I’m at the point where I completely disregard any car’s outdoor temperature sensor. In hot days when the car’s been in the sun, they seem to all way overestimate the temperature compared to what the weather app says it is.
I get that the sun will heat up the car and since the thermometer sensor is on the car that heats up too. But what stops them adding some protection measure to the thermometer to avoid this, so that we can get accurate outdoor air temperature readings?
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It depends on where the temperature sensor is, however this will only help to a certain point. If a car has been sitting in the sun, not only will the inside of the cabin be warm, but the chassis of the car will be as well, which will heat up any internal cavity (e.g. engine bay) more than the ambient temperature.
Then, you have the potential heat-island effect. If you’re parked on concrete for example, this will get hot when in the sun and heat up the air surrounding your car, *in addition to* your car also being heated by the sun (inside and out).
The TL:DR of it is that unless the car is moving, the temperature sensor is unlikely to be accurate, and even then it’s only an approximation which will heavily depend on where your car is.
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