How to keep your car cool in summer

When the sun's shining, the temperatures are soaring and the shades are on, the last thing you want is to be sitting in an uncomfortably hot, sticky car. So, what are the best ways to keep cool? Learn how to keep your car cool in the summer from our helpful guide.

Summer driving tips: keeping your car cool

How to keep your car cool in hot weather

Whether you're looking for tips on how to keep the inside of your car cool or you want ideas on the best places to park, knowing how to stay cool during the summer is important - especially if travelling with young children. For a more comfortable and enjoying driving experience this season, find some of our simple tips to cool down your car in summer:

• Parking - to keep your car from overheating, ensuring you park up in a relatively shady area would be a good idea. Or perhaps, if you're leaving your car parked in the sun all day, think about the direction of the sun by the time you want to get back in your vehicle ? and pre-empt it being in the shade at that point of the day. Alternatively, if you have the option, parking underground, in a multi-story car park or a garage will keep your car cool.
• Windows - leaving the windows slightly cracked open can let some air into your vehicle while it's parked up. Of course, ensure you don't leave your windows down too far, as then the security of the vehicle could be at risk.
• Visors and sunshades - if you travel with a child, it's a wise idea to have a suctioned sunshade stuck up on the rear windows of the vehicle. This will keep your children cool - and the rear of the vehicle, too. For the front of the vehicle, keeping your visors down when you exit the car is a great way to keep the car from overheating - as it provides that extra bit of protection from the sun.
• Seating - if your car or vehicle has leather or vinyl seats, these can be especially uncomfortable in hot weather. Throwing a blanket over the seats can allow the seats to keep cool - and passengers from burning the back of their legs!
• Steering wheel - dependent on the material of your steering wheel, it may be especially hot to touch on a warm summer's day. Prevent uncomfortable and awkward steering by either investing in a steering wheel cover, or throwing a hand towel over the wheel when you exit the vehicle.
• Air conditioning - and of course, air conditioning is a god-send during the summer months where cranking down the windows is just not enough!

How to cool down your engine

However, sometimes during a spout of hot weather, it's difficult to keep the car cool due to the engine overheating. So, what are the best ways of keeping the engine cool?

Firstly, if you think your engine is overheating, turn off the air conditioning. Air conditioning can be a large drain on the engine and cause it to heat up excessively. Instead - which may come as a surprise - it's worth blasting the heater on. This exerts some of the excess heat from the engine into the car to help the engine cool down. However, this method isn't always the best for when you're battling against hot temperatures outside!

While stationary or parked up, rev your engine to make the fan and water pump work faster. This pulls in more air and water through the vehicle's radiator - with the increase in circulation, this then cools down the engine. If this hasn't worked, it's worth pulling up the bonnet and letting air circulate naturally through the engine.

Now you've learnt how to keep your car cool in hot weather, find out how to prepare for summer road trips today with help from our guide. Alternatively, discover our full range of services at your local PTA garage now.