A Tesla car is parked in front of a dealership on March 28, 2022 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
Say what you will about Elon Musk but many of his cars come with a pretty cool (literally) feature for dog owners. If you’ve lived in the South for more than a year, you know by now that summer is not over yet. The heat and humidity stick around well past Labor Day. You almost always have to think about the temperature when you take your dog for a ride in the car.
Warm weather especially can become an issue if you’re out running errands with your four-legged friends and can’t take them in the store with you. You certainly don’t want your dog sitting in a hot car, but you might not want to keep the engine on and the A/C blowing either. According to The Street, some Tesla cars have the solution for that.
As of 2019, Tesla Model Y, 3, S, and X vehicles come with an interior environment control called Dog Mode, which allows owners to set a temperature in the car without them being in it. The temperature can even be controlled while the car isn’t running. To me, this is a much more useful and safer feature than self-driving. You can read more about Tesla’s Dog Mode HERE.
My family lucked out with our dog, Daisy. She’s the first dog we’ve had that really loves riding in the car. Our previous two dogs…not so much. One had terrible anxiety and would shake if she had to be in the car. The other just got nauseous and threw up. Good times. But Daisy is always up for a ride and loves sticking her head out of the window to feel the breeze.
According to Autotrader, 85% of dog owners say they think about transporting their furry friends when purchasing a new vehicle. So if dogs play such a big role in the car buying decision process, which makes and models should their humans be driving?
Autotrader is out with their 2022 Best New Cars for Dog Lovers list. Vehicles on the list were chosen based on a variety of relevant factors like interior durability and space, vehicle comfort, convenience, and safety. Some of the more desirable features include seats that are easy to clean, a low cargo floor so your dog can get in and out easily, and rear heating and A/C vents. Here are Autotrader’s ten picks in alphabetical order:
