Which Cars Have Cooled Seats?

Ventilated or cooled seats are a breath of fresh air for your backside, particularly with this summer’s heat dome over much of the U.S. The feature’s availability is not as ubiquitous as the option of heated seats, which are now offered at least as an option on most vehicles. But these summer butt comforters are offered in at least some vehicles in all categories — you can have them even on one trim level of the 2023 Kia Forte budget sedan, priced at $25,715.

Related: Crank It or Leave It? We Test Auto Climate Control to Find Out

Helping to overheat demand for ventilation is the popularity of leather seats and their poorer but more durable cousin: leatherette (or vegan leather). Both “breathe” less than cloth upholstery, making them hotter and stickier against warm bodies. The demand for seat ventilation has been such that some premium models now offer it for rear seats.

2023 Vehicles That Offer Cooled Seats

Below are 2023 model-year vehicles that offer cooled or ventilated seats. Depending on the vehicle, cooled seats might be standard, offered on just some trim levels or available as an extra-cost option. The list below is by the root nameplate, and availability might differ for various performance, body style (hatchback or extended length, for example) or powertrain (such as hybrid) versions. In just a few cases, we list a specific version (such as the Hyundai Elantra Hybrid) if the feature is not otherwise available for the overall model.

• Acura: MDX, RDX, TLX
• Alfa Romeo: Tonale
• Aston Martin: DB11, DBS, DBX, Vantage
• Audi: A4, A5, A6, A7, A8, E-Tron, E-Tron GT, Q5, Q7, Q8
• Bentley: Bentayga, Continental GT, Flying Spur
• BMW: 3 Series, 4 Series, 5 Series, 7 Series, 8 Series, i4, i7, iX, X3, X4, X5, X6, X7, XM
• Buick: Enclave, Envision
• Cadillac: CT4, CT5, Escalade, Lyriq, XT4, XT5, XT6
• Chevrolet: Blazer, Bolt EUV, Camaro, Colorado, Corvette, Equinox, Malibu, Silverado 1500, Silverado 2500/3500, Suburban, Tahoe, Traverse
• Chrysler: 300, Pacifica
• Dodge: Challenger, Charger, Durango, Hornet
• Ford: Edge, Expedition, Explorer, F-150, F-150 Lightning, Super Duty F-250/350, Mustang
• Genesis: G70, G80, G90, GV60, GV70, GV80
• GMC: Acadia, Canyon, Hummer EV Pickup, Sierra 1500, Sierra 2500/3500, Terrain, Yukon
• Honda: Accord, Odyssey, Passport, Pilot
• Hyundai: Elantra Hybrid, Ioniq 5, Ioniq 6, Kona Electric, Nexo, Palisade, Santa Cruz, Santa Fe, Sonata, Tucson
• Infiniti: QX50, QX55, QX60, QX80
• Jaguar: F-Pace, F-Type, I-Pace, XF
• Jeep: Cherokee, Compass, Grand Cherokee, Grand Wagoneer, Wagoneer
• Kia: Carnival, EV6, Forte, K5, Niro, Sorento, Sportage, Stinger, Telluride
• Lamborghini: Urus
• Land Rover: Defender, Discovery, Discovery Sport, Range Rover, Range Rover Evoque, Range Rover Sport, Range Rover Velar
• Lexus: ES, GX, IS, LC, LS, LX, NX, RC, RX, RZ, UX
• Lincoln: Aviator, Corsair, Nautilus, Navigator
• Lucid: Air
• Maserati: Ghibli, Grecale, Levante, Quattroporte
• Mazda: CX-5, CX-50, CX-9
• Mercedes-Benz: AMG GT Coupe, C-Class, CLA-Class, CLS-Class, E-Class, EQB, EQE Sedan, EQE SUV, EQS Sedan, EQS SUV, G-Class, GLA-Class, GLB-Class, GLC-Class, GLE-Class, GLS-Class, S-Class, SL-Class
• Nissan: Ariya, Armada, Maxima, Murano, Pathfinder, Titan, Titan XD
• Polestar: Polestar 2
• Porsche: 718, 911, Cayenne, Macan, Panamera, Taycan
• Ram: 1500, 2500/3500 HD
• Rivian: R1S, R1T
• Rolls-Royce: Cullinan, Ghost, Phantom
• Subaru: Ascent, Legacy, Outback, Solterra
• Tesla: Model S, Model X
• Toyota: 4Runner, bZ4X, Camry, Crown, Highlander, Mirai, Prius, RAV4, Sequoia, Sienna, Tundra, Venza
• VinFast: VF 8, VF 9
• Volkswagen: Arteon, Atlas, Atlas Cross Sport, Golf GTI, Golf R, Jetta, Taos, Tiguan
• Volvo: S90, V60 Cross Country, V90 Cross Country, XC60, XC90

2024 Vehicles (So Far) That Offer Cooled Seats

Unlike the 2023 list, the list of 2024 models is not complete and is based only on the vehicles for which U.S. specs have been announced for the new model year. Many vehicles listed for 2023 will carry over the feature for 2024, but official information just isn’t available yet. Among notable additions, however, is the redesigned 2024 Hyundai Kona subcompact SUV (which expands the feature beyond just the electric-vehicle version) and a couple new-for-2024 flagship SUVs: the Toyota Grand Highlander and Mazda CX-90.

• Acura: MDX
• Alfa Romeo: Tonale
• Audi: A4, A5, A6, A7, A8, E-Tron GT, Q5, Q7, Q8 E-Tron
• BMW: 3 Series, 4 Series, 5 Series, 7 Series, 8 Series, i4, i5, i7, iX, X3, X4, X5, X6, X7, XM
• Buick: Enclave
• Cadillac: CT4, CT5, Lyriq, XT4, XT5, XT6
• Chevrolet: Blazer, Camaro, Equinox, Malibu, Silverado 1500, Silverado 2500/3500
• Chrysler: Pacifica
• Dodge: Durango, Hornet
• Ford: Edge, Expedition, Mustang
• Genesis: GV70, GV80
• GMC: Hummer EV Pickup, Hummer EV SUV, Sierra 1500, Sierra 2500/3500, Terrain
• Hyundai: Kona, Palisade, Santa Cruz, Tucson
• Jaguar: F-Pace, F-Type, I-Pace
• Kia: Carnival, K5, Telluride
• Land Rover: Discovery, Range Rover, Range Rover Velar
• Lexus: ES, LC, NX, UX
• Lincoln: Nautilus, Navigator
• Maserati: Ghibli, GranTurismo, Levante
• Mazda: CX-90
• Mercedes-Benz: AMG GT43, GLE-Class
• Polestar: Polestar 2
• Ram: 1500, 2500/3500 HD
• Subaru: Ascent, Legacy, Outback
• Toyota: Camry, Grand Highlander, Sequoia, Tundra
• Volkswagen: Atlas, Atlas Cross Sport
• Volvo: S90, V60 Cross Country, V90 Cross Country, XC60, XC90

How Cooled Seats Do a Sweaty Job

The general principle of seat ventilation systems is to circulate air through small holes in the seating surface to boost the efficiency of your body’s natural climate system (i.e., sweating) — not by directly altering the temperature of the seating surface like a typical heated seat. The circulating air helps keep you drier and your clothes less wilted by moving trapped heat and moisture away from your skin.

The simplest versions of ventilated seats use small fans in the seat to circulate ambient cabin air (cooled and dried by the car’s air-conditioning system in most situations). Differing designs push air out or pull air in through the upholstery’s holes, circulating fresh air to your backside to displace heat and moisture. Either design works, and some people prefer the feel of one over the other.

More complex systems use the fans to circulate cooled air through the holes. The most elaborate (and rarest) versions offer cooled air drawn from an AC system, but more prevalent cooled-air systems from several makers today use small thermoelectric devices, though the air isn’t as cold as it would be from an AC system. Think of the device as a tiny heat pump under the seat, and like a heat pump, it also can be used in some applications to circulate heated air. These systems don’t use a refrigerant like a typical AC system and operate on a principle known as the Peltier Effect; you can see more details on such a system in this video.

None of these systems are inherently better in all situations — it’s still an individual choice whether a given ambient or cooled-air system is more comfortable for you.

Are Ventilated Seats Worth It?

Maybe. Some vehicles’ ventilated or cooled seats are much more effective than others — though most are at least improved from a decade ago when Cars.com editors ranked them among features you don’t really need — and all are a long way from olden days of seat ventilation when many AC systems included a small vent under the steering wheel aimed at your lap.

Still, only you can judge if a given model’s seat ventilation system is effective and has enough coverage area (seat and seatback) for your backside. Give the seat a test drive before you part with the extra cash, and be sure to listen to the feature at its various settings in a quiet interior, as some seat fans make more annoying noises than others; only your ears can judge your irritation level. Note that ventilation systems also are one more thing you might have to repair down the road.

Blasts From the Past on the Used Lot

If a used vehicle better fits your budget, you can check out these links for vehicles with ventilated or cooled seats from earlier model years:

• Which 2022 Cars Have Cooled Seats?
• Which Cars Have Cooled Seats for 2021?
• Which Cars Have Cooled Seats for 2020?

More From Cars.com:

• What Are the Pros and Cons of Leather and Leatherette?
• Heated and Cooled Cupholders Put to the Test
• Levers to Lumbar Perfection: How Many Ways Does That Seat Go?
• Which 3-Row SUVs Offer Captain’s Chairs?
• BMW: New Subscription Fees for Heated Seats Won’t Impact U.S.

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