Greek drivers urged to use sun shades and ventilation to cool overheated cars

Temperatures inside parked cars in Greece can quickly soar, reaching about 60 °C after 90 minutes of sun exposure, while steering wheels can hit 70 °C, making them too hot to touch. Experts recommend first opening opposite doors and windows to vent trapped hot air, creating a brief airflow pump before turning on the air‑conditioning. When the AC is activated, using the fresh‑air setting for the first one or two minutes helps replace the interior air with cooler outside air; recirculation should be avoided until the cabin temperature begins to drop.

Testing by the ADAC car club identified the most effective sun protection as a semi‑dome cover that shields the entire roof and windows, lowering cabin temperature by roughly 10 °C to about 43 °C. Conventional external sunshades reduced the temperature to 45 °C, while internal windshield shades achieved about 49 °C. Simple cloth or towel solutions offered little benefit. The same study showed that protecting the steering wheel and gear selector with these shades can cut their surface temperature by up to 26 °C, preventing burns to the driver’s hands.