Is your car unbearably hot? The quickest way to cool it down

With temperatures soaring these are the best techniques to quickly cool a car - as well as how to stop it heating up in the first place

Parts of the UK could be hotter than Spain this week as forecasters predict that temperatures will continue to rise.

Highs of 25 degrees have already been recorded in parts of Wales and the Met Office expects temperatures to reach 27 or more in parts of Wales and southern England towards the end of the week.

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While many of us welcome the chance to bask in the warmth, the heat can make driving uncomfortable as temperatures quickly rise inside cars, whether they’re parked or on the move.

So it's important to know how to quickly cool your car down and how to stop it getting too hot in the first place. Here are some tried and tested tips - as well as advice on keeping your car cool.

One of the simplest methods comes from automotive designer Nir Kahn, who is based in Israel, and has previously shared his top tip for people trying to cool their cars quickly. Here's his method:

If your car has air conditioning you also want to use it to best effect, so once it's running, direct the air to the lower footwell vents and close the upper ones. This will help force the hot air up and out. Don't use the recirculation function as this will just trap hot air in the car and move it around. Once the air in the car has cooled, you can open the upper vents again.

If you don't have air conditioning, you can try hanging damp cloths/towels over the air vents to help cool air coming in. Alternatively, invest in some ice packs or freeze bottles of water in advance and use these to cool yourself as you drive.

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If you’d rather cool the car before you set off, perhaps because it isn't fitted with air con, you can try "fanning" the car, although this is likely to get you even hotter as you cool the car. To do this you simply need to open all the windows on one side of the car then quickly swing a door on the opposite side open and closed eight to 10 times. This will help drive huge volumes of hot air out of the car.

While it's good to know how to cool a car on the move, prevention is better than cure and there are some simple steps you can take to stop temperatures inside your car from getting too high in the first place.

Even taking all these steps, it's possible your car could still become uncomfortably hot, so it pays to be prepared, especially if you heading off on a long trip. Make sure you take plenty of cold water with you on any journeys and wear light, loose clothing to help keep you cool. Take more frequent breaks and, if you can, try to avoid travelling in the middle of the day when temperatures are highest.

If anyone in your car starts to show signs of heat exhaustion - such as feeling faint or nauseous, suffering from muscle cramps or headaches, or cold, clammy skin - pull over somewhere shaded and cool their skin using a spray or cool, damp cloth, and get them to sip fluids - the NHS recommends a sports drink or cool water.