How Hot Does a Car Get in the UAE? | Parkizzle

How Hot Does a Car Get When Parked in the UAE?

The short answer: very hot, potentially 60°C or more inside the cabin during the UAE summer. UAE road-safety experts have warned that vehicles parked under direct sunlight can reach these temperatures, even when the outside temperature is considerably lower.

So when the temperature outside is around 40–45°C, your parked car can quickly become one of the hottest places around you.

Why Does a Parked Car Get So Hot?

Sunlight passes through the windows and heats the dashboard, seats, steering wheel, and other surfaces inside the car.

That heat becomes trapped inside the cabin, causing the temperature to rise well above the temperature outside.

Research on parked vehicles has found cabin temperatures can exceed the outside temperature by more than 20°C under direct sunlight.

This is why a car can feel unbearably hot even after being parked for a relatively short time.

It Is Not Just About Comfort

That heat affects more than your first few uncomfortable minutes behind the wheel.

Repeated exposure can contribute to:

• Fading and cracking of dashboards and interior materials
• Leather deterioration
• Faster ageing of rubber and plastic components
• Additional stress on the battery
• A much harder job for your air-conditioning system

And some surfaces inside the car can become hot enough to be painful to touch.

Most importantly, never leave children or pets inside a parked vehicle, even for a short period.

Does Cracking the Windows Help?

Not much.

Leaving a window slightly open may reduce the temperature a little, but research has found that a small window opening does not prevent the cabin from reaching dangerously high temperatures.

Shade makes a much bigger difference.

How to Keep Your Car Cooler

If you regularly park outdoors in the UAE, a few simple measures can help:

• Choose covered or underground parking whenever possible
• Use a windscreen sunshade
• Use legal heat- and UV-reducing window tint
• Ventilate the cabin before driving
• Avoid leaving electronics, aerosols, batteries, or other heat-sensitive items inside

Abu Dhabi Police has also warned drivers about leaving potentially hazardous items inside vehicles during extreme summer temperatures.

Your Parking Space Matters

You cannot change the UAE summer, but you can change where your car spends it.

If your vehicle sits parked for eight hours every day, moving from an exposed outdoor space to covered or underground parking means hundreds, potentially thousands, of hours less direct sunlight every year.

That means a cooler car when you return, less exposure to extreme cabin temperatures, and better protection for your vehicle over time.

Parkizzle helps drivers find private parking spaces across the UAE, including covered and underground options near home and work.

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