How Hot Is Your Vehicle?

Summer is here and so is the heat- If  you  think it is hot outside---- How high can the temperature inside your  vehicle  go?

The exact answer will vary, of course, depending on the type of car, where it is parked, the time of day. 

• The fastest temperature rise occurs in the first few minutes. Within just 10 minutes, the temperature can increase between 10 and 20 degrees.
• Over the first 30 minutes, the temperature increases by an average of over one degree per minute. If you park and go inside a store for 30 minutes on a 90-degree day, you’ll come back to a car that is over 120 degrees.
• After one hour, the average car is 43 degrees hotter than the outside temperature.
• After 90 minutes, the average temperature difference is 48 degrees. On a 90-degree day, that equates to 138 degrees—higher than the hottest outdoor temperature ever recorded on earth.
• Interestingly, these temperature increases are roughly the same no matter what the outdoor temperature is. Even on a beautiful 75-degree day, the temperature after 90 minutes will be over 120 degrees. If you’re in a desert heat wave and the outside temperature is 110, expect a car interior around 160 degrees.

Since these are averages, there’s about a 50-50 chance that your vehicle could get even hotter. The paint color, interior upholstery color, amount of window tinting, amount of shade, direction you are parked, and city where you are located can all affect whether your car is below or above average.