We’ve all heard that dark car interiors get hotter than light ones — right? Well, Consumer Reports recently put it to the test.
The consumer advocates took two cars, one with a light-colored exterior and light-colored interior, and the other with a dark exterior and dark interior, and parked them both under the hot sun, according to Mike Monticello, Consumer Report’s road-test manager.
Here’s what they found: The temperature initially inside both vehicles was 78° F. But within an hour, it had risen to over 100° F in both, with the darker one only slightly hotter by a few degrees. In short, they were both dangerously hot and the difference was negligible.
“A car has a lot of glass area, and with the sun beating down, it’s going to heat up no matter what color the interior is or how mild the outside temperature may feel,” Consumer Reports said.
So yeah… dark car interiors do get slightly hotter. But it’s not enough to be a determining factor in what color to choose for an interior. Any color left under the hot sun will scorch your ass.
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