Why You Should Consider The Air Quality Inside Your Car

Why You Should Consider The Air Quality Inside Your Car

Why You Should Consider The Air Quality Inside Your Car

Lucy Wyndham
25 May 2021

Did you know that the air you breathe inside your vehicle is about fifteen times worse than the air outdoors? This statistic is the same whether you're driving a regular car or an electric one. It is because the inside of the car is like a “magnet” for all the bad air around it. The factors that pollute the air inside your car are in the surroundings you drive through, and the biggest culprits are the other cars on the road. But what exactly is in the polluted air that you breathe while you're driving, and how can you reduce that pollution?

What's in the air that you breathe in?

While you're inside your car, the air that you're breathing might seem fine, but if you're in the middle of traffic, that is far from the truth. There are quite a lot of outdoor pollutants that will find their way into your car, and since the inside space of most cars is small and without enough ventilation, the pollutants stack up and make the air quite polluted. Dust, dirt, and various allergens are some of the pollutants that are visible, but there are also invisible pollutants, including bacteria, fungi, mold, viruses and VOCs, which are more harmful. But while those pollutants are more or less always present to some degree, the biggest enemy to your body is the traffic around you. This is because the air that circulates through your vehicle contains exhaust fumes as well as the pollutants it already carries. These materials are nitrogen dioxide, ozone, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, and other gases that are ejected through the exhaust pipe.

How can you improve the air quality in the car?

There are some practical things you can do to reduce the air pollution in your car. For example, you can keep a safe distance from the vehicle ahead of you. It is a common mistake to go for in-car filtration, air fresheners and deodorizers, which might seem helpful at first, but they actually pollute the air even more. The most reliable way of purifying the air inside of your vehicle is with a high-powered air purifier, while also cleaning your car thoroughly in order to kill the germs. Today, non-built-in-car purifiers are very effective. While they are not commonly used for this purpose, they are still the best solution, at least for now.

Even if the air you're breathing in while you're driving might seem safe, if you tend to be driving a lot, over time, it will have a negative effect on your lungs. Just as the bad pollutants stack up in the air, they will stack up in your system over a prolonged period, and this can cause some serious issues. Because of that, take active steps to improve the quality of air in your vehicle.