Car Shades – Fitted car window shades

Car Shades make bespoke shades to fit your car, to enable passengers, canine as well as human to keep their cool when travelling by car in the summer. 

Every summer we are told again and again how dangerous it is to leave a dog in a hot car. What I hadn’t appreciated was that your dog can get hot in the sun in a car when you are travelling even with the air conditioning on full blast. 

Ed and I were driving for a weekend away; Herbert was in the back in his Solvit car seat, and the sun was beating down onto his side of the car. 

I realised that even with the air conditioning on, he was hot and panting, so soaked a duster in water and spread it over him before we got off the motorway at the next stop so he could travel on my lap, out of the sun, with the air vent on him, for the remainder of the journey. 

A quick poll of my friends was divided over the best type of car shade – the stick on ones fall (or can be pulled) off, let in the sun around them, and you can’t open the window, and the over-the-door ones can tear and are generally unsatisfactory. 

Some research led me to Car Shades, who make bespoke window shades for over 800 makes and models of car – including our urban run-around Suzuki Splash – who send me a set for review. 

You get 4 separate shades; one for each rear window, and two for the boot, two easy to fit clips for each window as well as a fitting tool, all supplied in a protective storage bag.  The shades are feel reassuringly robust – their outer frame is strong and they don’t bend or warp when you hold, or even wave them around.  

Also available are two shade rear door sets for about 150 models. 

Fitting Car Shades is easy

Use the fitting tool to fit one of the metal clips under the rubber seal each side of the window and then pop the shade in, where it is held firmly in place. There are photographic step by step instructions provided, but the process is fairly intuitive, and there are videos online should you need some extra help. 

There is a handy tab to help remove the shade for less sunny days – or at the end of the summer. 

Car Shades Bespoke Fit

Being custom made for each make of car, the shades fit exactly, blocking all the direct sunlight from the window they are fitted to, but passengers (human and canine) and driver can still see out.

The shade stays firmly in place when the window is open, and will also act as a bug screen keeping those pesky eegie beegies out. 

I actually can’t think of any disadvantages, the custom Car Shades are undeniably more expensive starting at £62.99 a set (including delivery, or £44.95 for rear doors only), but they are so much better that they are certainly worth every penny.  

When we change cars we’ll certainly be investing in a new set, especially as they manufacture in the UK. 

Dogs in cars and the law 

The law says that dogs must be restrained in the car when travelling, if your dog is loose and causes you to have accident then your insurance could be invalid – the financial and moral implications do not bear thinking about.   Herbert travels wearing an Ancol car harness, slipped into his Solvit car seat in the back.   He usually spends the journey curled up asleep, but also like to sit up and look out of the window. 

We were sent a set of Car Shades for review, all opinions our own.