Car color can have more of an impact on fuel consumption than many drivers realize. The warning comes from mechanic Juan José Ebenezer, from the Talleres Ebenezer studio, who explained in a viral video shared on social media, and cited by Executive Digest, a website specializing in economics, that the choice of color influences not only comfort and interior temperature, but also the vehicle’s energy performance.
According to the expert, dark-colored cars absorb much more heat than light-colored ones, which translates into significant temperature differences inside.
“You think it doesn’t matter until you go to pick up your car in the summer after a day at the beach and it feels like an oven inside,” he commented. This additional heating forces the air conditioning to work more intensely, increasing fuel consumption and reducing energy efficiency.
The heat that is costly to the driver
According to Executive Digest, this difference occurs because light colors reflect most of the solar waves, while dark colors absorb them almost completely. As a result, solar energy is transformed into heat, raising the cabin temperature and forcing the air conditioning system to use more energy to maintain comfort.
“A painting that heats up a lot and another that tries to reflect light is not the same. The difference in temperature can be very large”, explained Ebenezer, warning that this phenomenon also affects the wear of the painting and interior materials.
Prolonged exposure to the sun accelerates the loss of shine and deterioration of the varnish, especially on dark-colored cars.
Portuguese study confirms the impact of color
A study conducted by the University of Lisbon, cited by Executive Digest, confirmed that dark-colored vehicles parked in the sun can raise the temperature around them by up to 3.8 °C on hot days.
The researchers, led by Márcia Matias, concluded that white or silver paints reflect between 75% and 85% of sunlight, while black or very dark variants only reflect between 5% and 10%.
In practice, this means that dark colors not only heat up more quickly but also contribute to the phenomenon of “urban heat islands”, increasing the ambient temperature in areas with high car density.
The Portuguese continue to prefer dark tones
Despite these disadvantages, black continues to be one of the most popular colors among Portuguese drivers. According to , around 26.7% of new cars registered in Portugal are black, which places the country among the European markets with the greatest preference for dark tones.
For the mechanic, the choice of color must take into account the climate and level of sun exposure. In hot and sunny regions, opting for light colors can result in greater comfort and lower energy expenditure.
“The color of the car may seem like an aesthetic detail, but it influences much more than one might imagine,” he concluded.
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