The Best Sunglasses for Driving During Golden Hour

Golden hour refers to that magical time of day at sunset and sunrise when there’s a glow from sunlight, but harsh rays are not reflected in the surroundings. If you’re familiar with filmmaker Terrence Malick (his gorgeous movies include Tree of Life and Days of Heaven)  the majority of the scenes in his films take place during the golden hour.

While it’s beautiful to drive along the coast or even down a dusty highway during golden hour, your eyes can still suffer damage from UV rays. You may still have to squint, and in such cases, it’s much safer to drive with a good pair of sunglasses.

Enjoy the most of your golden hour with these critical tips on what to look for in a good pair of driving sunglasses and the best sunglasses for driving on the market today.

5 Items to Look For in a Good Pair of Driving Sunglasses 

1. Polarization

When driving on the road, reflection from sunlight or straight glare can make it difficult to see what’s ahead. A critical feature to ensure you can see better while driving is polarization. 

Polarized sunglasses have a distinct coating on the lenses that cut down glare. 

Essentially, there are two types of light: horizontal and vertical. Horizontal light is more difficult for our eyes to adjust to, and typically what our eyes perceive as glare. To minimize glare, the coating on polarized sunglasses absorbs horizontal light, so that only vertical light comes through. 

This makes it easier to see while driving, so you don’t miss any potholes, sudden stops, or debris in the road that could cause an accident. Before getting on the road with your polarized glasses, try this test to ensure your lenses are giving you proper protection. Hold your polarized shades in front of a computer and rotate the frames right and left. If you see the lenses get darker as you rotate, then they're polarized. 

The only caveat to this is for motorcyclists. Polarization can make it slightly more difficult to discern certain road conditions, like wet roads from recent rain. While this isn’t as big of a deal in a car, on a motorcycle, you must know the road conditions perfectly to drive safely. 

2. Lens Tint

When it comes to the lens tint, there can be lots of varieties to choose from. The most important thing to look for in the best sunglasses for driving is that it’s dark, but not too dark. Dark lenses work best in higher lighting, so if you’re driving a lot during the day, you’ll want lenses with darker tints.

However, there’s less light in general during golden hour. Choose a lighter tint of sunglasses made for mid to low-level lighting for the drives right before the sun fully sets. If you wear dark sunglasses during golden hour, your vision could be compromised because the lenses absorb too much light so you can’t see properly.

3. Lens Colors

Different lens colors offer unique solutions for driving. For the best lens color for driving sunglasses during golden hour, look for lenses in green or gray. These colors tend to be densest, so they’ll absorb the most horizontal rays and help prevent squinting. 

Another bonus to green and gray is that they won’t change the color of your surroundings, so you can enjoy the natural colors of your drive.

However, some people want colors to look more vibrant through their sunglasses. If you want the best sunglasses lens color for driving so that the scenery looks even better than your natural vision, choose lens colors that are amber, brown, or rose-copper.

4. Frame Thickness

Frame thickness can add a retro style to any pair of sunglasses. But when you’re driving, you want to make sure the frames aren’t too thick. Peripheral vision is key; if you see someone cutting over into your lane out of the corner of your eye, you need to be able to maneuver your vehicle at the last minute.

When trying on sunglasses, be sure to look out of the corners of your eyes to ensure that you can see clearly during golden hour and decide if they're the best driving sunglasses for you. 

5. What to Avoid

There are a few key characteristics to avoid when shopping for the best sunglasses for driving.

Skip on lenses that are light green, light blue, pink or red.

These colors affect how your eyes see red, an important color due to traffic lights.

Avoid loose, ill-fitting sunglasses.

Make sure the sunglasses sit securely on your head. The frame should fit snugly to the sides of your face with lenses that allow for full peripheral vision.

Keep a lookout for poor-quality lenses.

Before driving, look through your sunglasses at arm’s distance. If the image through them appears distorted or curbed, then you need to return them for a pair with higher-quality lenses. Look for sunglasses that have a triacetate cellulose lens material in the product specs for a lightweight and durable lens option. 

The Best Affordable Sunglasses for Driving

While designer sunglasses are great, nowadays you don’t have to pay high prices for quality sunglasses. WMP Eyewear offers designer-quality eyewear without the high markup, and even gives a portion of the sales to animals in need. Check out a few of their best affordable driving sunglasses. 

1. Emerson

For an iconic but modern aviator look, be sure to check out Emerson. These single nose bridge frames are grade AA, made of acetate, and have 5-barrel stainless steel hinges. The crystal brown frame with brown lens color are ideal for driving in the golden hour.

With Emerson, you receive maximum optical clarity, including a scratch-resistant coating to protect against minor falls, and an anti-glare finish so that you can drive safely into the sunset. These are also made out of an acetate frame material, which means you can bend them to a customized and secure fit. 

2. Jacob

Jacob frames are for the simple guy or gal that just wants to have a neutral look while driving. These matte black, polarized frames will go with any outfit and offer 100% UVA/UVB protection.

If you want the best polarized sunglasses for driving these will do the trick thanks to their tough stainless steel and injection-molded polycarbonate frame that are built to last. The polarized lenses reduce dangerous reflections so that you can drive your friends and family around in peace.  

3. Prescott

Oval aviators offer a unique twist on a classic frame. Prescott melds the timeless look of aviators with the classic look of round frames that are popular today. Top picks for driving during golden hour include the crystal sand frame with smoke green lens or crystal brown with gradient brown lens combo.

These lenses are polycarbonate and shatter-resistant, so they can withstand the natural wear and tear that comes with regular use while providing maximum optical clarity. 

The Best Designer Sunglasses for Driving

If you're looking to spend more on a pair of shades here are some of the best designer sunglasses for driving available right now.

1. Serengeti Geary

Serengeti created their Geary sunglasses for outdoor events of all types. For driving, they actually recommend their non-polarized sunglasses. The lens absorbs 79% to 92% of visible light and allows more yellow and green light to pass through in low light conditions, like golden hour, so your eyes are more comfortable.

Plus, the Serengeti Geary offers a timelessly cool look with a mix of wire and acetate frames perfect for casual and formal occasions.

2. Maui Jim Men's and Women's Peahi Polarized Wrap Sunglasses

While Maui Jim’s gender-neutral Peahi polarized sunglasses may look like a pair your uncle would wear, they do offer some great features for driving. The frames are built from lightweight, injected nylon, so you can wear them all day into golden hour and they’ll still feel weightless.

The lenses protect you from UV rays and offer glare-free, color-boosting patented technology only Maui Jim provides. 

3. Ray-Ban Polarized Aviators

Ray-Ban has consistently provided quality sunglasses since 1937. For the best polarized sunglasses for driving, check out their Classic Aviator. The longer sides on the far sides of the lens in the aviator style ensure your eyes are protected when you’re looking out the corners. And with ten different colors to choose from, you can find the best sunglasses lens color for driving in golden hour.