Heatwaves bring about very high temperatures, and one side effect of that is making cars quite hot, especially if they are parked in direct sunlight.

Sweltering inside a car on a hot day is not a fun prospect for many of us, so knowing the best ways to cool down the interior will be very helpful.

If you're wanting to get driving fairly quickly here are the best tips to help cool down your car to make the inside environment a bit more tolerable.

Best ways to cool down your car

One tactic recommended by the RAC is to open both the windows on one side of the car, then ‘fan’ the interior by swinging a door on the opposite side back and forth.

Doing this motion for a brief amount of time should help expel some of the hot air.

News and Star: Selecting the 'external' air setting first if that's an option will be helpful to cooling down a carSelecting the 'external' air setting first if that's an option will be helpful to cooling down a car (Image: Canva)

Obviously switching on air conditioning will be useful also, but at first the air will be warm and will take a fair few minutes to adjust.

If your car offers the option, select the ‘external’ air setting rather than air recirculation as the air outside the car will be cooler.

Additionally, using the lower air vents first will be beneficial, as colder air from the footwell can force the hot air already inside the car upwards and out of open windows.

The RAC adds: "Shut off the upper vents on the dashboard and at the base of the windscreen so that the full flow of air into the car is directed upwards."

Once the air conditioning is blowing cold, close all the windows and switch to (pre-cooled) recirculated air.

News and Star: Shutting off the upper air conditioning vents at first can help cool down a car's interiorShutting off the upper air conditioning vents at first can help cool down a car's interior (Image: Canva)

Another tip is just to leave windows open as you begin to drive so that the hot air can escape.

How to prevent your steering wheel from getting hot

Another side effect of your car being in direct sunlight is your steering wheel heating up, which can end up being painful to handle when driving.

The best way to stop this is to put up a windscreen sunshade to block sunlight from the car's interior.

They are available from most car accessory shops or online and can be tucked behind the sun visors.