Survey reveals in-car climate clashes

CLIMATE change isn’t just leading to arguments in politics – it’s causing heat in cars, too, because it seems men and women simply can’t agree on what temperature to set.

A new study from Kwik Fit has revealed that 52% of couples whose cars have air conditioning argue over what temperature to set it at, and it’s usually men who want it cooler than their female companions.

And as many as 250,000 drivers across the country say their air-con preferences are so different to their partner’s that they simply have to keep the system turned off to avoid bust-ups.

Six in 10 (60%) of men said they normally wanted the temperature lower than their partner, compared to 35% of women.

Couples in Yorkshire are the most likely to have a climate clash, with 61% of the pairs interviewed saying they argue about air-con temperature.

Scots are the least argumentative when it comes to temperature, but 43% still have regular disagreements over that dial.

Travel to the north west of England and drivers are most likely to be chilling with the temperature at 16 degrees or less. In the east of England almost a quarter of people (23%) choose temperatures in excess of 20 degrees – more than anywhere else in the country.

Canny drivers in the south west often avoid these problems altogether. As many as 35% drive cars without air conditioning installed at all.

Roger Griggs, communications director at Kwik Fit, said: “Air-con systems can make driving a lot more comfortable – as long as the driver and passengers can agree on what temperature to set.

“It’s important not to neglect the air con systems, though – these don’t get automatically covered by a car’s annual service, so it can be easy to forget. Regular servicing will avoid the risk of expensive repair bills.”

By Press Association reporter