What Are the Best Seat Covers for My Car?
Your car seats take a lot of abuse on a daily basis. Not only do they see countless hours of your backside, they are also subject to damage by the sun, temperature fluctuations, and the indignities of spilled drinks and food.
A seat cover protects your factory seats, as well as your investment in the vehicle, and can also provide a better finish for an older car whose previous owner did not care for it the way you would.
What is a Seat Cover?
A seat cover provides a barrier to protect your factory seats from the dirt, dust, stains, and spills that can mar an otherwise beautiful car interior. Most are designed to be easy to clean, by wiping with a damp cloth or washing in a washing machine, so you can restore that new look if you do have a bad spill.
Great looking seats will reduce the depreciation on your vehicle and give you a better selling price once it’s time to move on. It’s also fun to express your personality by adding unique and fun seat covers. Some seat covers are quilted, or are constructed of other special materials, to provide greater comfort than the OEM seat fabric your car came with.
You can purchase custom made seat covers for your particular vehicle, but there are also many universal options out there that will fit a variety of cars for a fraction of the price of custom-made upholstery.
Types of Seat Covers
As you can imagine, there are a lot of varieties of car seat covers out there. Read on for some of the highlights.
Plasticolor Sideless Seats Covers
Sideless seat covers provide an easy way to update the look of your vehicle and can also be purchased with officially licensed logos from all your favorite major auto manufacturers. Plasticolor offers them as a three-piece set, with a seat, a sideless back piece, and headrest piece. One of the advantages of the sideless seat cover is that it is very easy to install and you can take it out for cleaning in minutes.
Bell Automotive Full Coverage Seat Cover
A full coverage seat cover from Bell provides most of the advantages of a sideless seat cover, but also covers the sides and back of the seat. This can be useful for drivers with young children, who love to place their muddy boots on the backs of the driver seat! Full coverage seat covers will take slightly longer to install than the sideless versions.
Plasticolor Racing Seat Covers
A racing seat cover is a full coverage seat cover that is made out of a grippier material, to keep the driver firmly situated in their optimal driving position when completing more aggressive driving maneuvers. The Plasticolor R Racing seat cover has the widely recognizable ‘R Racing’ emblem on the seat back, giving an aggressive and sporty look.
Type S Accessories Faux Leather Seat Covers
Faux leather seat covers maintain luxury while also providing increased utility. With a leatherette seat cover, you never need to worry about a spill, since those materials a moisture resistance and easily cleaned using a damp cloth. Some Type S Accessories luxury faux leather seat cover kits contain covers for front buckets and a back bench seat, made of PVC vinyl that looks like real leather, and zippers on and off for easy installs.
FH Group Premium Car Seat Cushions Set
The only thing better than getting a seat cover for the driver is getting a set of seat covers so that the whole family can enjoy the comfort and cleanliness. FH Group Premium seat cover sets are available in pairs or sets that include the front and back seats, and you can get all kinds of fun logos to tailor the style of your vehicle to express exactly who you are. Customized seats with logos from superheroes, sports teams and your favorite carmaker are available, or you can just go for a striking design without any symbols.
FANMATS Embroidered Seat Covers
When you’re a face-painted screaming fan either in-person or for a TV broadcast, maybe FANMATS Seat Covers are what you need to show your team spirit. Made of stretchy vinyl and embroidered with your team’s logo, everyone will know who you’re cheering for.
If you like the look and feel of your OEM seats but would like to customize the appearance of your car interior, you can consider some stand-alone headrest covers. Just like seat covers, they’re available in all kinds of styles, with branding from many different popular companies.
Things To Keep in Mind When Installing Seat Covers
Before installing full coverage seat covers, check with your vehicle owner’s manual to see if the car has any airbags that deploy from the sides of the seats. If the car has seat airbags then you’ll need to use only seat covers that do not cover the area where the airbag might deploy, or ensure that the seat covers are designed for use with seat airbags.
Usually seat airbags are deployed from the side of the seatback, and there should be a tag on the seat identifying the fact that there is an enclosed airbag. If you have read the manual and aren’t sure whether your seat contains an airbag that you need to be concerned about, contact your local car dealer and ask to speak with the service department to answer your question.
Other Accessories to Customize Your Ride
Armrest Covers
One of the areas of the car that endures the most contact with skin is your seat armrest. Every time you drive the vehicle, it absorbs sweat and dead skin particles, and can quickly become dirty. An armrest cover provides a washable or wipeable surface that takes the brunt of abuse and saves your cars upholstery.
Steering Wheel Covers
Once you’ve upgraded your seats with new seat covers, why not consider adding a matching steering wheel cover. You can find steering wheel covers of all kinds to personalize your unique ride and make the wheel a little more comfortable in your hands.
Seat Belt Pads
How many times have you taken a long trip, only to have the seatbelt bite into your sensitive neck? A seatbelt pad is the perfect solution. They are very easy to install in seconds and completely adjustable for drivers of different heights.
Seat Cushions
You can improve the comfort of a warn out seat by purchasing new seat cushions, in a variety of styles. Fabric, memory foam, beaded, or lumbar seat cushions help you have the most comfortable drive possible.
Signs that You Should Replace Your Seat Covers
If you see rips, tears, or stains in your seats you should look into replacing them, because they will tend to worsen with use. Good luck finding the perfect seat cover accessories for your ride!
