According to science, darker materials attract and retain more heat than lighter materials. But does this really apply to black leather car seats and how much of a difference would we say exist between the kind of heat that’s accumulated on black leather car seats from other colors?
So in today’s article, I did some research to find out if black leather car seats get hotter and I’m excited to share with you everything I found.
So do black leather car seats get hotter? As a matter of fact, if you sit in a car with either black leather seats or any other light-colored car seats, you might not be able to tell the difference right away as to which is hotter but if you use a thermometer, you will notice the black leather car seats will generally be slightly hotter.
There are a couple of reasons why dark leather car seats get hotter and for the remaining part of this article I’m going to delve into those reasons, a couple of easy tricks you can use to get around it, and hey! it’s not all dark and gloomy with black leather car seats — I will also share some of its benefits. But first, what are black leather car seats really made up of?
What Are Black Leather Car Seats?
Black leather car seats come from Russet, also known as Blond, which is the natural color of the leather.
This russet then leaves the tannery and dyes are applied to change the color to black which can be used to manufacture car seats.
Black leather car seats normally represent luxury which offers your car interior a very nice looking car interior.
Black leather car seats give you a true sense of class associated with its subtle appearance. Black leather always comes in a safe and stylish way for you on the go.
How Black Leather Car Seats Get Hotter
There are a few things that can get your leather car seats to become hot. While this list is not exhaustive, it surely includes some of the main reasons why you’re black leather seats will get hot or even hotter than other car seat materials or colors.
1. The Greenhouse Effect
Black leather car seats are heated mainly due to something similar to the greenhouse effect. When a car is parked in direct sunlight, the suns’ rays get absorbed into the interiors of the car through constant sun rays hitting the glass windows and windshields of the car.
This simple solar radiation otherwise known as shortwave occurs, causing the interior of the car to begin warming up.
This then creates a resultant heat build-up that gets trapped inside the car interior and so the leather seats, especially if its black (And of course other parts within the car interior) will begin to get warmer and warmer till its scorching hot.
This entire process will be a lot worse if the exterior of the car is also dark-colored.
2. The Color Factor
As it’s been implied a couple of times already in this article, Leather car seats indeed has the tendency to become hotter if it’s particularly dark-colored like black, dark browns, to mention but a few.
Black leather car seats absorb and retain heat more easily. This is because the color black in itself unlike white or any other light color absorbs all wavelengths of light and reflects non. This then converts all these light into thermal energy that is commonly known as heat.
So, when a car’s interior is made up of black leather seats, they get hotter because they are particularly subject to absorbing the most intense heat spectrum from the sun (infrared radiation) and if there’s nothing to minimize this energy flow onto the black leather seat it will become super hot.
Essentially, the lighter your black leather car seats absorb, the more thermal energy (heat) it produces.
So imagine parking your car that has black leather seats in the sun for hours, exposed to and left at the mercy of direct sunshine, you’re going to be greeted with an unpleasantly heated leather seat upon your return.
3. Closed Car Windows And Doors
Assuming the windows and doors of a parked car in a warm climate are shut will only let in the heat but not fresh air. The air inside of the car which was cooler will over time, become warmer due to no circulation.
The hot air in the interior of the car will begin to rise and due to the shut doors and windows, it will build up making the interior hot and within a couple of minutes, your leather car seats will begin to take on some heat.
It’s worth noting that temperatures can rise quickly in closed sunlit cars within 10 to 15 minutes and so with both your windows and doors closed your car leather seats are bound to get warm if not hot.
4. When Your Car Heater Becomes Faulty
The temperature in your car can easily rise in a few minutes and your leather seats will be hotter if you have a fault with the heater in your car. The car heater normally works when the engine is on as it uses residual heat from the engine.
So in the event that the mechanism becomes faulty, you will begin to notice things going south in terms of the car seats building up heat.
This heat build-up will be a lot obvious on black leather car seats and the heats will be retained on the seat for a pretty long time.
Tips on How To Keep Black Leather Car Seats Cooler
Here are a couple of hacks you can implement when you get a car with a black leather seat interior.
1. Keep car window glasses rolled down or slightly cracked: The only catch to keeping your car window glasses cracked or rolled down is that you need to be sure the place you’re parking the car is safe and has adequate security.
2. Fix Seat Covers: Using seat covers is a great way to salvage the problem of heat build-up on your black leather seats. The catch is that the car seat cover must be made from a fire resistant fabric.
Today, most car seat covers are made with wooden beads and other special materials that help to naturally keep your body cool even if the leather seat material underneath it is somewhat hot. These kinds of leather car seat covers tend to promote good airflow.
One of the most innovative car seat covers I recently found came with cooling gel pads and a gel foam technology which helps the body of the user cool.
3. Where To Park: Parking is one of the basic ways to control the number of heat rays that gets onto your leather car seats.
4. Fix Windshield Sun Shade Or Window Visor or a Reflective Cardboard Sun shield: You can simply buy a windshield sunshade or widow visor and fix them when necessary to block direct sun rays and remove when unnecessary.
5. Tinted Windows: If it’s allowed in the country you live in, tint your windows and parts of your windscreen to block the sun’s harmful rays that will often find its way through the glass components of your car.
6. Use Ventilated Car Seat Cushions: This is one of the easiest ways to deal with black leather seats getting hot.
They are a great way to regulate the temperature of your leather car seats. You simply buy them and mount them onto your car seats and you’re free from any crazy heat build-up hustle.
7. Cover Seats With Light-Colored Blankets: Whenever you’re going to park for an extended period of time, cover you black leather seats with a light-colored blanket. You can always store the blanket in the trunk or backseat of your car.
Related: 8 Effective Ways To Keep Any Car Seat Cool
Benefits Of Using Black Leather Car Seats
Truth to be told, black leather car seats also offer some pros or positives in its usage. Some of these advantages include:
1. Easy To Clean and Maintain
Light-colored leather car seats can be a hustle to maintain. Black leather car seats are a lot easier as stains and spills will not be very obvious on them.
With that said, it’s very necessary to at least use leather wipes to clean your black leather seats regularly otherwise, its surface can easily become sticky.
2. Higher Resale Value
Cars with leather seats cost more and are very high in demand. Their resale value is so great when they are maintained well.
So leather seats in good condition will contribute to higher vehicle resale value than a car of equal status with seats other than black leather. Black leather car seats after several years of use will maintain their attractiveness.
Black leather seats can add up to $300 and over to the resale value of a vehicle.
Black leather seats will get hotter because of its heat absorption, greenhouse effects, etc. But all of these heat causing factors in black leather seats can be controlled.
So if you fancy black leather seats, go for it since it’s easy maintenance will mean a fresh-looking leather seat for years to come.
3. Status
Black leather seats in cars give off a ‘money’ vibe. It makes people think you’re rich because it’s an indication of wealth and high status. You can’t deny that leather exudes an eloquent and a high-class vibe.
Interiors like black leather car seats were once only reserved for luxury cars but now it has made its way into modern and baseline vehicles for its style and attractiveness.
