Colours have been known to have an effect on temperatures. While light colours are generally considered good for humid conditions, darker colours help in cold climates. Particularly in the UAE, where temperatures are high throughout the year, it can be a daunting task to embrace the heat for long periods of time. People in such areas usually prefer lighter colours for apparels and other stuff.
However, humans are not the only ones affected by heat. Your vehicles for instance can heat up pretty quickly under the sun. Air conditioning surely helps to beat the heat inside a car, but before you start the AC, the car’s interior temperature can become unbearable at times. Along with some other factors, colours come into play here too. You should be aware of the effects of a car’s colour on the interior. Let’s go through a detailed guide about the effects on interior by the car’s colour.
Importance of Car’s Colours
A car’s colour is a reflection of the owner’s personality and people pay extra attention to it when buying a car. However, the real problem arises when you enter a parked car and the interior temperature is high. A heated interior can cause discomfort in several ways as the steering, hand gear and seats can get warm; becoming hard to touch.
Luckily, modern cars come with some unique features like cooled and ventilated seats which can add comfort under such situations. But the question remains about the effects of a car’s colour on the interior.
What are the Effects of Car’s Colour on the Interior?
The science behind colours having an effect on the temperature is rather simple. Bright colours are good reflectors of light; therefore, they don’t let the heat settle in. Dark colours, on the other hand, aren’t good reflectors as they absorb heat and you can feel the warmth. White or light coloured objects reflect all wavelengths of light, absorbing minimal heat. Black objects on the other hand absorb all wave lenghts, reflecting none. This makes black colour warmer as compared to lighter colours.
The exterior colour of cars usually comes into the discussion when talking about the heating element and interior colours are often neglected. However, interior colours can also have the same effect on your car’s temperature. You should pay attention when going for car interior detailing and choose the right coloured equipment. Besides the exterior colour, there are other factors that contribute to high interior temperatures. The factors are listed as follows:
UPHOLSTERY COLOURS
Dark colours become warmer because they absorb more light energy. Car seats are generally more exposed to sunlight as sunlight is directly projected on them. Dark coloured seats can absorb more heat making them hot.
UPHOLSTERY MATERIAL
The material of your seats can also have an effect on the temperature. Leather generally gets hotter compared to other materials. If your car has leather seats, you are likely to experience hot temperatures. Neoprene and cotton terry can be used to avoid high temperatures inside the car.
AMOUNT OF INTERIOR EXPOSED TO THE SUN
The interior temperature is not just limited to car seats and the material. The colour of the steering wheel, hand gear and dashboard all play their part in making the interior hot. Dark-coloured components will likely be warmer in any case.
TIME A CAR IS UNDER THE SUN
The time a car stays under the sun is also among the effects of a car’s colour on the interior. If your car is exposed to sunshine for longer durations, it will get more warm and vice versa.
Dark-coloured interior gets warmer compared to a light-coloured one. The car interior with dark-coloured seats, steering and dashboard will absorb more heat. You can feel the heat after entering a car parked under the sun. Additionally, the temperature of a locked car will rise regardless of the availability of sunshine as there is no passage for air to pass through. Light colour schemes for the interior can help you keep the temperature relatively low.
Which Car Colours Keep the Interior Cooler?
When a car is parked in an area with sunshine for a long time, it is likely to get hot regardless of the colour. However, dark-coloured cars such as black or dark blue will get hotter compared to cars with lighter colours such as white or silver. You should also be aware of some environmental factors that can harm your car.
For countries that experience high temperatures for the better part of a year such as the UAE, you can opt for lighter colours for your car. White, cream and silver are some of the colours that are good reflectors of light and can help keep your car’s interior temperature a touch low. If you are experiencing high interior temperatures in your car, you can go for a car colour change. Simply follow the procedure to change the car colour in the UAE and get a new and bright colour for your car.
Tips to Keep Your Car Cool
Hot climates and sunshine are more than likely to heat your car’s interior to some extent even with lighter colour schemes. Besides getting light-coloured car paints, you can follow the following tips to keep your vehicle cool:
PARK IN THE SHADE
Always try to park your car in a shaded area or a semi-shaded one in case a fully covered spot is not available. Even a small amount of shade can help keep your car’s temperature low.
GET SUNSHADES
Sunshades are a great option for minimising the greenhouse effect that makes cars hot. You can get sunshades for windshields and windows and they can help keep your car cool under the sun.
COVER YOUR SEATS AND STEERING WHEEL
While the sunshades act as protective layers for steering wheels and seats, it is not a bad option to take some additional steps. You can cover the seats and steering wheels with towels or thick pieces of cloth to avoid direct contact with sunshine. This way, the steering wheel and seats will not be too hot when you touch them.
GET THE WINDOWS TINTED
Tinted windows can also help minimise the greenhouse effect and keep the interior temperature a touch lower. However, before going for tinted windows, you should be aware of the window tinting laws in Abu Dhabi and other cities of the Emirates. However, people living in Dubai can read these rules before getting a car window tinting in Dubai. This can help you avoid any conflict with the law.
This brings us to the end of our guide about the effects of a car’s colour on the interior. It is evident that car colour and interior temperature are directly related. Too much exposure to the sun can even contribute to premature wear and tear of parts. Choose lighter colours and ensure proper maintenance to increase your car’s running life. Additionally, you can check out car colour history and see how the colours have evolved over the years.
That said, if the heated interior is causing discomfort, you can go for a vehicle change with genuine bright colours. Check out these used cars for sale in the UAE and select from a vast variety of bright-coloured and advanced cars.
Stay tuned to UAE’s top auto blog for more information.
Related Posts
