As we enter summer, we’re all adjusting our driving styles and habits to the changing weather which includes us getting a little more sunshine. To help we’ve rounded up our best tips to help reduce the impact of the sun on your driving visibility.

Top Five Tips for Dealing with Sun Glare

1. Use Your Sun Visor

All vehicles come with sun visors. These are specifically designed to block out the sun and on bright days to reduce the amount of light in your field of vision to make it easier for you to see, without restricting your vision of the road ahead.

Some Mercedes visors are designed to turn and used to block sunlight from your side window as well if you are driving parallel to the light rather than directly into it. This can also be handy if you are driving on a winding road as you can use sunglasses to help deal with the sun when you are driving into it and the visor at your side when you are alongside it.

2. Tint Your Windows

A more long-term solution to reduce the effect of the sun on your vision is to get tinted windows.

You’re not able to tint the windscreen as this could affect your visibility of the road and potential hazards ahead. Similarly, you cannot get a very strong tint on the front side windows as this could impact your visibility but you are allowed to have a slight tint that does not block more than 30% of the light. This might not sound like a lot, but it can significantly reduce the direct sunlight or glare from the side windows.

You’ll want to check whether you are able to do this on a lease vehicle with the funder, as some may require the tint to be removed before the vehicle is returned to them or charge you for the cost of this.

3. Clean Your Windscreen

Your windscreen is your window to the outside world so it’s vital that you look after it properly to ensure you have the best possible view on the road ahead.

When driving it’s common for dirt or road dust to build up on the windscreen and when the sun is strong this can reflect the light in different ways and cause a glare that distracts from the road and can even be a hazard in its own right. To avoid this happening you want to clean the inside and outside of the windscreen regularly.

It will usually be sufficient to use the screen wash and windscreen wipers to clean the exterior, which can be done as soon as you notice the dirt build up. However, there may be some that accumulates outside of the wipers’ reach, and you’ll want to use a cleaning cloth and some water or glass cleaning spray for a sharper finish.

On the inside, you’ll want to use a cleaning cloth and glass spray or wipes to remove any dust or smears that you might get on the glass. If you have an additional microfibre cloth that you can use to dry the window then this will allow you to get a streak-free finish.

4. Wear Sunglasses

Whether you’re in the car or not you can protect your eyes from the sunlight with a pair of sunglasses. Not only will they prevent eyesight damage from the UV rays they will also stop the brightness of the sun from restricting your vision.

We recommend investing in a pair that have the CE mark, as this means they’ve been tested to European safety standards and will protect you from UV ray damage.

It’s wise to keep a pair of sunglasses in the car so that you always have them handy, even during the winter months if we get an unexpectedly bright day. We’d recommend putting them in a place that’s easy for you to reach from the driver’s seat in case the sun comes out while you’re already in motion.

5. Be Selective with Driving Times

This one might be a little harder as we can’t always choose what time we’re on the road but if you are able to you might want to avoid when the sun is rising or setting. You will get the strongest glare on your windscreen when the sun is on the horizon and so if you can then you should avoid travelling at this time or pull over shortly for a little break whilst it rises / sets and is in a different position.