in the shade
It's an obvious one really, park in the shade to avoid the direct sun deflecting on your car. If the option for shade is unavailable, try parking so that the sun is directed on your car's back end, to avoid overheating on your major assets (steering wheel etc.)

6) Keep your windows/sunroof slightly ajar
By just a leaving small opening in your window all day will increase ventilation of air throughout your car and help keep it cool, as long as it is parked in a safe and secure area.

7) Put a koozie on your gear stick
Why not keep a koozie (a fabric or foam sleeve) in your glove box to pop over your gear stick when you're at work all day? A lot of hassle saved when you're trying to pluck up the courage to put the car in gear without burning your hand.

8) Move your steering wheel to face down
There's nothing worse than finishing a long hard day at work than a red-hot steering wheel that's stopping you from getting home for your tea. Simply turn it so that the top part of it is kept out of the sun all day!

9) Get your windows tinted (aka sunglasses for your car)
Decrease the amount of sunlight that can enter your vehicle by applying window tints to your car. Less sunlight entering the car will lower the overall temperature build-up.

10) Fan out the hot air before getting in
If your car's been sat outside in the sun all day you can guarantee a build-up of heat inside. Get rid of that clogged up hot air by wafting your car door several times before you get in.