Guide
Heated driving gloves: warm hands on a cold wheel
The first part of a winter drive is often the coldest part of the day: scraping the windshield, then holding a frozen steering wheel while the car's heater takes its time. If your car has no heated wheel, your hands feel all of it.
Heated gloves can bridge that gap. Here is how to use them safely in a car, and what to check first.
Updated · Specifications are the maker's own. Where the maker gives no figure, we say so.
Where heated gloves help a driver
- Clearing ice and snow off the car before you set off.
- The first few minutes of a drive, before the cabin warms up.
- Older cars, work vans and trucks with slow heaters or no heated wheel.
- Short trips where the car never really warms up at all.
- Stops along the way: fueling up, loading, deliveries, school pickups.
Once the cabin is warm, most people will want to switch the heat off or take the gloves off altogether.
Grip and controls come first
A car needs a sure grip on the wheel and easy reach of the controls. A slim leather driving glove is made for exactly that. A heated winter glove is thicker, because it carries insulation, a heating element and a battery pocket at the cuff.
Before you drive in heated gloves, sit in the parked car and check that you can hold the wheel firmly, use the indicator and wiper stalks, work the gear selector and parking brake, and press any buttons you need. If anything feels clumsy, take the gloves off before you set off. Our glove is an insulated winter glove rather than a slim driving glove, so this check matters.
Set the heat before you move
Our gloves have a button on the back of the hand that starts the heat and moves between three settings. Choose your setting while parked, and do not reach over to change it while you are driving. If you get too warm, wait until you have stopped.
Charge the power packs at home before a drive. Each glove has its own rechargeable pack in a zip pocket on the cuff.
Phones and touchscreens
Our glove has touchscreen panels on the thumb and index finger, which is handy for setting a route or answering a call before you start. While driving, follow your state's rules on phone use and keep your hands on the wheel. Set the route before you pull away.
If your car has a touchscreen dashboard, test the glove panels on it while parked. Car screens vary, so they may respond differently from a phone.
Is a heated glove the right choice for driving?
If you mainly want warm hands for a long highway drive in a car that warms up quickly, a heated wheel or simply waiting for the heater may be enough. Heated gloves make most sense when you are in and out of the car in the cold, like on a commute with a walk at each end, or doing a delivery round, or when you also wear them for other things such as the dog walk or the sideline.
They come in one size, L. For a wider look at what to check in any pair, see the buying guide, and for using them on a phone, see touchscreen heated gloves.
Questions
Can you drive in heated gloves?
You can if you can still grip the wheel firmly and work every control safely. Check that in the parked car first, and set the heat before you move.
What are the best driving gloves for winter?
For grip, a slim lined driving glove. For warmth before the car heats up, or if you are in and out of the car in the cold, a heated glove can make more sense. Many people use a heated pair for the walk and the first minutes, then take them off.
Will heated gloves drain while they are in the car?
Only when they are switched on. Switch them off when you do not need the heat, and charge the packs at home.