A genuine safety issue, not just an inconvenience
Driving into low-angle sun is one of the most hazardous everyday driving conditions. At sunrise and sunset, the sun sits at angles that fall directly in the driver’s field of view — too low for most sun visors to block and too bright for the eyes to compensate for quickly. Studies consistently identify sun glare as a contributing factor in a significant number of daytime accidents, particularly on east-west roads during the golden hour.
The good news is that the problem is well-understood and several effective solutions exist. Some are free. Some cost a few dollars. One, for Polestar 2 and Volvo XC40 owners specifically, costs $34.95 and takes 60 seconds to install.
Why your sun visor often isn’t enough
The factory sun visor in most cars is designed to block direct sun from above and slightly to the side. It does this reasonably well when the sun is at medium to high angles. When the sun is very low — the first and last hour of daylight — it falls below the visor’s lower edge entirely.
The second limitation is width. Factory visors typically don’t extend to the side window. When the sun is slightly to the side — as it often is on curved roads, at intersections, or when driving at an angle to the sun’s position — the gap between the visor’s outer edge and the B-pillar lets in a direct beam of light.
For the Polestar 2 and Volvo XC40 specifically, this is a more significant issue because neither vehicle’s factory visor includes a sliding extender — a feature most vehicles in their class include as standard.
5 practical methods for reducing sun glare while driving
1. Polarized sunglasses
Polarized lenses are the single most effective tool for managing sun glare while driving. They cut reflected glare from road surfaces and other vehicles significantly, and reduce the intensity of direct sun enough to improve forward visibility. A good pair of polarized driving sunglasses costs $20–80 and is worth every penny for regular commuters on east-west routes.
Limitation: sunglasses don’t help when the sun is directly ahead and the visor isn’t reaching far enough sideways. They also don’t help passengers.
2. Clean your windshield inside and out
A dirty windshield dramatically amplifies glare. Interior windshield film — the greasy haze that accumulates on the inside of the glass from off-gassing plastics — scatters light and turns manageable sun into a near-whiteout. Clean the inside of your windshield with an ammonia-free glass cleaner regularly, especially at the start of summer. It’s one of the most underrated visibility improvements available and costs nothing beyond the cleaner.
3. Adjust your sun visor position
Most drivers use their sun visor in the fully-down position, but the visor can also be rotated to block sun coming from the side window. Unclip the outer end of the visor from the headliner and rotate it toward the side window — this extends its effective coverage area significantly for high-angle side sun, though it doesn’t help with the B-pillar gap.
4. Use a reflective windshield shade when parked
A reflective sun shade prevents heat from building up in the dashboard and steering wheel, which reduces the shimmer and haze that can accumulate on hot interior surfaces and affect visibility when you first get in. It’s a preventative rather than a direct driving solution, but it contributes to the overall thermal and optical comfort of the car.
5. Use a custom-fit visor extension (Polestar 2 and Volvo XC40 owners)
For Polestar 2 and Volvo XC40 owners, the most effective solution to the side-window glare problem is a custom-fit visor extension. ShadeSlide™ is precision-engineered for both vehicles and extends the factory visor’s coverage all the way to the B-pillar — eliminating the gap that lets in side-angle sun.
Unlike generic extenders that use velcro straps and fit imprecisely, ShadeSlide™ is contoured to the exact profile of the factory visor. It clips on without tools in under 60 seconds and sits flush with the visor surface when deployed.
The bottom line
Reducing sun glare while driving is about layering solutions. Polarized sunglasses handle the general brightness. A clean windshield eliminates scatter. Smart visor positioning handles high-angle sun. And for Polestar 2 and XC40 owners, a custom-fit visor extension handles the specific B-pillar gap that the factory visor leaves uncovered.
None of these are expensive. All of them contribute to a meaningfully safer and more comfortable driving experience on bright days.