Car seat covers serve many purposes. They can increase the comfort and practicality of your seats, and they can also improve the aesthetic of your vehicle’s interior. Perhaps most importantly, they can protect the seats in your car from wear and tear, damage, and weathering, which can save you on repair costs, and help your car retain its maximum resale value.
However, purchasing seat covers for your car is not as simple as walking into your local auto parts store and grabbing the first covers that you see. There are many factors that you should consider before equipping your car with seat covers. This article will go over exactly what you need to know to make a good purchase for your seat covers.
Part 1 of 2: Determine what kind of seat covers you want
Step 1: Choose the material for your seat covers. Car seat covers come in multiple different materials, and only you can decide which material is best for you. Take a look at your lifestyle, weather conditions, and budget to choose a seat cover material that matches your needs and taste.
See the table below for a list of different materials typically found for seat covers:
- Tip: For more information about the different types of material, you can visit AutoAnything.com.
Step 2: Pick a color scheme. When picking the color of your seat cover, it’s very important to take the exterior and interior colors of your vehicle into consideration.
As much as you may love bright orange, seat covers in that color will look pretty terrifying if your car is red or yellow.
Buying a seat cover is the perfect time to break away from the potentially bland color of your normal car seats, but it’s still important to take the overall aesthetic of your vehicle into consideration.
- Tip: Many car covers are two-toned, which can be a great way to introduce a pop of color to your car’s interior without going over the top. And if you really want to have noticeable seats, you can always buy seat covers with an interesting pattern or design on them.
Step 3: Choose how many seat covers you want. You can buy seat covers for just the driver’s seat, for both front seats, or for all of the seats - the choice is yours.
It’s obviously cheaper to only buy covers for one or two seats, but equipping all of the seats with covers may look better for your car.
Weigh all of these factors along with how much each seat gets used to figure out how many seats you want to cover.
Part 2 of 2: Buying the seat covers
Step 1: Shop around. There are many different online stores where you can buy car seat covers, ranging from car seat cover specialists to generic auto part stores. You can try online shops such as:
You can also buy them in-person at auto part stores or larger supermarkets. Shop around at a few different places to make sure you get the best deal. Here are some local stores that will likely carry an assortment of seat covers for your car:
Step 2: Make sure the seat covers fit with your car. Have your vehicle information (year, make, and model) on hand, so that you can be sure to buy seat covers that will work with your car.
Many car seat cover manufacturers will make covers that fit your car specifically. Others make more generic covers, but they’ll list what vehicles the covers are compatible.
Step 3: Purchase the seat covers. After you’ve figured out what kind of car seat covers you want, and where to buy them, it’s time to place your order.
- Tip: As you’re checking out, make sure to look out for any purchase deals. For example, you may find out about a “buy one, get one half off” sale, which may make it worthwhile to buy more seat covers.
After your seat covers arrive, all you have to do is install them on your seats. The covers will likely come with simple instructions.
Once the seat covers are installed, you can enjoy the look and feel of brand new seats for a fraction of the cost. This is one of the best ways to improve the aesthetic and comfort level of your interior, maintain the quality of your seats, and help keep the resale value of your car high.
For more information on this topic, visit our article about car seats and seat covers.
