# Dark vs light cars: which get hotter in sun? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 8, 2006, 9:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dark-vs-light-cars-which-get-hotter-in-sun/367835 "2006-08-08T09:08:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![amitxjoshi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a6a055/32.png) [@amitxjoshi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amitxjoshi)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2006, 9:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dark-vs-light-cars-which-get-hotter-in-sun/367835/1 "2006-08-08T09:08:51Z")
Here’s a question which has been puzzling me as I debate buying a new car: is it true that dark colored cars get hotter in the sun than do light colored cars? ---
**Author:** ![R.P.McMurphy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7993a0/32.png) [@R.P.McMurphy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/R.P.McMurphy)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2006, 11:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dark-vs-light-cars-which-get-hotter-in-sun/367835/2 "2006-08-08T11:02:34Z")
Yes. ---
**Author:** ![A.R.Cane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ee7513/32.png) [@A.R.Cane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/A.R.Cane)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2006, 11:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dark-vs-light-cars-which-get-hotter-in-sun/367835/3 "2006-08-08T11:21:24Z")
I don’t think the difference is that dramatic, total glass area, window tinting, would probably have more effect than body color. Personally, I wouldn’t choose a car’s color just for that reason. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2006, 11:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dark-vs-light-cars-which-get-hotter-in-sun/367835/4 "2006-08-08T11:56:37Z")
When I bought my car the woman who is the quality control manager at the dealer made an interesting comment. She said I was smart getting the silver/grey paintwork because it keeps clean better. When i asked what she meant she explained that light colours and dark colours both look really dirty with any dirt on them at all however grey cars don’t show it as much. I hadn’t known but you only have to look closely at a few cars to see that she is right. ---
**Author:** ![SkeptiJess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea666f/32.png) [@SkeptiJess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SkeptiJess)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2006, 11:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dark-vs-light-cars-which-get-hotter-in-sun/367835/5 "2006-08-08T11:59:31Z")
My husband has a dark gray Passat and it gets much hotter inside than my cream-colored PT Cruiser. However, my Cruiser has tinted windows and the Passat doesn’t – that may account for more of the difference than the color does. ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2006, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dark-vs-light-cars-which-get-hotter-in-sun/367835/6 "2006-08-08T12:24:13Z")
A friend of mine in High School did this as a science project. His father collected a particular sort of car (I can’t remember what it was, now) and consequently had about six of them in various colours. He lined them up in a field (they lived on a semi rural property) all facing the same way and took measurements. Don’t ask me to remember numbers (I’m talking more than 20 years ago) but I do remember that the difference in internal temp between black and white was huge. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2006, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dark-vs-light-cars-which-get-hotter-in-sun/367835/7 "2006-08-08T12:29:28Z")
They investigated this in Mythbusters, and the results were that dark cars do get hotter - slowly to start with, but eventually to a very high temperature, compared to light coloured cars. ---
**Author:** ![CC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f1d935/32.png) [@CC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CC)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2006, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dark-vs-light-cars-which-get-hotter-in-sun/367835/8 "2006-08-08T12:30:31Z")
**Princhester** , I think we’ll assume that the darker cars were the ones with the higher temperatures, but in the interest of science, can you at least provide some data? ---
**Author:** ![FormerMarineGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/65b543/32.png) [@FormerMarineGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FormerMarineGuy)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2006, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dark-vs-light-cars-which-get-hotter-in-sun/367835/9 "2006-08-08T12:40:37Z")
Exactly what you are looking for: [Car Color Surface Temperature Data](http://enerjazz.com/data/cartempsurf/) If you look at the chart, it says the roof of the cars is where the temperatures are taken. So now it probably depends on the insulation and thickness of the roof, and how much of that heat gets in, although it probably does not have a huge effect. I work at a dealership in South Florida so it seems to me that all cars are hot. FROM EXPERIENCE, I think that the interior color of the car makes a bigger difference than the exterior. Although all of our cars are leather, cloth is also a little cooler, as it does not hold in the heat. ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2006, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dark-vs-light-cars-which-get-hotter-in-sun/367835/10 "2006-08-08T12:41:42Z")
Just a side issue, if you are trying to decide on a color for a new car. I have noticed that some colors are, for some reason, harder to see. I had one light tan car that this was very evident with, to the point that I eventually drove with the headlights on all the time, which helped out. ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2006, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dark-vs-light-cars-which-get-hotter-in-sun/367835/11 "2006-08-08T13:47:42Z")
Anecdotal evidence: I have a light blue colored car, and it still gets frigging Oh-I-see-I-just-stepped-into-an-oven **hot**. ---
**Author:** ![Blaster\_Master](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/cab0a1/32.png) [@Blaster\_Master](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blaster_Master)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2006, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dark-vs-light-cars-which-get-hotter-in-sun/367835/12 "2006-08-08T14:54:17Z")
Sorry, can’t find a cite at the moment, but Mythbusters did test this on one of their shows. They had two identical cars except in exterior color. If I remember correctly, it was at least 20 degrees hotter in the black car than the white car. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2006, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dark-vs-light-cars-which-get-hotter-in-sun/367835/13 "2006-08-08T15:03:24Z")
Any car will be destroyed long before it reaches the sun, so, in practical terms, any colour of car you put in the sun will reach approximately the same temperature as any other colour. Hope this helps. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2006, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dark-vs-light-cars-which-get-hotter-in-sun/367835/14 "2006-08-08T15:39:35Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > Any car will be destroyed long before it reaches the sun Surely not [this one](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pontiac_Sunfire). ---
**Author:** ![chowder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/977dab/32.png) [@chowder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chowder)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2006, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dark-vs-light-cars-which-get-hotter-in-sun/367835/15 "2006-08-08T15:40:42Z")
> [@CC](#): > > **Princhester** , I think we’ll assume that the darker cars were the ones with the higher temperatures, but in the interest of science, can you at least provide some data? Not so much data but you have to remember that light colours will reflect more of the suns rays than will dark ones which will absorb them… ---
**Author:** ![CC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f1d935/32.png) [@CC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CC)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2006, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dark-vs-light-cars-which-get-hotter-in-sun/367835/16 "2006-08-08T17:53:08Z")
Um, **Chowder** , excusing me for asking you to not to be speaking for **Princhester** , but please to not to be involving yourself in this particular conversation unless you are, on behalf of **Princhester** , speaking on his behalf, inasmuch as it was himself who I had asked for information, not yourself, as I am, and have been aware of the basics of the science attendant upon this particular question. Thanking you in advance, xo, C. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2006, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dark-vs-light-cars-which-get-hotter-in-sun/367835/17 "2006-08-08T18:30:40Z")
> [@CC](#): > > Um, **Chowder** , excusing me for asking you to not to be speaking for **Princhester** , but please to not to be involving yourself in this particular conversation unless you are, on behalf of **Princhester** , speaking on his behalf, inasmuch as it was himself who I had asked for information, not yourself, as I am, and have been aware of the basics of the science attendant upon this particular question. Thanking you in advance, xo, C. And please be noticing that **Princhester** is having already said “Don’t ask me to remember numbers (I’m talking more than 20 years ago),” inasmuch as he ain’t got no data. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![CC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f1d935/32.png) [@CC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CC)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2006, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dark-vs-light-cars-which-get-hotter-in-sun/367835/18 "2006-08-08T18:47:23Z")
I’m noticing. And I’m still thinking that “huge” may mean 15 degrees, 40 degrees, 65 degrees or more. Maybe Princhester can remember that much without the specificity of the numbers. Maybe too much to ask, maybe not. But I’d be willing to see if he remembers a range. It’s an interesting experiment. Ya mind? ---
**Author:** ![Speaker\_for\_the\_Dead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c77e96/32.png) [@Speaker\_for\_the\_Dead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Speaker_for_the_Dead)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2006, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dark-vs-light-cars-which-get-hotter-in-sun/367835/19 "2006-08-08T19:12:14Z")
> [@CC](#): > > I’m noticing. And I’m still thinking that “huge” may mean 15 degrees, 40 degrees, 65 degrees or more. Maybe Princhester can remember that much without the specificity of the numbers. Maybe too much to ask, maybe not. But I’d be willing to see if he remembers a range. It’s an interesting experiment. Ya mind? I’m not quite sure if this is what you’re looking for, but I think someone had a bit of data [earlier](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=7657319&postcount=9). I don’t mean to speak on **FormerMarineGuy** ’s behalf, but I’m trying to save him the effort of repeating himself. ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2006, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dark-vs-light-cars-which-get-hotter-in-sun/367835/20 "2006-08-08T19:47:12Z")
Could you generate power from the tempeture difference between a black and white car? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dark-vs-light-cars-which-get-hotter-in-sun/367835.md?page=2)