On a cold day, there is nothing better than getting behind the wheel of your car and sitting down on a heated seat. You may have questions about heated seats, such as how they work and more, even though they give you the most comfort while driving.
If so, let’s start answering all of your questions about heated seats!
What are heated seats?
In the past, heated seats were mostly found in luxury cars and were thought to be a feature that only the wealthy could afford. However, today, more and more cars come with the option of adding heated seats.
You might think that heated seats are the result of some amazing new technology in the auto industry, but the truth is that the technology that makes heated seats possible in cars is actually very simple.
If you can believe it, the same technology is used to make these seats as it is for hair dryers, electric blankets, and even water heaters.
Heated seats use an electric heating element to warm the seat in a car, making it warmer and more comfortable. Using this method to warm up the car is much faster than relying only on heated air moving through the car.
Heated seats, like these other things, work because of a standard heating element, which is a long piece of material that stops the flow of electricity.
When you flip the switch in your car to warm up your seat, the electric current going through the resistor turns that energy into heat, which is then spread through the seat.
How do heated seats work?
Even though we’ve talked about some of the basics of how heated seats work on cold days and nights, you should know that it’s a bit more complicated than what you’ve read so far.
Just like your car’s lights, your heated seats are controlled by a relay switch, which lets a small electric current take control of a larger electric current. When you turn on the switch for your heated seat, a small amount of electricity flows through a coil inside the relay switch.
As long as the current keeps going through the coil, a magnetic field is made. This field pulls a nearby open switch shut. When this happens, a circuit is made, and power is sent from your car’s battery to the heating element in your car’s seat.
When you turn on the seat heater in some cars, you may hear a clicking sound. If you hear this clicking, it’s just the relay closing, so there’s no need to worry.
If you’re like some drivers, you might be curious about how car seats don’t get too hot and burn you while you’re driving. There are thermostats and sensors in your heated seats to keep you safe.
The thermostat is always checking the temperature of your car seats. When the desired temperature is reached, it sends a signal to the relay switch.
Once your car seat starts to cool down, the thermostat turns on the relay switch so it’s ready when you need it. In many cars, there are “high” and “low” settings that give you more control over how hot or cold your seat cushions are.
Cars with heated seats
We already said that luxury cars that cost a lot of money no longer come with heated seats. Even if you don’t have a lot of money to spend on a new car, you’ll be happy to know that you can probably find a cheap car that will keep you warm.
When it comes to cars with heated seats, the Fiat 500 Lounge is one of the most popular ones from abroad. The Fiat 500 Lounge is a small car with heated seats that costs just over $20,000 for the basic model. It gets great reviews from customers for its warm seats.
We recommend the Nissan Sentra’s heated seats if you want more of a sedan when driving down the road. But to do that, you might have to spend a little more money on an options package. If you do, your seats and outside mirrors will be heated, which can make driving in the winter more comfortable and safer.
If you like to drive around town in a fuel-efficient hatchback, you might want to think about the Honda Fit. Not only is it a good deal at just over $22,000, but it also comes with heated two-level front bucket seats covered in leather.
If you like to drive a powerful car down the highway, you’ll be happy to know that muscle cars like the Dodge Charger and Ford Mustang also come with heated seats.
The Jeep Cherokee FWD Limited is a great SUV that won’t break your budget and has warm seats whenever you want them. Other popular cars with heated seats today are the Ford Fusion, Hyundai Sonata, Chevy Malibu, and Lexus IS. All of these cars come with heated seats as standard or as an option.
Those of you who love pickup trucks will be happy to know that heated seats are not just for cars, SUVs, and crossovers. Most truck makers offer heated seats, but it depends on the model if they come standard or if you have to buy them as part of an options package.
We’ve found that the Ford F-150, the Chevy Silverado, the Dodge Ram, and the GMC Sierra are the trucks that drivers like the most.
Last but not least, we recommend the Hyundai Tucson crossover and its heated front seats if you want the best of both a car and an SUV. It’s cheap and known for being reliable, and the heated seats are said to be especially comfortable.
Benefits of heated seats
Some people might not see the point of heated seats, but others would never drive a car again that didn’t have them. In fact, both drivers and passengers can benefit from heated seats in many ways.
One of the best things about heated seats is that the heat can be therapeutic, especially for older drivers or those with health problems that make sitting uncomfortable, like a bad back.
If you have a heated seat, the heat won’t just go to your legs. Instead, it can spread to the rest of your body, which can help ease aches and pains.
On a cold winter day, heated seats can make driving to work, school, the grocery store, or other places much more comfortable. But heated seats can be used in other times of the year as well.
If it’s colder than usual in the spring or fall, or if you ate ice cream and got cold, all you have to do is turn on a heated seat for a few minutes and you’ll feel great in no time.
Even if your car has a good heater, you might be cold for longer than you’d like.
But this won’t happen if the seats are warm. Most cars with heated seats heat up the seats much faster than the rest of the car. This means you can get in the driver’s seat and be comfortable as soon as you leave your driveway.
Are Heated Seats Worth It?
When we ask drivers along the way if it’s worth it to have heated seats in their cars, we usually get more yes answers than no answers. In the end, you’ll have to decide if you really need or want this when you’re driving.
If the car you want has heated seats as part of an options package and not as a standard feature, you’ll have to decide if you want to spend more money to be more comfortable. Remember that it’s often better to have something you don’t need than to need something you don’t have.
So, even if you choose heated seats but don’t think you’ll use them much, you might have passengers who have health problems or who get cold easily who will love them.
Most people will think your car is a luxury car if it has heated seats, even if it isn’t. Heated seats have been a sign of wealth for a long time.
Because of this, your style and choice of cars may be able to make an impression on other people, which could be important if you have your eye on someone special.
Can You Add Aftermarket Heated Seats?
If the only thing you don’t like about your car is that the seats aren’t heated, you may be wondering if you can get heated seats for it from a third-party company.
Yes, you can add heated seats to your car that were made by a third party. But it’s not easy to do, and most likely will need to be done by people whose job it is to redesign the inside of cars.
Since the technology behind heated seats is pretty simple, you might think you can just take a standard heating element, thermostat, and other parts and put them in your car’s seats. This is not done, mostly because it is not safe to do so. You will have to have new heated seats put in your car instead.
If there is a bright side to this, it’s that replacement seats aren’t too expensive. But you’ll probably have to pay a lot for the people who do the work.
Even though it won’t be hard to take out the old seats in your car, it will take longer than you might think to put in the new ones and make sure all the electrical parts are hooked up and working.
How Much Does it Cost to Install Heated Car Seats?
If you do want to put heated car seats in your own car, truck, or other vehicle, you can do so on almost any make or model. There are self-installation kits, but you need to know your way around the electronics in your car if you want to do this yourself.
Most installation kits cost around $500, so if you can do this yourself, you will save a lot of money on labour costs. But, as we’ve already said, you may want to let a professional handle this project because you’ll need to make sure the thermostats, heating elements, and sensors are set up right.
We think you’ll be glad you bought a car with heated seats if you decide to do so. The first time you get into your car on a cold winter day or night without heated seats, you’ll wonder how you ever lived without them.
Are Heated Seats Bad for You?
Since heated seats in cars have thermostats that control how hot they get, there isn’t much chance that you’ll get burned or hurt in some other way if you use them.
But some drivers and passengers make the mistake of taking advantage of heated seats too much. Because of this, they sometimes get “toasted skin syndrome,” which is a term used by doctors.
It’s a condition in which the skin on the back of your thighs changes colour after being exposed to heat for a long time. It’s similar to getting a sunburn. When this happens, a red, net-like rash may show up, but it usually takes weeks or even months of using heated seats for long periods of time for this to happen.
Since this condition develops slowly, most people don’t realise they have it until it has done a lot of damage to their skin.
Also, heated seats could be bad for the health of people who are paralysed below the waist. Since these people won’t be able to feel their legs, a heated seat that didn’t turn off properly could cause serious burns to their lower bodies.
Even though there aren’t many documented cases of this happening, people who got hurt in similar situations have sued some automakers in the past.
