Is it safe to drive in hot weather in the UK?

Yes, it's safe to drive in hot weather and, as long as it's running properly, your car will be more than up to the challenge. Make sure you follow our hot-weather driving tips to keep you moving as the thermostat climbs. Most important is to make sure you can see – check your windscreen is free from chips, scratches, streaks or any other marks that will obscure vision in bright sunlight. Also make sure your screenwash is topped up as tree sap and road grime will quickly stick to your car's windows, blurring your vision.

Can a car overheat on a hot day?

Modern cars are extensively tested in extreme conditions before being released to the public. That means it is extremely unlikely that hot weather alone will make your car overheat. That said, if your car already has an underlying problem – especially in the engine's cooling or lubrication system – that will ultimately lead to it overheating anyway, the hot weather might exacerbate it enough to the point of failure. You might also find yourself at risk of overheating if you've modified your car's engine to make more power.

What’s the biggest danger when driving in extreme heat?

Driving in extreme heat is – like most activities done in extreme heat – really only advisable if it's absolutely necessary. The safest choice, if possible, is to wait for the temperature to fall to a more manageable level before driving. If, however, there's simply no way to avoid driving in extremely hot conditions, your main focus needs to be on keeping the car's occupants cool. Ideally, you'll have working air conditioning in your car, which makes this an easy task but, if not, you should open more than one window to encourage air to move through the cabin, cooling it down. Also consider buying sunshades for your side windows, especially if travelling with children in the back, as these will block out most of the sun's energy.

How do you check your tyres are OK?

Our guide goes into detail about checking the condition of your tyres, but the topline is that you need to check that your tyre tread depth and pressures are right, and you should regularly look for signs of deformation – whether that’s cracking, bulging or anything else.

What makes tyres illegal?

Car tyres in the UK need to have at least 1.6mm of tread depth across the middle 75% of the tyre’s surface to be legal, so anything below this is illegal. The police may also prosecute you if your tyres aren’t in roadworthy condition, as we’ve mentioned above – even if they appear to have enough tread left.

How does the condition of your tyres affect car behaviour?

As the only bits of the car touching the road, your tyres can massively affect car behaviour and handling. If you don’t have enough tread on your tyres, or if they’re under-inflated, the braking and steering will be impacted – and usually for the worse. Keep your tyres in top condition to make sure your car handles and stops as it should.

What do unsafe tyres look like?

If you spot any signs of cracking, punctures, missing rubber, bulges, bald patches or anything else that doesn’t look quite right, your tyres are probably unsafe and should be checked or replaced at the earliest opportunity.

Is 3mm tyre tread OK for an MOT test?

Yes, 3mm tyre tread is fine for an MOT test. You may get an advisory note on the MOT certificate to tell you to consider changing your tyres before the tread gets much lower.

How often should I check my tyre pressures?

Try to check your tyre pressures once a month or so. You should also check your tyre pressures before a long journey, and you may need to inflate your tyres to a higher pressure level when the car is heavily loaded.

What is the average life of a car tyre?

There’s no easy answer – the life of a car tyre will depend on so many different factors. A tyre from one brand will be of a different quality and have a different rubber composition to a tyre from another brand, which affects lifespan. Tyres usually wear out more quickly on the driven wheels – a front-wheel-drive car will typically need its front tyres replacing sooner than the rear ones. The car you drive can also cause a huge variation in the average life of a tyre. A sports car that’s meant to be driven fast will go through tyres quicker than an economy-focused hatchback. Similarly, an electric car that’s heavy and powerful will be particularly hard on its tyres, so you might need to replace your tyres sooner than you might’ve expected.

How do I know if my car has climate control?

The most obvious giveaway that a car has proper climate control will be the ability to select a specific temperature on the dashboard – either using a physical dial or an on-screen menu. Cars without climate control usually use simplified red-to-blue heater dials, without the ability to pick an actual number. Climate control setups will usually also include a button marked 'Auto', which turns the climate control system on or off. In addition, you'll spot a control marked 'Sync' or 'Dual' on dual-zone climate controls, which will toggle the ability to set two distinct temperatures for driver and front passenger.

Does climate control use more fuel?

That depends what you're comparing it to. If you're comparing a car using climate control to a car that doesn't have the system at all, the climate-control-equipped car will use a fraction more fuel due to the extra energy needed to run the system. It's a very small amount of energy in the grand scheme of things, however, so most people will be happy to burn an extra drop or two of fuel to avoid becoming a sweaty mess. If you're comparing a car with climate control to a car with air conditioning, that's a little more complex. In this scenario, we'd expect climate control to use a little less fuel because it'll only be engaging the air-con pump when it's needed, and turns it off to save energy otherwise. In an air-con-equipped car, the air con could be running at a constant rate for the whole journey, providing more cooling power than you actually need and, thus, using a little more fuel. It's important to remember, however, that we're talking about quite a small amount of fuel compared to the amount your car actually uses to drive itself around, so both air con and climate control are still a useful, energy-efficient way to stay cool on a hot day.

How do you use climate control?

If your car has a button marked 'Auto', make sure this is activated so the climate control system is operating. Then, simply set your desired temperature and let the car do the rest. The on-board system works out exactly how much heating or cooling is needed to keep the cabin at that temperature, and it'll keep adjusting it as necessary to hold that temperature.

Is climate control the same as air con?

No, but it is a very similar system – think of climate control as an upgraded, automated air conditioning system. Air con simply cools down air by a fixed amount and then blows it into the car's cabin. Climate control will automatically adjust the amount of cooling or heating on the fly to maintain a set temperature in the cabin.

Does automatic climate control mean air conditioning?

All car climate control systems will include air conditioning functions as standard. So, if your car is equipped with climate control, it also has air con and can cool air below ambient temperatures. The 'climate control' aspect simply adds automatic computer control to the air conditioning, keeping the cabin at a set temperature by precisely metering out the amount of cooling or heating as needed.

Does automatic air conditioning mean climate control?

Yes. In cars, automatic air conditioning is another name some brands use for climate control. This refers to a system that'll automatically adjust how much air conditioning or heating is used to hold the car's cabin at a fixed temperature.

Summer Driving

How to drive safely in hot weather

• 7 min read

Mike Vousden

Content Editor

Mike is a Content Editor at Motorpoint. He's written for several motoring mags, and worked as an electric car analyst. He likes EVs, V8s and '60s American cars

You may think we only get hot weather for about one day per year…

…but the UK's climate is heating up every year, with more frequent heatwaves as a result of climate change.

It might seem benign but, when the mercury climbs, you should tweak your driving habits, just as you would if driving in lashing rain or snow.

Driving in hot weather tips:

Check your car is safe to drive, so you don't end up stranded
Keep interior temperatures down using windows, shade or air conditioning
Consider carrying bottles of water or a portable phone charger for emergencies
Watch out for dangers like glaring sunshine or tree sap that impact your visibility
Your car is designed to work properly in hot temperatures
Hot, sunny weather can be a great time to visit the UK's many destinations

How to drive in hot weather

Drivers sit in a convertible with the sunset glaring ahead of them

Driving in hot weather requires three things – you must make sure your car is safe, keep everyone a comfortable temperature, and have a plan in case of emergency.

You'll notice these three things are actually necessary all-year round, so learning good practice for hot weather driving should prove just as useful during other seasons, too.

Is it safe to drive in hot weather?

Yes. It's generally safe to drive in hot weather and you shouldn't let high temperatures put you off using the roads. Hot and sunny conditions are a great opportunity to head out and explore the UK's many scenic locations, and a little preparation will make sure you don't get hot under the collar while behind the wheel.

Check your coolant

If it's hot outside, your car's coolant system has to work harder to keep everything running at the right temperature. Getting stuck in traffic on a hot day will give your car's coolant a serious workout to stop your engine overheating.

You should check your engine has enough coolant and that it's reasonably new. Ideally, you'll do this every month but, failing that, checking before summer and winter is a good idea. If you're not sure how to check your engine coolant, a dealership or service centre should be able to check for you. Learn more about car maintenance.

Check your tyres

Summer shouldn't cause more mechanical problems than any other season, but you should always be mindful of the condition of your tyres. Especially if you're about to set off on a long journey.

Hot ambient temperatures can see tyre pressures increase, which might push your tyres above their happy operating window. Having too much air pressure in your tyres can lead to reduced grip and excess wear, so make sure to check them using a pressure gauge or a pump at a petrol station.

Going from cold winter to hot summer weather also puts thermal stress on the tyre rubber, which can increase the risk of failure over time. If you spot any small cracks starting to form on the tyre's tread or sidewall, it's probably time to change it for a fresh one.

8 checks and tips for keeping your car tyres in top condition

Car tyre checks: how to check tyre pressure, tread and condition

Make sure you can see

A key ingredient for safe driving is the ability to see properly. Your view won't get blocked by snow, ice or condensation during the summer, but other factors can impact visibility from the driver's seat.

Check your windscreen

Bright sunshine means chips, scratches and streaks on your windscreen have nowhere to hide. The glaring light shows them up more obviously than ever and, if they're really bad, it can dangerously obscure your vision.

Minor windscreen damage can easily turn into a major crack if you hit a pothole, so it's much safer to get your windscreen repaired or replaced as soon as you notice a problem. Many insurers include windscreen cover in their policies, so you might find a hefty discount from your provider to get a damaged screen put right.

Keep your screenwash topped up

Rain might feel like a constant companion in the UK, but it's much less frequent in the summer. That's usually when you notice its absence, because now there's nothing periodically cleaning your windscreen of grime and dead insects, especially when you're driving into a low sun.

As a result, you'll rely on your screenwash much more in the summer than you might in the winter, so why not set a reminder to keep it topped up? Water works in a pinch, but it's best to use formulated screenwash from a car care store.

Be wary of tree sap

One reason we go through so much screenwash in the summer is because trees give off lots of sap during hotter months. Sap sticks like glue to your car's glass and bodywork, and can very quickly make it hard to see the road properly if you don't clean it off.

It's a good idea to avoid parking your car underneath trees if you can avoid it during the summer, as this'll reduce the amount of sap it's exposed to. Otherwise, you might want to get on first-name terms with your local car wash, or buy some sap remover and use it regularly to keep your car's paintwork fresh. If sap is left to bake on, it can damage your paintwork.

Keep a pair of sunglasses handy

Driver wears sunglasses while driving in sunshine

This is a great idea. Most importantly, you have protection for your eyes as soon as the sun starts glaring. But you can also look as cool as a cucumber at a moment's notice!

On a serious note, bright sunshine can make it hard to look directly at the road or other cars as reflections flash off them. Sunglasses – even cheap, plasticky ones if you don't want to shell out for a pair of posh Ray Bans – are an easy way to keep your eyes safely on the road, so leave a pair in your glovebox for when the sun breaks through the clouds.

Use sunshades

A baby looks placid in a car seat while a sunshade blocks out the sun's rays

Chances are, your car already has a pair of sun visors mounted at the top of the windscreen. These can be folded down to help block out bright sunshine, and most can also be folded to the side if you're travelling at an angle from the sun.

You can also purchase removable sunshades for your rear side windows – don't put them on the front windows. These may use rubber suction cups to mount inside a window, or may drape over both sides of the window, and are made of a dense mesh that drastically reduces the amount of light that makes it into the car.

These are especially great for children in the back seats because they keep cabin temperatures down and block glare from any screens they're using. Helps with nap times too!

Keep everyone cool

You can see clearly now… but we still need to battle the other challenge in hot weather – the heat itself. This is much more important for passengers, as they'll expire in hot weather long before your car does, this also applies if you're driving with your dog. For more information on cooling a hot car that's been parked, read our guide to cooling a hot car quickly.

Use your air con

Air conditioning (A/C) is the first line of defence against hot weather and the majority of modern cars come with it as standard. This uses a system similar to your refrigerator to cool the incoming air before pumping it into the cabin. Basic or manual A/C usually just chills the cabin air a set amount, while more advanced climate control setups automatically regulate the A/C to hold the cabin at a set temperature.

It's a good idea to turn your car's A/C on briefly on a monthly basis – even during colder months – to keep the system running smoothly. You don't want to get to a heatwave and find out your air con is no longer working!

Open your windows if you don't have air con

If your car doesn't come with air conditioning, you'll need to use your windows instead to cool the cabin. Opening just one window can be effective to reduce interior temperatures but this tactic becomes more effective when you open two or more windows. This encourages air to flow through your car as you drive, carrying the hot cabin air away and drawing in fresher, cooler air.

Air con vs windows – which is more efficient?

Person giving a thumbs up through an open car window

Some drivers prefer having their windows down, others swear by their air con. Both options bring a small penalty in fuel consumption, but which option is better if you need to keep cool while running on fumes?

As a general rule, opening your windows is the more efficient option if you're driving at town speeds – up to around 30mph. At this speed, the extra aerodynamic drag caused by the open window is small enough that it'll have a minimal impact on economy.

As speeds rise, however, air conditioning becomes the more efficient option. Your car's engine has to spin a pump for your A/C to work, which leads to a small increase in fuel consumption. That small increase is outweighed, however, by the aerodynamic drag that an open window causes at motorway speeds, so A/C the more efficient option on faster roads.

Climate control vs air con – what's the difference?

Have a plan in case of emergency

Man looks concerned while checking under his car's bonnet while on the phone

Summer driving is mostly risk-free but, like any time of year, there's always a tiny chance you could find yourself stranded if your car breaks down. Without the protection of your car's sunshades and air conditioning, you might have to face hot conditions for a while if you're waiting for a recovery truck. Making a few simple plans in case of emergency can help keep you safe should something go wrong.

Keeping a few bottles of water in your car is a good first step to battling the elements if you're stuck somewhere hot for a long time. It's also a good idea to keep a portable phone charger on you if you need to call in a tow – batteries don't tend to last as long in the heat, so having some extra electrons can save you a headache down the line.

Is driving in hot weather bad for your car?

No. Manufacturers test cars to destruction in some of the most extreme environments they can simulate. This means you can be confident your car is going to work reliably all-year round regardless of what Mother Nature throws at you – even the rare occasions we get hot temperatures in the UK!

A factor you'll need to be especially aware of in summer, however, is tree sap. This sticky substance glues itself to your car's glass and bodywork. In the short term, it can make seeing out your windows tricky but, if you don't clean it off, sap can damage your car's paint and require expensive repairs to put right.

Keep cool in a great-value used car

Check out Motorpoint's huge selection of used cars, all with warranty cover and the lowest prices guaranteed. For more seasonal driving advice, take a look at our guides to driving in icy conditions and what to do when aquaplaning. To really make the most of the hot weather, see our picks for the best convertible cars you can buy.