How to Keep Your Parked Car Cool In Summer (10 Simple Tips)

This guide will explain exactly how to keep your car cool in the summer so that you can enjoy the sun without worrying about facing a furnace when you return to your vehicle! It’s important to know these easy ways to reduce the heat inside a car to ensure maximum comfort when you depart.

You can keep a parked car cool in the summer by taking some preventative measures and being mindful of where you leave your vehicle. 

Purchase a sunshade and dashboard cover to keep your surfaces cool.  Prioritize covered or shaded parking spaces, especially when temperatures start reaching 75°F+.  It is worth investing in your car’s AC and some window tinting if you know your car is going to be spending a lot of time in the hot summer sun.

Keeping the interior of a parked car cooler in the hot summer months is important for the health and safety of both you and your vehicle.

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10 Tips To Keep Your Parked Car Cool This Summer

Summer is coming, and you do not want to be caught out in the heat! Follow these simple steps:

1. Park in shaded or covered parking

Temperatures inside the car can be up to 40°F higher than outside on a hot day.  Try to find covered parking even if it costs a little extra.  If you are relying on natural shade, keep the time of day and how long you plan to be there in mind.  Parking in the shade at 10 am could mean coming back at 3 pm to a car that has been baking in the sun for 3 hours. 

We know some of you might be on a strict budget and are struggling to part with the cash to park undercover, so we’ve gone ahead and written How to Save Money on Car Parking to help you out.

2.  Use a windshield sunshade

A windscreen sunshade is one of the oldest and most well-known ways to keep your car cool in the summer.  They will reflect or absorb heat from the sun and keep the car a couple of degrees cooler.  It acts as a sort of portable shade unit.

If you’re wondering whether car covers are worth it? The answer is yes, especially if you’re car is going to be parked for a long time.

We recommend the EcoNour Car Windshield Sun Shade, as it comes in a variety of sizes, is easily stored, and is effective.

3. Open all the doors before entering the vehicle

When you get back to your car, open all the doors including the trunk, to allow all the trapped heat to escape.  Boost the AC and fan the doors to really get that hot air moving. To reduce the heat inside your vehicle faster, try moving the doors back and forth in order to increase airflow in the car interior.

4. Invest in tinted windows

If you plan on living out of your car for an extended amount of time, or you just live in an extremely hot and sunny area, tinted windows are a necessary investment.  A good tint will cool the car down 4x’s better than a window shade.  American Automobile Association has an excellent article outing window tint laws in each state.

If you don’t have any tint, it is worth purchasing Enovoe Car Window Shades for your side windows. These are a great alternative to tinting as you can just install them during the summer and remove them when they aren’t needed!

5. Service your air conditioning

Summer is fast approaching, and in some states, it is already in full swing.  Make sure your air conditioner is ready for the heat by giving it a full service and getting any problems fixed. 

6. Dash cover

Covering the dash reduces the heat absorbed by (and thus released by) the surfaces in your car.  It also makes the car cooler to touch when you enter, making it easier to enter and use the car on a hot day. You can find bespoke or general fit dashboard covers on Amazon, but a towel works great too.

7. Cover any leather/vinyl surfaces

Seats, steering wheel, armrests, center console, and anything that is made of leather or vinyl should be covered so you don’t burn yourself upon entering the vehicle.  Use towels or sheets to keep these surfaces covered when not in use.

8. Use a portable car cooling fan

Fix a car cooling fan to the left-hand side of the driver facing the back right to get a good cross breeze.  This works even better if you buy two fans and put the other on the front passenger’s right-hand side facing the back left seat. 

Here are the current 2 best selling portable car cooling fans on Amazon:

9. Keep valuables out of the sun

Make sure any electronics, CDs, sunglasses, and valuables are kept out of direct sun rays.  Tuck them under seats, in the glove box, trunk, or just under a blanket in the footwells. 

10.  Crack windows

This is one of the riskier options for cooling down your car as it could compromise the safety of your vehicle.  If you want to crack the windows, be sure it is narrow enough that no one could fit their arm through.  Be mindful of where you are parked, if you are in a higher crime area it probably isn’t worth the couple of degrees you gain from cracking the windows.

If you live in your car, keeping it cool when it’s parked won’t be your only parking question. If you need suggestions on places you can legally park overnight, check out our 10 places you can legally sleep and park in your car overnight post.

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