It might smell a bit like leather if you're fancy, or it might smell more like vinyl before the kids have spilled who-knows-what on its easy-to-clean surface. Either way, it smells like you made a decision and committed the cash to paying for it over the next few years. All of this is lovely, but what actually is new car smell? The truth is it's a far less romantic, yet still heady, mix of 50 to 60 volatile organic compounds, or VOCs , off-gassing in your car.
These are the same compounds that cause a greasy film to form on your car's windshield. At new-car concentrations, these chemicals are not terribly dangerous, but they're not exactly aromatherapy , either.
They do break down quickly, to the tune of about 20 percent decay every week, so the smell doesn't linger all that long. That's why we call it new- car smell, not car-I've-had-for-five-years smell. As much as we love new-car smell, auto manufacturers are working to eliminate it. Not that they don't like the smell, but they'd rather not use the chemicals involved in the smell if they can help it.
Automotive materials that include fewer VOCs, like soy-based foam seats cushions, don't off-gas quite so much, and they don't really have a smell. In fact, there may come a time when new-car smell is only available in a bottle. And if you're into that kind of thing, rest easy knowing that fragrance manufacturers aren't bottling up semi-dangerous VOCs. They're faking it, which is probably a good thing. That's the easy answer to the question. Super nerds may proceed to the next page, where we'll look at each of the VOCs that cause new car small in more detail.
Though there are dozens of chemicals that contribute to new-car smell, and that chemical cocktail varies by manufacturer, there are five common VOCs that make up most of the off-gassing found in the interiors of new cars:.
Toluene: This liquid solvent comes from crude oil, though you probably know it best for its starring role in many nail polish removers. Categorized in: Cars. Login Help Center. Origin of the Smell The new car smell is actually made up of a mix of chemicals that are contained in the various car interior features. Is New Car Smell Toxic? Doing Away with the New Car Smell Despite its nostalgic appeal, some automobile manufacturers are trying to eliminate the new car smell for health reasons.
What to Make of it All If you are really concerned about inhaling chemicals or are particularly sensitive to pollutants in the air, your best bet is to simply buy used cars! Bentleys and Rolls-Royces smell dizzyingly like leather. Less expensive cars smell more like a new shower curtain or newly installed wall-to-wall carpeting.
Clean, pleasant, sterile, a touch of plastic. No leather smell at all. Light plastic or cleaner. Three years ago, scientists at the Australian Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation presented a study that exposed that new-car smell as toxic.
Among other things, benzene, acetone, styrene, and toluene whatever they are were floating around in your car, scary volatile organic compounds VOCs just itching to fog up the inside of your windshield, stuff up your nose, and give you a headache—or cancer.
The result of this scare was that automakers began working on neutralizing odors while respecting their customers' desire for "that new-car smell. Not one car manufacturer admitted to creating a scent, although once in a while one would accuse a competitor of doing so: infusing a piece of plastic with an aroma and installing it under a seat, for example, or blowing a fragrance into the plastic bags that cover the seats during shipment.
Car manufacturers say they are working toward a neutral environment, and the smell that lingers is the stuff they can't—or don't need to—eliminate. We have better materials now, and the new materials don't smell like plastic.
It looks as though younger generations won't associate floating VOCs with the experience of buying a new car. Kinda sad. She lives in Connecticut and drives a mostly odorless Tiburon. New Cars. Buyer's Guide. Type keyword s to search.
Today's Top Stories. A jury of smellers at least six people then opens the jar, smells, and rates it according to the following: No odor. Detectable, but not disturbing. Extremely disturbing. There is no category for "new-car smell. This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano. Advertisement - Continue Reading Below. As anyone who has ever been stuck in an elevator with a cologne-happy coworker can tell you, however, there's a fine line between a pleasant smell and a nauseating one.
Sorina Stanciu, technical specialist of materials engineering at Stellantis's headquarters in Holland, says the automaker's panelists tasked with judging a vehicle's new-car smell come from throughout the company.
Panelists don't have direct contact with the materials they're judging, so that they come to the process with a clear perspective—an unbiased nose, so to speak. A third party can also step in to inform an automaker if the smell of a new vehicle is pushing the right buttons or if it's causing queasy owners to rapidly roll down the windows.
Power 's global automotive study team. While new-car smell is one of approximately factors involved in an IQS rating, Gruber says its role is significant. Gruber said that J. Power's consumer data collected from around the world shows large-scale cultural differences when it comes to the appreciation of new-car smell.
In the United States and Japan, for example, IQS issues related to scent make up only a tiny percentage of reported problems. Why is there such a dramatic difference in appreciation, or lack thereof, when it comes to new-car smell?
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