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The Best Car Sun Shades For Safe And Comfortable Travelling

  • Keep the sun at bay this summer
  • Help fight harmful UV rays and insects from entering your car
  • Options for side windows and the winsscreen

Written by Ryan Gilmore Updated: 25 July 2024

We yearn for sunny days, but when the sun finally comes out, we go to great lengths to protect ourselves from its rays. This is especially true in cars, but a pair of sunglasses and a sun visor can only go so far. This is where the car sunshade comes in, especially if you’re travelling with young children in the back. Not only can they be used on the side windows to keep your children cool, but windscreen shades can be used to keep your car cool and limit the sun’s rays getting through your crystal clear windscreen when your car is parked up.

There are hundreds of different car sun shades available. Although it’s a relatively inexpensive product, it’s easy to get the wrong one. In fact, we’d take price out of the equation and instead consider the level of UV protection, how much of the window it covers and the ease of use. We’ve sifted through hundreds of car sun shades, so you don’t have to be, ahem, blinded by the range of options.

It might not be such an important consideration as something like windscreen wipers and a car sunshade will help to block out the sun, but there’s more to it than that. Many people believe that privacy glass protects occupants from harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays, but it doesn’t. The clue is in the name: privacy glass is designed for privacy. It is possible to source tinted windows that block UV rays, but this is a more expensive solution than fitting a sun shade.

The advantage of a sunshade is that it is guaranteed to block UV rays, but it can be removed when the sun stops shining. It is also good at cooling the cabin, which means your car’s air conditioning or climate control won’t have to work so hard, so you’ll use less fuel. It adds some darkness to the rear seats, which will be music to your ears if you want a baby to drift off to sleep.

The best car sunshades at a glance:

Editor’s choice: Goosky Car Window Sunshades – Buy now from Amazon UK
Best pull-down shade: Munchki Window Shade – Buy now from Amazon UK
Best all-weather windscreen shade: FREESOO Sunshade – Buy now from Amazon UK

The best car sunshades

Most popular sun shade

Rrp: £15.99

Price: £9.34
This car window sunshade two-pack from Diza is made of high-quality nylon mesh. It is breathable, flexible, and stretchy and should fit the rear passenger windows of most domestic cars. This sunshade actually fits over the exterior of the rear passenger window, which means that it provides shade while still allowing the window to be opened for ventilation.

Pros

  • Two-pack
  • Allows the window to open for ventilation

Cons

  • Some found that extra securing was required for a good fit

Editor's choice
Price: £9.99
There's little to choose between the Diza100 and the Goosky car sun shade, but you do get a storage bag with the Goosky. It also has a comedy name, which has to be worth something. Again, it can be used with the rear window up or down, and the manufacturer claims it will fit 98 per cent of cars.

Pros

  • Can be used with the window down
  • Prevents insects from getting in

Cons

  • Reduces rear window visibility
Best pull-down shade
Price: £15.00
Alternative Retailers
Argos
£16.00
These rear window shades are attached to the car door using adjustable clips or suction pads and can be rolled up or down as required. This set features a White Hot indicator - the car blind turns white when the car is too hot, helping to prevent your little one from over-heating

Pros

  • Easy to fit and remove
  • Heat protection indication

Cons

  • Doesn't cover the entire window
Best dual-layered shade
Price: £14.99
While most sun shades come in a pack of two, this solution gives you four for the price of one. The EcoNour blocks 98 per cent of sunlight and harmful UV rays and is dual-layered - 120 GSM mesh fabric for semi-transparent protection and 80 GSM for a more transparent look. There are no suction cups, as these shades automatically stick to any clean window surface.

Pros

  • Easy to attach to the window
  • Dual transparency

Cons

  • Can't be used when the window is down

Best all-weather windscreen protection
Price: £14.99
If you don't have the luxury of parking your car in a garage, then you'll quickly realise that your car can get exceptionally hot after being left in the sun. This windshield cover consists of four layers: a PEVA aluminium foil, which reflects sunlight; spun cotton, which insulates against heat; composite cotton, which effectively protects against high interior temperature in the car; and + a soft fleece lining to protect your car windscreen.

Pros

  • Year-round use
  • Thick, multi-layer protection

Cons

  • Not so easy to store
Best value windscreen shade
Price: £13.99
This sun shade from SC Products comes in two sizes which helps to give a good fit for your car. It's easy to fit to the windscreen and is secured by closing the car doors onto the side flaps. It offers good protection against sunlight and can be folded flat for easy storage.

Pros

  • Choice of sizes
  • Easy to store

Cons

  • No bag for storage

How to buy the right car sunshade and how to use it

There are two basic types of car shade. One uses a stretchable material to cover the entire top half of the door, while the other uses suction pads to stick to the window. We’d favour the net design for its uniform protection and the ability to use it with the window up or down. Although it’s a small point, we also prefer a solution that doesn’t leave marks on the glass when not in use.

To use, you simply slide the door shade over the top of the door frame. After this, you pull the shade over the window before following the instructions for fixing it to the car.

Fixing a sun shade with suction pads is even easier. You simply remove the shade from its packaging, before using the suction pads to fix it to the screen. We’d recommend removing any grease from the glass using a cleaner and a microfibre cloth before use as this will prevent the screen from falling off.

What to consider when choosing a car sunshade

Don’t favour a fancy design over function. It’s essential that a sun shade stops harmful UV rays from entering a cabin, so make sure that the product is fit for purpose. Protection first, a colourful design second.

Also make sure that the sun shade can be used on your car. Although the stretchable shades fit most cars, they’re not suitable for vehicles with sliding rear doors. You could also find that they’re not stretchable enough for large saloons and people carriers. If this is the case, you’ll need a car shade with suction pads.

Ryan Gilmore is the Deputy Autos and Tools Editor for Parkers and CAR, specialising in car cleaning and hand tools. With an MA in Automotive Journalism, when he’s not testing buckets he can be found looking at old Porsches.

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