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Is it Hot in Here?
Aug 05 2008 by Emily Hansen
8/5/08
Interior Color May Not Be What’s Warming Things Up
By: Emily Hansen
Here I am, sweltering in the heat of summer. I even feel hot in my air-conditioned house. So it should come as no surprise that my black car with its black interior is a torture device at this point. I have begun to look longingly at light-colored cars in parking lots, especially those that have tan or light gray interiors. In the midst of applying some cooling aloe vera to the backs of my seat-scorched legs, I got a call assigning me to test a hypothesis.
Question: Are black interiors really hotter than light ones?
Hypothesis: Hell yes! Black interiors are several degrees warmer than lighter-colored interiors.
Experiment: Place a thermometer that’s been at room temperature into a car that’s been parked outside for several hours. Wait 10 minutes, then check the temperature.
Vehicles: Sample No. 1, dark blue car with light gray interior. Sample No. 2, gray car with black interior. Sample No. 3, black car with black interior.
Now, I would have bet big money on the black interior being 5 to 10 degrees warmer. I was surprised to learn that, according to my experiment, the interior temperature after 10 minutes had more to do with the exterior color of the car than it did with the interior color. Of course, my sample was tiny and my measurement tools were crude, but at first glance it appears that both dark-colored vehicles registered about 5 degrees warmer than the lighter gray exterior. Imagine that!
The main thing I took away from my little test was that any car gets really freakin’ hot when sitting in the summer heat. With too many tragic stories to recount, I implore you to be vigilant and never leave kids in the car.
User Comments
What we see in color is actually what part of the color spectrum the object does not absorb – i.e., blue objects absorb all color except blue, red objects absorb all color except red, etc… So, because black has all those colors in it, it absorbs more color, and thus energy, of the light spectrum making it hotter to wear, drive in, and be around in general.
Yet, the answer to the question shouldn’t be boiled down simply to interior vs exterior because it depends upon HOW MUCH black your car has and how near you are to it. A white car with a black interior will be infinitely hotter to you because you are sitting on it, near it, and around it. BUT a black car, with say a white interior would only be hotter on the outside paint. Since the inside is not black, it should not be as hot to the touch.
AND (to end on a funny note) the argument is totally moot if you live in FL, AZ, or TX, because it’s just plain hot there during the summer. There are times I think I could cook eggs on my car or sidewalk it’s so hot! No color will ever be cool to the touch in the summer in those states! 
Wonderful info SG! Thanks so much for your input.
Summer is fast approaching which means it’s not only hot outside, but the temperature inside our car and car performance chips can be life threatening too. thanks for this article. this could help.
That is surprising. My car is silver outside, so according to your test results should be a bit cooler than a darker colored car. But, the seemingly huge black dashboard - I am convinced - sucks up every ounce of heat in the atmosphere and stores it for months!