Best car sun shades
Which blind best keeps things cool while shielding the sun’s heat and rays?
While we all love the warm weather, there are times when the blazing sun can be a nuisance. When you are in the car and trying to let a toddler sleep, for example. Even teenagers on a long journey would prefer to stay in the shade to watch their screens rather than look at the passing countryside.
Factory-fitted privacy glass in the rear will help, but is unlikely to be enough in really sunny weather, when you need an extra sun shade. These can cost just a few pounds and will keep the interior cool and dark, even on the brightest day.
We tested three types, the first being roller blinds, which retract when not needed. Then there are stick-on mesh shades with sucker pads, and finally a pouch to slip over the top of the door. Which one is best to keep out the sun?
How we tested
We were looking for shades that keep glare out effectively but still allow some view of the outside world if needed. We wanted them to be easy to install and remove, and tried them on several cars to check for fit. If the shades are designed to fold up, we also checked for easy ways to store them.
Used - available now
2022 Abarth
595
35,651 milesManualPetrol1.4L
Cash £12,950
2023 Tesla
Model 3 Premium
60,950 milesAutomaticElectric
Cash £17,995
2020 BMW
X5
80,568 milesAutomaticDiesel3.0L
Cash £34,995
2020 Mercedes
E-Class Estate
53,968 milesAutomaticPetrol2.0L
Cash £16,990Although none of the options are bank-breakingly expensive, we did judge their value to see if it is worth paying extra for any special features.
Reviews
See where the top car sun shades ranked…
Halfords Pop-up Sunshades
- Price: Around £3 (twin pack)
- Size: 44cm x 38cm
- Rating: 5 stars
- Contact: halfords.com
Halfords has the biggest selection of sun shades in any physical shop we could find, and at this price there is little point going to the internet in search of a bargain.
There is nothing fancy about these shades, but they did everything we wanted. They’re supplied in a small pouch to make storing them in a glovebox or door pocket easier and then fold out to cover a decent amount of glass. They are fixed with large suction pads with strong pull rings to make them simple to remove.
Halfords Roller Sunshades
- Price: Around £10 (twin pack)
- Size: 49cm x 41cm
- Rating: 4 stars
- Contact: halfords.com
Invest a little more in your shades and you can get this roller type, with a thicker mesh material. They have suction fixings or can be hooked over the top of the glass, and then the shade is pulled down and suckered to the bottom of the window.
They offer good protection against the sun, and pressing a button on the side springs the material back into the housing. If you want something more child-friendly than plain black, they’re also available with a cartoon pattern.
Munchkin White Hot Sun Safety Shades
- Price: Around £15 (twin pack)
- Size: 36cm x 43cm
- Rating: 4 stars
- Contact: munchkin.co.uk
Although they look similar to the Halfords Roller shades, the Munchkins feel like a step up in quality, as you might expect given their price. The button to rewind the blind feels chunkier and the mechanism is a little softer too, although they are smaller than the others here. The main attraction is the ‘White Hot’ heat alert: this temperature-reactive spot on the base of the blind turns white when the car is too warm inside.
Simply 3 Piece Sunshade Set
- Price: Around £14 (three-piece pack)
- Size: 41cm x 54cm (side shades)
- Rating: 3.5 stars
- Contact: ebay.co.uk
If you want to keep your car cool while it is parked, this set includes a windscreen shade. But for this test we were more interested in the meshed items for the side windows. These are larger than similar rivals and have an elasticated handle and suction pads complete with metal pull rings. They’re nice quality, but costly unless you need the screen shade.
CNMTCCO Car Window Shades For Baby
- Price: Around £10 (twin pack)
- Size: 140cm x 92cm
- Rating: 3 stars
- Contact: amazon.com
These shades aren’t good value because they are just two big, elasticated mesh bags that slip over your rear window – so they only work on cars with back doors. But they fitted our cars okay and the kit includes Velcro tabs to secure the bottom corners. The design allows the window to drop for ventilation, but they can look untidy, even if fitted carefully.
Xian YS Adhesive Nylon Sunscreen
- Price: Around £3 (twin pack)
- Size: 44cm x 38cm
- Rating: 2.5 stars
- Contact: temu.com
Normally, the Temu offering in a test is the cheapest, but these shades are beaten by our winners. While they are the same size as our Best Buy, there is less to them: the mesh is less dense and the suckers smaller. These clip to the shade rather than fitting in holes, but in some of our cars the mesh just wedged in the window frame. Plus there’s no storage bag.
Simply Car Sunshade
- Price: Around £5 (twin pack)
- Size: 44cm x 36cm
- Rating: 2 stars
- Contact: diy.com
Like the Halfords winners, these Simply shades have holes to make using the suction pads easier and they are a respectable size. But they take some wrangling to get them flat. There’s no storage pouch either, which means you need to keep them in the box when not in use. Add in the higher price and it means there is no reason to choose them over rivals.
Verdict
Halfords takes the two top spots with good quality at low prices. First are the Pop-up Sunshades, which have everything you need for less than £2.50; if you prefer a pull-down type, the Roller Sunshades are our choice. Third are the Munchkin White Hots with their clever safety spot.
- 1. Halfords Pop-up Sunshades
- 2. Halfords Roller Sunshades
- 3. Munchkin White Hot Sun Safety Shades
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