Testing TikTok's Solar Fans: Can They Actually Keep Your Car Cool?

In the midst of summer, we're always looking for ways to keep our vehicles as cool as possible, especially if you're on a car camping adventure or sitting in your vehicle longer than usual. There are relatively cheap ways to keep your car cool, such as reflective sunshades and window tint, but if you can't move the hot air out of the vehicle, then it will just sit stagnant, creating a warm and uncomfortable space.

If you're on TikTok and other social media sites, you may have seen the car solar fan made by Muxan. This auto fan is made in China and at $17.98 on Amazon, it is considered an option to keep air circulating in your vehicle while pulling the hot air out.

However, it has middling reviews on Amazon, but the gadget keeps getting bought. According to the Amazon product page, over 100 car solar fans were purchased last month, and it doesn't say that it's a highly returned product. That said, it's questioned whether or not the item actually works. I decided to purchase the solar-powered car fan and try it out for myself.

When I received this item, the box was fairly generic — it didn't even have the company's name on it, just the words auto fan. Additionally, the instructions on the side were obviously translated without any revisions because there are misspellings and incorrect word choices. That doesn't interfere with how well or not the product works — it's just noticeable.

Upon opening the box, there were three items: The solar fan, a gasket, and the instructions. The fan felt cheaply made, but it was incredibly light, which is a plus if I plan to hang it on my car window. However, the product page doesn't indicate how much the device weighs. The gasket comes in one piece, so you'll need scissors on hand when you're ready to install it. However, it's easily removable from your window, so no worries about it being a permanent fixture.

It's an incredibly simple design with no on/off switches or fan settings. You simply take it out of the box, remove the plastic covering on the solar panel, and stick it in the sun. Immediately, the fan will start moving in a clockwise rotation as long as it's sunny outside. If it is facing direct sunlight, the fan will spin much faster, so keep that in mind when you are parking your car.

As I let it speed up, I could feel a bit of air coming off the fan. However, the fan isn't built like your traditional house fan or like a MaxxFan. Instead of obvious blades directing airflow, it almost looks like a fan shaped like a hamster wheel.

Setup is just as easy to manage as the device itself. I placed the solar fan on the flattest spot on my window and then measured the gasket for the smaller side. After cutting the gasket to fit the small space, I tried gently placing it on top of the window, but I found it struggling to stay on. I ended up having to put more pressure on it and holding it down until it heated up and shaped with the window. I was able to use the rest of the gasket for the other side of the window. However, if you have a bigger window, there's a chance there won't be enough gasket to cover the topside.

Once everything was in place, I slowly put the window back up until it stopped. However, no matter how much I tried to push the window back up, there were still gaps due to the curvature of the solar fan. From there, I decided to leave the fan alone for 20 minutes to see if there was a noticeable temperature difference inside the car.

While testing this car solar fan, I was located in Tennessee. It was about 2:30 p.m. on an especially hot day with high temperatures reaching around 95 degrees Fahrenheit. After about 20 minutes of waiting, I went to sit in the car and see if I could tell the difference in temperature. Unfortunately, I couldn't.

However, it would probably take a lot of fan power to cool off a car sitting in direct sunlight in excessive heat. Of the high-tech accessories in my camper, I have a MaxxFan, and it can barely pull the hot air out while all the windows are covered. I can't blame such a small device for not working well under strenuous conditions.

The product description claims that this car solar fan can remove smells and detoxify your vehicle. Since the hot air removal portion of the test was a bust due to the high heat index, I wanted to test to see if it could remove smells. I didn't want to put a gross smell in my car, especially since I just deep cleaned it the day before, so I decided to spray Zum Mist all over the seats until it was wafting lavender.

After about half an hour, I went back to the car to see if the smell was just as strong as I left it. Keep in mind, this room mist I used stays for a long time. I can do a couple of sprays in my camper at night and wake up the next morning still smelling it. With that said, the scent was still lingering, but it wasn't as strong.

Even though it is such a simple product, there are some notes that you should take into consideration. According to the company, the gadget is not designed to work on vehicles with dark-tinted windows or on cars that do not have a door frame above the windows, like some convertibles. Additionally, it is intended for parked vehicles. We do not suggest you try to use this while you are driving because it can obstruct your view. Also, it shouldn't be used on rainy days.

In terms of tips to make for a better experience, I would suggest stretching out the gasket in the sun to let it straighten out easier. It kept wanting to roll back on me, which made installing it a bit more difficult.

Overall, reviews are pretty low. On Amazon, it has a 2.5 out of five-star rating from over 400 reviewers. Most stated the same thing that I experienced with the vehicle still remaining hot after nearly 40 minutes had passed. Some mentioned how, as the sun moved throughout the day, the fan would speed up and then slow down, so it lacked consistency. Even though it is a cool idea with the fact that it is entirely powered by the sun right out of the box, it doesn't have the capacity to hold up against incredibly hot days.

I tried looking for reviews on TikTok, and even those were disappointing. Freakinreviews has a quick TikTok review video. He felt that there wasn't much difference between the solar fan and leaving your car window cracked. Also, he mentions the safety aspect of the setup. The gaskets barely fit as it is, which means they are easy to push off the window leaving a good-sized crack that enables someone to break into your car.

I'll be honest here. I started with high hopes, but I just don't see the value in this solar fan. My car was still hot, and the scent I sprayed lingered for a while. Additionally, the rounded corners on the solar fan left gaps in the window. If I were to change anything, I'd prefer a regular fan style with a rotation direction switch so I would have more control over the fan's air output and input.

I will say that I'm curious if this fan will work better in cooler weather to help circulate air. I'm planning on trying it out again when I'm overlanding in the backcountry of New England this coming autumn.