Hot stone massage to neck hair dryer – these practical car extras keep you warm in winter

Driving in winter is no fun for many. With the right equipment - starting with winter tires - and an adapted driving style, you can reduce the risk of tricky situations and accidents.

"But nothing raises the mood in the car in winter more than warmth," says Thomas Schuster from the expert organization KÜS. That sounds simple and obvious, but it actually has an impact on well-being and thus on concentration, driving behavior and safety.

"And if you drive without a thick jacket, you are more mobile, find it easier to steer and, if in doubt, are better protected by the seat belt," says Schuster.

In addition to the usual air conditioning functions and the auxiliary heating, some of which are installed ex works, manufacturers have even more extras to offer, which sometimes provide heat in a direct and sometimes in a figurative sense and make the winter a little more bearable. We present five of them here.

The body snuggles up in the heated seat, the air conditioning blows in the footwell and warm air also blows around your hair. But of all things, your hands, which are already clammy and stiff after scraping the ice, have to freeze? no

There is now a steering wheel heater even down to the small car segment, which ensures warm fingers and a firm grip at the push of a button. "And because hardly anything in an electric car consumes as much energy as the air conditioning, and the engineers therefore tend to rely more on direct heat, it is often even standard there and definitely makes sense," explains expert Schuster.

And thats just the beginning. In the luxury class, even the armrests or the center console are now heated and there are initial experiments with heated seat belts.

Warmth in the throat is no less beneficial than on the skin. But even the hottest coffee will eventually get cold if it has been sitting in the cup holder for many kilometers. You can prevent this with a simple push of a button: Especially with SUVs and then of course mostly in the upper price regions, there are now heated cup holders, which in turn can be cooled in summer. "Of course that lifts the spirits," says Schuster.

At the same time, it is an expensive trick for an effect that can also be had cheaper: "A thermal mug costs a fraction, brings the same, fits in any car and keeps the coffee warm even when you walk the last few meters from the parking lot. "

He is actually supposed to extend the convertible season by putting warm air around the necks of the occupants of open cars on cool days with a blower in the headrest.

However, in some convertibles and roadsters, this function is not linked to the roof and the hot air blower also works when the top is closed. After all, in the coldest of winters, a warm neck can't hurt, even indoors.

Seat heating was yesterday. If you really want to enjoy warmth intensively and are sitting in a luxury model, you can let the higher temperatures knead into your body.

For this, the developers at S-Class, 7er

"Everything that serves relaxation also serves safety," says Schuster, but warns of moderation: "Those who let themselves be lulled by the wellness treatment lose their attention. Then it can be dangerous.”

Perhaps the simplest and, at first glance, meaningless extra can be found on the central display of some Tesla models: instead of the navigation map or the on-board computer, a fireplace can flicker if desired.

It doesn't help physically, but it outwits the psyche and therefore warms the heart at best - at the latest when you stop to charge on a snowy winter night. During the journey, however, KÜS expert Schuster considers such gimmicks to be dangerous and urges restraint because he fears too many distractions.

Tesla is not alone with his idea. If you click through the system at Hyundai, Kia and Genesis, you will find a winter wonderland theme world there. This wants to conjure up a cozy atmosphere with cool lighting, the sound of hasty steps in icy snow and images of snow-covered forests.

In winter, this may seem counterproductive to some. But next summer will definitely come. And when it's hot outside, some long for ice and snow again.

Thomas Schuster from the expert organization KÜS gives the most important tips for getting through the winter by car:

- Put on winter tires and have snow chains ready if necessary

- Top up antifreeze and change wiper blades

- Have a whisk and ice scraper ready. And in such a way that they can also be reached when the locks are frozen.

- For such cases, have a door lock de-icer in your jacket pocket (and not in the glove compartment).

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