Paints in lighter shades are also quite hot.
We think you all in Motor1.com will find this video very interesting. It’s well-known that darker colors absorb heat more efficiently, and lighter colors reflect it. You don’t have to believe in science. Put on your shorts and sit down in black leather seats on a convertible that has been outside all day. This should be enough proof for you.
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This clip is from MikesCarInfo YouTube uses this painful approach to the subject to visualize it. He approaches a row of rows using a FLIR camera, which detects heat. Toyota Highlander There are SUVs that look identical except for their color. We all know that darker colors are more hot, but it is still surprising how hotter they actually are. Lucky for us, the camera recorded a 46-degree difference in temperature between white and black Highlanders. The hood of the Black Toyota reached a high of 159 degrees Fahrenheit while that of the white Highlander was only 113 degrees.
These shades are definitely at opposite ends of this spectrum. However, the clip also looks at SUVs that have been painted light gray or silver – colors we would expect to reflect about the same amount heat as white. The gray Toyota was almost as hot as its black counterpart, with 146 degrees visible on the FLIR camera. Although the silver SUV was slightly cooler, it still registered 129 degrees which is significantly higher than pure white.
The video shows that these SUVs had not been driven in recent years so the heat on their hoods shouldn’t be engine related. The glimpses of roofs that we see, other than those with glass moonroofs, support this assertion. They appear to have similar temperature readings to the hoods. The metallic gray and silver finishes could hold more heat than plain white.
This video shows that a dark-colored car is a good friend in winter and a bad enemy in summer.