Cars with heated windscreens
Need to clear the mist and frost off your car quickly? Here are the best cars with heated windscreens for you to choose from
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By Ben Welham
Last updated: 17 January 2025
We’ve all been there. It’s a winter morning, you’re already late for work, but now you need to scrape the ice off your windscreen and wait for the heaters to clear the mist. Not fun, is it?
Luckily for all of us, some cars come with heated windscreens. They work in the same way as your heated rear window – little elements in the glass heat up quickly to clear your view – but don’t have any distracting lines obscuring your view.
Very clever stuff, and once you’re used to a heated windscreen, you won’t want to go back. So, with that in mind, here are some of the best cars with heated windscreens.
What cars have a heated windscreen?
Range Rover Evoque
Ford Fiesta
Jaguar I-Pace
Vauxhall Corsa
VW ID.4
Volvo XC40
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Best heated windscreen cars in the UK
Range Rover Evoque
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The Range Rover Evoque is renowned for offering a luxurious cabin, strong off-road capabilities and big, powerful engines.
Range Rover is a prestigious brand these days, but it still sticks to its practical roots, offering heated windscreens in Evoque models in Dynamic SE trim and above.
Pair all that with a quiet, comfortable drive and boatloads of tech, and it’s plain to see why a Range Rover Evoque is as at home on the school run as it is outside a business meeting or in a muddy field.
Read our Range Rover Evoque review
Ford Fiesta
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We can all be grateful for Ford since it was actually the brand to introduce the (now-expired) heated windscreen patent in the early 1990s. Since then, it’s included this nifty feature in many of its cars.
One of the most popular cars with this feature is the Ford Fiesta – and it won’t take you long to spot a smug Fiesta owner on a frosty morning since it’s one of the best-selling cars in the UK.
Most Fiesta models come with a heated windscreen, but it’s worth double-checking before you buy to make sure yours has it.
Read our Ford Fiesta review
Jaguar I-PACE
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A brand’s first attempt at an electric SUV is never an easy task, but the Jaguar I-PACE was a real gem and sold rather well for a first try.
With a range of up to 292 miles and a quirky design, it was a great accomplishment for the British brand, but the heated windscreen is arguably the pièce de résistance.
It also comes packed with loads more of the latest tech, which makes used examples even more worthwhile since you can’t buy them new anymore.
Read our Jaguar I-PACE review
Vauxhall Corsa
 "Vauxhall Corsa Electric driving")
The Vauxhall Corsa is one of the most popular cars on the market – both new and used – and the fact it has a heated windscreen makes it even more attractive.
And much like its fierce rival the Fiesta, the Corsa is a rare example of a small, budget-friendly car with this fairly premium feature.
Plus, you get a similarly fun and engaging drive from Vauxhall’s hatchback.
Not only does the Corsa have a heated windscreen, but plenty were optioned with heated seats and a heated steering wheel, keeping you toasty (and safer) on those colder winter mornings.
Read our Vauxhall Corsa review
VW ID.4
 "Volkswagen ID.4 driving")
Building on the success of the ID.3, the VW ID.4 offers a great range and SUV-like bonuses like a bigger boot and more interior space.
Being the tech fest that modern EVs are, the ID.4 has pretty much every feature you could hope to have, including that all-important heated windscreen.
The benefits of the ID.4 don’t end there though, since you also get a solid interior (as you’d expect from VW), all the kit you need and great safety features such as ‘Travel Assist’, which is basically an extra clever adaptive cruise control system.
Read our VW ID.4 review
Volvo XC40
 "Volvo XC40 driving")
In Sweden, where Volvos are from, is one of the coldest places in Europe, so it would be daft for its cars not to have amazing heater systems.
The Volvo XC40 comes with heated seats, steering wheel and the all-important heated windscreen. And because it’s a Volvo, it all works really rather well.
And, also because it’s a Volvo, the XC40 comes complete with tasteful Scandinavian styling and excellent safety credentials.
Read our Volvo XC40 review
Car brands that have heated windscreens
Ford
Land Rover
Vauxhall
Volkswagen
Jaguar
Aston Martin
Skoda
SEAT
Mini
Nissan
Do all Ford cars have heated windscreens?
No, not all Fords come with heated windscreens, but most models do.
It’s worth checking the specific car you’re looking at before buying to make sure it has a heated windscreen (if this is something you’re after) as, in some cases, it’s an optional extra or not included at all.
Heated windscreen FAQs
What is the benefit of a heated windscreen?
There are many reasons a heated windscreen is useful, with the most obvious being it clears your vision of the road ahead when it’s snowy and icy outside.
They also help reduce condensation that builds up on the windscreen in humid weather.
H3: How do heated windscreens work?
Heated windscreens are designed with tiny heat-conductive wires embedded in the glass that heat up to help melt ice, frost and any condensation.
Heated windscreens vs. demisting
Overall, heated windscreens are more effective at clearing condensation.
While demisting works well most of the time, heated is always better to use if your car has it because it’s usually much quicker.
How long does a heated windscreen take to defrost?
This massively depends on the car – it could be anywhere from one minute to 15 minutes.
Why don’t more cars have heated windscreens?
Cost, cost, cost. It’s all about how much it costs a manufacturer to design and make a heated windscreen.
They need specialist wiring and more expensive glass, which add to the overall cost for the company and consumer, and it’s not always worth it.
How can you tell if a car has a heated windscreen?
If you look really closely at the glass, you can see small wiggly lines running down the entire thing, this usually indicates it’s heated.
Or, you can look for the button in the cabin (check the owner’s manual if you’re struggling).
Explore used cars with heated windscreens
If you’re in the market for a used car with a heated windscreen, make sure to check out our range of cars on offer.
You can simply browse online or come down and visit one of our Stores to get a feel for your next car in person.
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