Silver savers: how car colour cuts pollution

White and silver cars are cooler than dark ones and need less air conditioning, so fuel is saved and air pollution reduced

Driving a silver or white car is good for the climate. A study a few years ago showed that the interiors of silver and white cars were cooler than black cars. That's because light colours reflect about 60% of sunlight and make the car's interior cooler. That in turn means it's less likely the car's air conditioner will be turned on, saving fuel and pollution.

Scientists from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory experimented by leaving two Honda Civic cars, one silver and one black, in the sun, facing the same direction, for an hour, in Sacramento, California.