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How hot will your car get?

Pick the outside temperature and the minutes parked to see how hot a closed car gets in the sun, based on measured data. Share it with someone who needs to see it.

80°F27°C
60°F105°F
20 min
0 min60 min
Tesla Cabin Overheat Protection

Assumes a closed car on a clear, sunny day. Cracked windows barely change it.

Inside the car

106°F

41°C after 20 minutes, 26°F above the air outside

70°90°110°130°0m15m30m45m60m
  • At 60 minutes: about 120°F (49°C). About 80% of that rise happens in the first half hour. This uses the study's average 40°F rise; its coolest day, at 72°F, still reached 117°F, so your car can run hotter.
  • Never leave a child or a pet in a parked car, even with the windows cracked or the A/C set. If you see one alone in a car, call 911.

Gear that helps

Affiliate links: we may earn a commission. Why we picked these

  • EcoNour windshield sun shade

    Blocks some of the sun on the dashboard and seats, so the cabin starts cooler when you get back. It does not make the car safe for a child or a pet.

    View on Amazon

Just Right picks the Tesla cabin temperature for the heat and the sun and starts the climate in one tap, so the car cools down before you get in.

The short answer

On a clear, sunny day, a closed car warms by roughly 40°F (22°C) in an hour, and about 80% of that rise lands in the first 30 minutes (McLaren 2005). The rate held steady whether it was 72 or 96°F outside, so even a 72°F day pushed the cabin to 117°F. Cracking the windows barely slowed it. Never leave a child or a pet in a parked car, even for a minute.

How it works

Researchers measured a dark sedan on 16 clear, sunny days with outside temperatures from 72 to 96°F, recording the cabin for 60 minutes (McLaren 2005). The calculator draws a smooth curve through their two headline results: about 40°F of rise by 60 minutes, with 80% of it done by 30 minutes. That works out to about 3.3°F per 5 minutes across the hour, close to the 3.2°F the study reported.

Your own car can run hotter or cooler. Shade helps but does not make a car safe: in Arizona tests, shaded cabins still averaged about 103°F (39.5°C) at steady state, against 118°F (47.6°C) in the sun (Vanos 2018). A child can overheat in a parked car on a mild day in the 70s (NWS). Tesla's Cabin Overheat Protection runs the air conditioning once the cabin passes 105°F (40°C), and Tesla warns the car can still get dangerously hot (Tesla manual).

Common questions

How hot does a car get in the sun?

In a study on clear days from 72 to 96°F, a closed sedan's cabin rose about 40°F in an hour, with most of the rise in the first 15 to 30 minutes. Even on a 72°F day it reached 117°F.

Does cracking the windows keep a car cool?

No. With the windows open 1.5 inches, the cabin heated at 3.1°F per 5 minutes versus 3.4°F closed, a difference the study found not significant, and it reached the same peak.

Is Tesla Cabin Overheat Protection safe for a dog?

No. Tesla's manual says the cabin can still become dangerously hot because of automatic shut-off or extreme conditions, and says never to leave children or pets unattended. If you see a child or pet alone in a hot car, call 911.

This tool shares general information and does not give medical advice. It cannot diagnose or treat any condition. For symptoms that worry you, see a clinician. In an emergency, call 911.

Sources

  1. McLaren C, Null J, Quinn J. Heat stress from enclosed vehicles: moderate ambient temperatures cause significant temperature rise in enclosed vehicles. Pediatrics. 2005;116(1):e109-e112.
  2. Vanos JK, Middel A, Poletti MN, Selover NJ. Evaluating the impact of solar radiation on pediatric heat balance within enclosed, hot vehicles. Temperature (Austin). 2018;5(3):276-292.
  3. National Weather Service. Children, Pets and Vehicles: Heat Safety.
  4. Tesla, Inc. Model 3 Owner's Manual: Operating Climate Controls (Cabin Overheat Protection). tesla.com/ownersmanual.