Seat Covers Tested

Seats lead a hard life in a car, and keeping them in good condition can protect its value. We tell you how to do it, plus test the best covers...

Auto Express Car Reviews

April 2010

Worn seats can take hundreds of pounds off the value of your car.

Not only do they indicate that some serious time has been spent on them, but they also give an idea of how the car itself might have been looked after. And putting damage right can be prohibitively expensive.
Regular cleaning can help. Our tests have shown liquid products, such as Comma’s Interior Cleaner, to be the most effective, although we have had good results with fabric-specific foams.

Many car care producers have solutions for tougher stains. Autoglym’s Stain & Scuff Removal Kit comes complete with an applicator and specially designed sponges. You can give your fabric a helping hand by treating it with a protector, such as I1 Smart Fabric from Gtechniq.

Simply spray it on and let it dry for an invisible coating that beads off liquid spills, reducing staining and giving you more time to remove it.

If you’re looking at prevention rather than cure, there’s a number of things to consider. If you drive wearing work clothes or overalls, a protective cover is a good idea. The thick material stops paint, oil and the like getting through. Climate Covers has a range from around £25. High mileage is tough on seats, so it may pay to replace the driver’s with one from an aftermarket specialist, such as Recaro. You can get one to precisely fit and replace it with the pristine original when you sell. Prices start at around £1,500. Kids also take their toll on upholstery, and child seats can mark fabric. Sunshine Kids has a protector that will keep spills under control, plus covers to prevent damage to the back of front seats.

If the damage has already been done, seats can be reupholstered, but this is rarely cost-effective. A scrapyard might be a better option, although matching trim is tricky. SMART repairers (Small and Medium Repair Techniques) can fix snags, tears and cigarette burns as long as the area is not too large. Shine!, which works with Halfords, charges from £75 for seat repairs.

One solution which provides both prevention and cure is a seat cover. This can slow wear or ensure damage doesn’t get worse. There are fitted versions for some cars, but the most common type is universal – sometimes in a few sizes – and they cover the main areas, including seat backs. Which one will keep your seats looking as good as they can? We slipped on eight to find out.

How we did our test...

Key factors were how well the covers fitted the front seat in our 2006 Toyota Yaris, and how long they stayed in position. Each was carefully installed, before we got in and out five times and checked for movement.

Durability was assessed with a wire brush, and by rubbing its handle on the material, looking for signs of damage. Finally, we looked at price (but not including delivery), although this played a relatively small role.

All the sets tested were for front and rear seats, airbag compatible and included headrests.

Verdict

For under £30, the Walser Auto ProFit took a comfortable win, giving a good fit. Halfords’ budget Ripspeed covers just lose out on second to the Sakura Spark set.

Top 3

Walser ProFit
Sakura Spark Luxury Seat Covers
Ripspeed Seat Covers

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6 Comments

Keith

Useful article but you DO NOT tell us where we can buy the Walser ProFit here or in the magazine. What a glitch. I bet Walser are pleased having submitted their seat covers for test but unfortunately no-one can find the company. Yes, they are German and have a German based web site but no England details.

By kghayman on 11 May, 2010, 9:19pm

Stockist for Walser

Keith,

Contact the Roof Box Company (roofbox dot co dot uk or call 01539 621884) as they are the stockists of Walser.

Thanks,

Jamie

By jamiefretwell on 19 May, 2010, 10:53am

I am surprised to see you recommending Climate Covers. I returned £200 worth of goods to them a month ago and still have to receive any refund, despite numerous promises from them. I would warn anyone to steer very clear of them.

By Infuriated on 3 June, 2010, 2:08pm

Infuriated

Just to qualify my previous comment, after 8 long weeks of being told they had not recieved my package back (luckily I sent Registered) , they were behind with refunds, they didnt' read emails (!) their policy had changed, fob offs etc, and me threatening legal action, I finally recieved my refund from Climate Covers. The reason for returning the covers was because they didn't come with instructions for the back seat cover, so I couldn't work out how to get them on, and the instruction for the one front seat cover was a very poor faded photocopy which didn't really assist in any case. They were a very poor fit as well. This company needs to get it's act together not only with product but also customer service. I am now using a £2 seat cover from a local chain shop.

By Infuriated on 10 June, 2010, 9:13am

Infuriated Mk 2

Recently ordered F & R seat covers from Climate Covers. No fitting instructions supplied, despite a number of requests. How difficult is it to e-mail? Also noted that it was difficult to get in touch by phone "as all our advisers are busy" for over 2 hours. Not a good advert. Product appeared to be good, but support / after sales abysmal. My advice is DO NOT BUY.

By Barnacle_Bill on 13 January, 2011, 3:06pm

Disgraceful customer services, dangerous products

I purchased a rear seat cover for my new BMW series on 15 March this year. The cover arrived but without the promised fitting instructions. After 3 e-mails and no response I was told on the phone that there web site was undergoing maintenance hence no reply. Still no instructions. Tried to fit the covers myself but there was no way I had been supplied with a "semi custom fit" cover for my car. The rear seat is split into two. The one thrid cover just did not fit (it was double the width of the seat and Simon told me to cut a hole in the cover so it would allow the seat fixing to work) and the rear seat could not be fixed in place with the covers in situ. Additionally the cover did not fix underneath the slab of the rear seat. It rendered the rear seat very dangerous. I returned the covers by track and trace post on 8 April. These covers cost me £44-51, the postage cost £5-67, so to date I have paid out over £50. 6 e-mails and several phone calls later there is still no sight of my refund. I have been fobbed off by Simon and Davinia of Climate Covers. First they denied receiving my returned parcel, then when I said they had signed for the returned package they changed their story and said they had received it but they'd recorded it in the wrong book. That was on 28 April and Davinia promised I would have a refund within 7 days. A further 12 days and still no refund. The product is rubbish and there is no customer service. How this company has stayed in business I have no idea. DO NOT BUY FROM THIS COMPANY YOU WILL BE WASTING YOUR MONEY!

By karen on 10 May, 2011, 9:31pm

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