One of the cheapest and simplest ways to upgrade your driving experience is by installing a set of side window wind deflectors. They are a highly useful upgrade that can improve your driving experience in both winter and summer.
They allow you to crack the window a few inches for a cooling breeze and cut back on road noise. In rainy conditions they allow you to open windows and keep rain out of the vehicle cabin, a very useful feature for cars and trucks with glass that tends to fog up during cold weather.
In this guide, we take a good look at the best window visors on the market.
The Best Side Window Wind Deflectors & Visors
Auto Ventshade Side Window Deflector
Simple and effective are the reasons why we kick off this list with this entry from Auto Ventshade. This side window wind deflector has been designed for a simple and straightforward installation. There are no tools required, and the product can be in place on your vehicle in matter of minutes.
Genuine Subaru Impreza & CrossTrek Window Visor
It’s always great to find a high-quality OEM product. It makes it really easy to know if the product you have selected is going to fit your car. Do you drive a Subaru Impreza or CrossTrek vehicle? Then this product will fit. The other big benefit of an OEM product is that you know you are buying a product that meets the quality standards of your car’s manufacturer. It has been manufactured to the same level of quality that you already find in your Subaru.
ICON Black Wind Deflector
The next item we’ll take a look at is this product from ICON. As you can see from the image, this is a different style of product to both what we have looked at so far and also the bulk of items still to come on our list.
This is a tow wind deflector. It is designed to be roof mounted to any vehicle that is towing a load. Once in place it will perform two important functions. Firstly it is designed to minimize wind resistance from whatever is being towed. That reduces drag, which in turn improves miles per gallon during towing, saving you money.
Auto Ventshade Side Panel Window Deflector
This is our second entry to make the list from Auto Ventshade, firmly establishing themselves here as one of the market leaders when it comes to high quality window visors. This is also another OEM product, meaning it has been designed to meet the specs of a vehicle manufacturer – in this case Dodge and Ram.
If you drive a vehicle from these guys, and this set of deflectors suits your model, you should certainly take a closer look at this product. As an OEM you get all the benefits we already outlined earlier. You also get the guarantee of quality material that the name Auto Ventshade brings to the table.
Rugged Ridge Rain Window Deflector
Rugged Ridge is a company formed to manufacture and sell after market add-ons for Jeep vehicles. This product is designed for use on the Jeep Wrangler model, specifically those produced between 2007 and 2018. If you own one of those and are in the market for a set of wind deflectors, then read on!
Built of the kind of high-grade acrylic that is expected in items such as this, these wind deflectors certainly tick all the boxes that you should look for. Tough and smoked acrylic looks great on the jeep body, and is tough enough to come with a limited 5 year warranty from Rugged Ridge.
WeatherTech Side Window Deflector
WeatherTech are the company behind the next entry to make our list. This set of deflectors is primarily designed to fit Jeep Cherokee models. Just as with the product before, they are designed to be tough, long lasting and look great against the bodywork of your Jeep.
One extra stand out feature here is the use of a bracket/clip style installation. Whilst this can add a little time to the installation process, some people like to see a bracket/clip on their car window deflectors as they can sometimes provide a more secure fit.
AutoVentshade Side Window Deflector
Is it really any surprise to see AutoVentshade back for another entry onto our list? It can’t be denied that they really do make excellent quality car window visors. Are they the best side window deflectors and visors? They could well be, especially if they have a set which fits your car.
This set here has a pretty wide compatibility with a number of Chevrolet and GMC vehicles. We’re talking Avalanche, Silverado, Suburban, Sierra and Yukon XL models. If you drive one of these models and are looking for some great quality window visors, this could be the right product for you.
Mifeier Sun-Rain Guard Window Visors
Mifeier is the manufacturer of this next item, which is compatible with a wide range of Chevy vehicles, including the Avalanche, Yukon and Silverado. This set works with models dated between 2007 to 2013. This is a set of visors made of the typical reinforced acrylic for a tough and long-lasting product. They are also smoked for an attractive finish.
WeatherTech Side Window Deflector
This entry is an OEM-level quality product. It is designed for installation on Toyota Tundra model vehicles. It should be no surprise that get a high-quality set of car window visors made of acrylic. They fit into the window channel, a process that is easy and fast but also provides a secure and long-lasting fit. This set of deflectors has also been designed with a very attractive aerodynamic style. So not only are they tough and effective, but they will look great too.
Auto Ventshade Side Window Deflector
It only seems right that we sign off our list with another entry from the company that kicked it off and have featured throughout. Yes it’s your friends and ours Auto Ventshade. If you’ve read the other entries but not found a set for your model of car, this entry is the last roll of the dice.
So if you drive a Dodge Crew Cab, Mega Cab and Ram Classic Crew Cab then you just rolled a pair of sixes! This set of side window deflectors is coming with the same level of quality design and construction that we have seen so far with all the Auto Ventshade products we’ve looked at so far.
Best Side Window Wind Deflectors Buying Guide
In our buying guide, we’ll take you through the features that you should keep an eye out for when picking out the best side window wind deflectors & visors for you. After that, we’ll take a look at how best to use your new toys and answer some of the most frequently asked questions about this extremely useful product.
Things to Consider When Choosing Side Window Wind Deflectors & Visors
So when it comes to choosing the right side window deflector for you, there are a number of things to consider. Our advice (which you are free to ignore!) would be to consider the following before making your purchase:
- Vehicle Fit
Without doubt the biggest single consideration in terms of selecting the right car window deflector is to ensure it is the right one for your model of vehicle. These products are designed to be installed simply and easily by slotting into (or over) the vehicle window. That means it must be the right size in order to slot easily into place.
- Installation
Speaking of installation, it is worth taking a look at how the device is installed onto your car. There are a number of ways that the deflector will attach to the car, but most will simply slot into position into the window groove. Some others however are attached via sticky pads that attach to the top of the door itself. No matter how it is installed, the process itself is pretty easy and straightforward so don’t worry too much about that.
- Toughness
The window deflector simply has to be strong and tough. Anything attached to the outside of a car is going to have a tough life, whether this is being chipped by road debris, soaked by snow and rain or baked in the midday sun. Therefore we suggest that you always look for a deflector that is up to the challenge. All the products we looked at above very much fulfill these criteria. The best quality products will resist damage from scratches and UV, keeping them looking great for longer.
- Car Wash Safe
Again, all the products on our list will be fine from this point of view. It is an important one too, because frankly why would you want to spend time removing your wind deflectors every time you go through the car wash?
Benefits of Using Side Window Wind Deflectors & Visors
So why should you go out and invest your money in a set of car window deflectors? Well, for us there are actually quite a number of reasons why it could be a good idea to do just that.
Some of the benefits of buying and installing the best side window wind deflector and visors are:
- De-Mist Windows
Is there anything more annoying than car or truck windows fogging up during winter driving? We’ve all been there, you pull away in your car in the midst of winter, the heater is on, you are breathing out hot air too (as are any passengers in the car) and all that sudden heat and condensation is fogging up the glass. Suddenly you can’t see out the windshield, and are rubbing it with your sleeve and swearing. A deflector allows you to crack the window for ventilation during any weather. This helps prevent window fogging.
- Cut Down on Road Noise
Another time that it can be nice to open a window is when you are cruising on the freeway or highway. The only downside of course is that once you start driving at over 50 MPH or so, opening the window even a crack leads to a blast of loud and uncomfortable wind hitting you in the face. Not the cooling breeze you may be looking for! Again, a side window deflector can help with this by allowing you to open the window slightly for a nice cooling breeze without the noise and direct impact of wind.
- Keep Rain Out of the Car
Opening the window when driving in the rain? That’s crazy talk, right? Well, no it’s not, if you have installed a set of car window deflectors. They allow you to open the windows for ventilation during rain without getting soaked by rain. Again, this can really help to make driving a more comfortable experience for just a very small level of investment.
- Increased Mileage
By allowing you to open the windows in any weather conditions, you could potentially increase the mileage of your vehicle. The engine powers air conditioning, meaning that it consumes fuel every time you turn it on. In many circumstances it can be better for your fuel efficiency to open the windows a little to cool down rather than running the AC all the time.
Deflector Types
There are only really two types of deflector out there on the market. Even saying that is being quite kind, since, as you’ve seen in our product list above, one style of deflector is way, way more popular.
The two types are Window and Roof Mounted deflectors.
- Window Deflector
They are by far the most common style of deflector, as represented on our list above where they comprise the majority of products. They are designed to fit around the window frames, allowing you to open and ventilate the car without being drowned with rain or suffering ear splitting noise.
- Roof Deflector
These products are a very different style of deflector. They are designed to be roof mounted, so that’s one big difference. They also perform a different function. A roof-mounted deflector is designed to deflect wind up and over a trailer that is being towed behind a vehicle. That is a very useful function as not only can it improve miles per gallon when towing something, it also stops wind swirling down into the gap between the vehicle and trailer or caravan. That helps make driving easier and more controlled.
Our Top Pick
Selecting the top pick on our list is slightly different from normal, as the selected product needs to be able to be fitted to whatever vehicle you drive. That being said, we can still select the product we feel is best overall, and that has to be the Auto Ventshade 194528 side window visors.
For us, they employed a simple but highly effective design that made them a worthwhile addition to any vehicle. In addition to this they look great with their smoked finish, are easy to install, great value for money and, as a final cherry on top, are made right here in the US.
