What Car? test: driving glasses - Introduction

What's the difference between a decent pair of driving glasses and your old set of sunnies?

Well, driving glasses lenses are polarised, which means they remove much of the glare that causes you to squint on a bright day - such as the sun reflecting off a wet road or another car's windscreen.

As well as improving visibility, polarised lenses also reduce strain on the eyes and mean you don't need to screw up your eyes to see the road properly. All that makes driving safer and more comfortable, too.

UV filters also remove ultraviolet rays (those responsible for sunburn), which can damage the retina and, in the long term, cause cataracts.

Wearing a pair of dark sunglasses without UV filters can actually be worse for your eyes than wearing no glasses at all. That's because your irises will open to allow more visible light in to your eyes, but also let in more harmful ultra-violet rays.

Driving glasses come in many sizes and shapes, just like the human head, so always try on a pair before buying. It's important they wrap nicely around your head and prevent light entering your eyes from around the lenses.

We tested 10 popular pairs to find out what you should be wearing behind the wheel this summer.

What Car? Winners
Best overall Serengeti Dante
Best budget buy SXUC Drivers 6426
Best money-no-object Serengeti Dante

What Car? ranking
1 Serengeti Dante 7113
2 Bolle Montauk 10841
3 Serengeti Nuvola 6864
4 SXUC Drivers 6426
5 Bolle Anaconda 10338
6 Polaroid Xoor Expedition 2702A
7 Porsche Design P'8459
8 Polaroid Phoenix 4811C
9 Carrera Champion DL5-Y2
10 Specsavers Osiris 630

More driving glasses reviews
We tested even more glasses. Go to Driving glasses reviewed