Best car sun shades
Which blind best keeps things cool while shielding the sun’s heat and rays?
While the sun is usually a welcome sight in Britain, it can make life uncomfortable for your passengers in a car. The rays warm up the cabin, making it difficult for children to sleep and teenagers to see the screens on electronic devices. That could make a long journey miserable for the driver, too.
There’s a huge variety of sun shades available to make summer drives more bearable for everyone in the car. Some shades are tailor made to an individual car and can be costly, but for this test we looked at cheaper, universal options that can be fitted to any model and moved between them.
All the products we tested cost less than £15, and can be slipped over the door or mounted straight on the glass. Which puts rivals in the shade?
How we tested
We were looking for shades that could provide protection from bright sunlight and then be quickly removed or shifted to make the interior less gloomy at night or in dull weather.
We looked at universal shades from various sources that could fit a range of cars. We tested them on the rear windows of a Fiat Panda, Ford Puma and Vauxhall Grandland, then scored them for ease of use, quality and value.
Halfords Roller Sun Shades
- Price: around £7 (twin pack)
- Size: 49cm x 41cm
- Rating: 5 stars
- Contact: halfords.com
Used - available now
2021 BMW
3 Series
27,981 milesAutomaticPetrol2.0L
Cash £19,497
2021 Tesla
Model 3
35,969 milesAutomaticElectric
Cash £17,897
2021 MINI
3-Door Hatch
21,816 milesManualPetrol2.0L
Cash £16,197
2024 Vauxhall
Mokka
12,555 milesManualPetrol1.2L
Cash £15,197Halfords has a huge selection of sun blinds, ranging from basic black mesh panels to highly decorated blinds to keep the kids happy. But these roller shades stood out as particularly good value for money, at £7 for a pair.
It was difficult to find fault with them. The tops can be fixed using suction pads or hooked over the glass for extra security. The blinds can then be pulled down to reveal thick mesh, which blocked all the harmful rays but allowed us to see out. There’s also a simple button to retract the mesh back into the housing.
Halfords Pop Up Cling Shades
- Price: around £6.60 (twin pack)
- Size: 49cm x 30cm
- Rating: 4.5 stars
- Contact: halfords.com
It’s another podium place for Halfords with these innovative shades, which worked much more effectively than we expected. One side of the panels is made of a soft vinyl material that is similar to old-fashioned window stickers used by car dealers’ tax disc holders. They cling to the glass securely without needing glue. They look a little scruffy once in place, but their main advantage is that the Halfords shades can be folded easily and stored in the door pockets when they are not needed. They are a little on the pricey side, though.
Ram Car Side Window Sun Shade
- Price: around £5.99 (twin pack)
- Size: 110cm x 50cm
- Rating: 4 stars
- Contact: amazon.co.uk
Amazon’s best-selling Rams represent the hood-style shades in this test. Instead of fixing on the inside on the window, these enclose the entire top of the door. This ensures there are no gaps in the coverage and also means you can wind the windows down on most cars without worrying about flies infiltrating the interior. Bear in mind they won’t work on a car without rear doors or frameless windows, though. They were also baggy on the Panda and Puma’s smaller windows and create more drag when you drive.
Munchkin Brica Sun Safety Roller Shade
- Price: around £7.59 (single)
- Size: 48cm x 38cm
- Rating: 3.5 stars
- Contact: boots.co.uk
This single shade works in the same way as our winners, but it feels like a step up in quality. It also features a “White Hot” patented heat alert, with a reactive spot that turns white when the car is too warm inside. While likeable, the Brica is on the small side and the spring retraction is alarmingly keen. It’s also hard to justify a price for one, which is higher than for a pair of the Halfords shades.
Caramaz Car Window Sun Shade
- Price: around £9.99 (twin pack)
- Size: 51cm x 31cm
- Rating: 3.5 stars
- Contact: amazon.co.uk
Another Amazon best seller, the shades in this Caramaz twin pack use the common suction pad fixing method. The panels are longer and darker than cheaper rivals, which means they block out more of the sun’s harmful rays once they’re fitted. The shades can be quickly folded and stored in a supplied bag, too. But the Caramaz blinds are let down by suction cup clips that aren’t up to the job of holding the panel in place. It means it’s difficult to justify the price.
Carkit Sun Shade Set
- Price: around £1.99 (twin pack)
- Size: 45cm x 35cm
- Rating: 3 stars
- Contact: therange.co.uk
Shades don’t get any cheaper than this pair we found in The Range. As you’d expect, the quality feels poor, with a cheap, thin material. The packaging suggested suction pads were included, but none were, and the dimensions on the label were wildly optimistic, too. But wedged into place on the top and bottom of the door frame, they did the job at a price that makes them virtually disposable.
Verdict
It’s a one-two result for the Halfords shades in this test. Both worked well, but the roller blinds are much better value, if not as easy to store. The hood-style Rams are priced well, too, and give you total window coverage, while still allowing you to wind down the glass for ventilation.
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