How to quickly cool down your car in hot weather

We love a whinge about the weather here in the UK – it's usually either too hot, too cold, too rainy or 'just right' (that's 18ºC with a mild drizzle).

But when it does get properly warm, we're not that good at cooling our cars down quickly and efficiently. So here are our top tips for getting your car's interior cooled down as quickly as possible.

Use the car doors as giant fans

Air-con takes a while to kick in, so when you come back from the beach to a car that's been baking in the sun, first open all the doors and use the doors on one side of the car like giant fans. Open them and shut them vigorously to push the hot air out the other side of the car. It really works to remove the really hot air before you even start your engine. You'll possibly look a bit mad doing it (and be careful not to smack your doors into another car), but you'll move a huge amount of hot air out of the cabin.

Switch on your air-con… but do it properly!

Now start your engine and fire up the air-con on with the windows open. Some modern cars have an AC MAX button, so press that if you have one. Otherwise wind up the fans to maximum, make sure you're drawing outside air in (and not recirculating the hot air in the cabin!) and set the temperature to low (or Lo, if you share a passion for biblical phraseology with most car manufacturers). Once the internal air temperature starts to cool off, put the windows back up. 

Once your windows are up and the air's cooled off a tad, change back to recirculation. This ensures you're cooling pre-cooled air rather than trying to constantly cool hot air from outside. It's also better for your fuel economy! Once you've reached this point, you should have a nice cool cabin that didn't take forever to chill.

Remotely cool your car

It's worth noting that a number of high-end and electric cars have the option to cool the cabin remotely. This is normally done using an app which can set the car's cabin to hit a certain temperature at a certain time, although some older cars and campervans have separate keys to do the same thing.

Consider buying a car with ventilated seats

If you run a bit hot like most of the team here at Motorpoint, it's worth knowing that ventilated seats are becoming increasingly common on affordable cars. They do the opposite job of heated seats, using fans to blast cool air through pinprick holes in the seat fabric to cool your beans. You'll find ventilated seats on high-spec versions of Kia and Hyundai models, as well as the occasional Vauxhall.

How to stop your car from getting too hot

The easiest way to quickly cool down your car is to not let it get too hot in the first place. Here's how to do that:

• Park in a shaded area – trees can provide good shade (be careful of sap though), or use your garage if you have one. A cooler car can save you the time of having to get rid of all the hot air before your next journey
• Use a sunshade – available for your windscreen, they can help keep the heat from the sun out of your car. They are readily available online or any shops that sell car accessories
• Have your air-con serviced – maintaining your car’s air conditioning helps keep it running more efficiently. This means it will be more effective at cooling your car down. Many garages should be able to service our air conditioning. You should consult your car’s handbook to see how often this should be done
• Cover your seats – darker colours absorb more heat and unfortunately, most cars come with black seats that will heat up. If you haven’t got lighter colour seats consider fitting paler coloured seat covers or covering your seat with a lighter towel that will stop it getting so hot
• Leave windows ajar – leaving your windows open a crack can help air circulate inside your car and prevent hot air from building up inside. Remember to only leave them open a small amount so thieves can’t gain access to your car and ensure the car is locked and alarmed
• Wipe down key touch points – sitting in the sun all day can really heat up your steering wheel, steering controls and gear stick. Using a damp cloth to wipe them down can cool them enough to handle more safely

Stay cool – and stay safe

Now you know how to cool your car as quickly as possible, take some time to find out how to drive safely in hot weather.