It's summertime, and the living should be easy. With longer days comes more heat, as time goes by the temperature turns up high, before it gets to the days of cooking an egg on your hood, get yourself a sunshade and keep your car cool inside!
Some brands to consider are Covercraft, Walser, and WeatherTech.
Galaxus offers shades like the CarComfort Sun protection sunshade, the JTI sun protection sunshade, and the Cartrend Car parasol, these products are well reviewed but sell as single pieces and will need to be combined to attain full coverage for your car however they are on the cheaper side of the spectrum in turn saving you some cash.
Walser offer a range of different sunshades, with prices ranging from 5-35 CHF making them low to mid priced, however once again the items must be purchased separately to outfit your whole car, they also offer a sunshade net that covers the whole car but must be tethered to the car to stay in place.
WeatherTech offers sunshades for almost any brand of car like the luxury all popular Porsche, the all terrain ready, hardy Ram truck, or the classics the sleek and ever lasting Merc & Audi. These custom made sun shades will perfectly fit any make and model of car and will have long lives giving you lots of use out of them, they also have an option with bags for easy storage, are rolled or folded up to store away, and come as single items or whole car sunshade kits however they are on the more expensive side which makes sense for an expensive car but may not be in your purview if you own a less expensive model.
Why You Need Sunshades for Your Car This Summer
Summer brings sunshine, road trips, and long days—but it also means dealing with scorching car interiors. If you’ve ever opened your car door on a hot day and been hit with a blast of unbearable heat, you know how uncomfortable it can be. That’s where sunshades come in. These simple accessories can make a big difference in protecting your car and enhancing your driving experience with the plus side of saving you on gas, no more turning your car on and blasting the AC at full power for half an hour before getting in. Here’s why every car owner should consider investing in sunshades this summer.
1. Keep Your Car Cooler
One of the biggest benefits of using a sunshade is reducing the temperature inside your vehicle. When your car sits in the sun for hours, the interior can reach dangerously high temperatures. A sunshade blocks direct sunlight from entering through the windshield, keeping the heat from building up. This means you won’t have to endure a stifling hot car when you get back in, and you won’t need to blast your air conditioning just to make it bearable.
2. Protect Your Car’s Interior
The sun’s UV rays don’t just make your car hot—they can also damage the interior over time. Prolonged exposure to sunlight can cause your dashboard, seats, and steering wheel to fade, crack, or warp. Leather seats can dry out and become brittle, while plastic components may deteriorate faster. A sunshade acts as a protective barrier, helping to maintain your car’s appearance and extending the life of your interior materials.
The temperature inside a parked car can rise very quickly in the sun due to the greenhouse effect. Here’s a general estimate:
• In just 10 minutes, the temperature inside a car can rise by 10-15°C.
• In 30 minutes, it can be 20-25°C hotter than the outside temperature.
• In 60 minutes, it can be 30-35°C or more above the outside temperature.
• On a hot day (30°C outside), the temperature inside can easily reach 60-70°C in an hour.
Effect of a Sunshade
A sunshade placed in the windshield can significantly reduce this heat buildup:
• It can lower dashboard temperatures by 10-25°C.
• It can reduce overall interior temperatures by 5-15°C.
The effectiveness depends on factors like the sunshade’s material, reflectivity, car color, and ventilation. Reflective sunshades (silver-coated) work best as they reflect more sunlight away.
3. Enhance Privacy and Security
Sunshades do more than just block the sun; they also provide an added layer of privacy. When placed on your windshield or side windows, they prevent people from easily looking inside your car. This can help protect your personal belongings from prying eyes, reducing the risk of theft. If you frequently leave items like bags, electronics, or other valuables in your car, a sunshade can help keep them out of sight and give you peace of mind.
4. Save Energy and Improve Efficiency
Using a sunshade can also help improve your car’s energy efficiency. When your vehicle isn’t overheating, your air conditioning doesn’t have to work as hard to cool it down. This reduces fuel consumption in gas-powered cars and preserves battery life in electric vehicles. Over time, this small investment can lead to savings on fuel or energy costs while also reducing wear and tear on your AC system.
4. Children and Pets!
While we adults may be able to cope with a little bit of heat, it’s not so for your children, grandparents and pets. Here’s some guidelines to just how quickly you can run into trouble.
A pet can suffer heat exhaustion in as little as 10 minutes inside a hot car, depending on the outside temperature and ventilation. Here’s how quickly it can become dangerous:
• 0-10 minutes: The car heats up rapidly, and the pet starts panting heavily.
• 10-20 minutes: The pet may experience heat exhaustion, showing signs like excessive drooling, restlessness, and an increased heart rate.
• 20-30 minutes: The pet’s body temperature can reach dangerous levels (over 40°C / 104°F), leading to heatstroke, which can cause organ failure, seizures, and collapse.
• 30+ minutes: The risk of death becomes extremely high if the pet is not removed and cooled immediately.
Even if the windows are slightly open, it does not provide enough ventilation to prevent heatstroke. Dogs, cats, and other pets should never be left in a parked car, even for a few minutes, on a warm day.
Conclusion
A sunshade is a simple yet effective way to protect your car and make summer driving more comfortable. By keeping your interior cooler, preserving your vehicle’s materials, adding privacy, and improving efficiency, it’s a must-have accessory for any car owner. Whether you park outside at work, run errands throughout the day, or take long road trips, a sunshade is a small investment that delivers big benefits. Don’t wait until the heat becomes unbearable—get one today and enjoy a cooler, more protected car all summer long.
Here’s a useful comparison for car sunshades by materials and performance.
Key Takeaways:
• Best Overall: WeatherTech Custom-Fit SunShade → Best heat and UV protection, highest durability.
• Best Value: Covercraft UVS100 → Great balance of price, fit, and protection.
• Best for Maximum Reflectivity: Intro-Tech Ultimate Reflector → Double Mylar for extreme heat resistance but slightly bulky.
FAQ's
1. Do sunshades work for all types of vehicles?
Yes! Sunshades come in various sizes and designs to fit cars, trucks, SUVs, and even larger vehicles like vans. Be sure to check the dimensions before purchasing. It’s best always to find custom-fitting sunshades if you can for the front windscreen and/or for all the windows if you are keeping your camping van or car in direct sun for a longer period of time. Both WeatherTech, Covercraft and Galaxus do these types of sunshades.
2. Can I use a sunshade on my rear window?
Absolutely. Many sunshades are designed for rear windows as well, helping to block out additional heat and provide even more privacy. WeatherTech do all-round sunshade kits, which are ideal if you are climbing, camping in the Swiss Alps, they fit all the windows exactly with 95% coverage, so check them out.
3. Are there different types of sunshades?
Yes, there are foldable, roll-up, and pop-up sunshades. Some are made of reflective materials to maximise heat blockage, while others have a mesh design for partial shading.
The materials do make a difference, too light and they have no form to fit your windscreen, so these often need suction cups or other methods to keep them in place. They are not always the best option.
Rolled sunshades often have a more solid rib form (foam), these make it easier for them to stay in place through both a “custom-fit” and braiding system around the outside of the sunshade to allow them to fit better into the corners.
Folded sunshades are more rigid and cannot be rolled, so they can be bulkier, but they do work if they are custom-fit, this is more like the covercraft make.