For the most part, car seat covers come in two varieties – custom seat covers and universal seat covers. Custom seat covers are tailor made to fit your make, model, and year perfectly to the very last attribute and come with a hefty price tag to match their meticulous detail. Universal seat covers are much cheaper and can work with almost any vehicle, but the tradeoff is that the fit won’t be anywhere near as accurate leaving much to be desired in the looks department. This leaves a great divide between the two types – are you looking for quality or affordability? Undoubtedly, the best quality seat covers are obviously custom but their steep price makes them out of reach for the average person with a budget.
To fill this gap, a company called FH Group has created a new type of seat covers they’ve named semi-custom seat covers. These seat covers fall somewhere between custom and universal seat covers; they’re specially designed to fit a wide range of vehicles at an affordable price without any sacrifice on quality. This is accomplished via research on common features shared by most vehicles like detachable headrests, cup holders, split rear seats, side airbags and more, and engineering a variety of seat covers to accommodate them all.
This provides a solution to the problem caused by the staggering price of custom seat covers and the disappointing quality and fit of universal seat covers. It provides consumers with the product they need for the price they want to pay.
Let’s take a look at how all three varieties compare.
Custom Seat Covers:
When it comes to quality and value, custom seat covers are inarguably the best you are going to get. They’re made specifically for your exact vehicle and often end up looking like the OEM upholstery. They rarely wrinkle, crumple, or fade with time. As an added bonus, they last have the longest lifespan of all types of seat covers, although you’d expect this for the price you pay for them. And speaking of the price…that’s the biggest con to them. The starting price point of custom seat covers are in the hundreds and in some cases can even shoot up into the thousands for luxury brands. On top of this, you usually need to have them professionally installed for the best result, which you probably want after dropping so much dough on them, so you can add another $50 or more to your tab.
But overall, in the end, is it worth it? Most people, even those who can’t afford it and would never in their dreams even think of spending the money on this type of venture, would say yes. No one can deny that the end result of custom seat covers is stunning. It can totally transform your car, from something as simple as upgrading your fabric seats to leather to going full out Pimp My Ride style and adding yellow snake skin seats…although that is the type to run you into the thousands.
Universal Seat Covers:
Up until recently, universal seat covers were the only other option for consumers who weren’t willing to pay the exorbitant prices for custom seat covers. Even today, they’re still to most affordable option, as well as the most accessible. You can find them on Amazon, eBay, or even at Walmart. There are tons of styles to choose from, including licensed designs. Like Hello Kitty? Choose from the hundreds of designs available on the market, including official Sanrio merchandise. Universal seat covers also tend to come in more unique and quirkier designs, like floral patterns, polka dots, and other fun styles that custom seat covers don’t have the same demand for.
The affordable price, easy accessibility, and variety of styles makes universal seat covers seem like a great choice. And for many, they are! But one thing to consider is the tradeoff you’re making, which is the quality of the product you’re getting. Universal seat covers are made to work with almost any vehicle which means yes, they’ll most likely fit your seats, but they won’t fit your seats. Universal seat covers are usually baggy, left to hang off the seats and slide off as you get in and out of your car. They do their job in protecting your seats, but they don’t look the greatest doing it. With some extra effort and elbow grease, you can succeed in really strapping the covers down and securing them to mold to your seats, but it requires materials that aren’t provided to you by the seller. That’s up to you and whether or not you think it’s worth the effort.
So…are universal seat covers worth the value? Considering their popularity, many people would say yes, even though their quality isn’t the greatest, they are well worth the low price you pay for them. They protect your seats and can add a touch of personality to your car for the price of a tank of gas in some cases, and if you go the extra mile, they can even look pretty nice.
Semi-Custom Seat Covers:
Bridging the gap between custom and universal seat covers is semi-custom seat covers. With these, you get better quality materials than you’ll find in universal varieties, not to mention they’re engineered to fit a wider variety of seats more accurately. They’re a little pricier than universal seat covers, but nowhere near the price of the custom variety. This makes them an especially attractive option for consumers, especially if they’re on a budget. In fact, if you can catch them on a sale, they’re not much more expensive than universal seat covers.
These seat covers also come in a nearly endless variety of designs, fabrics, and materials similar to universal seat covers, which allow the buyer to customize their interior while they protect it. Almost any universal variety you can think of, you can find the semi-custom equivalent, be it polyester, cotton, leather or PU leather, oxford, or even neoprene seat covers. All of this, combined with the fact that semi-custom seat covers come equipped with the ability to allow you to access your car’s unique features, such as split rear benches or built-in cup holders.
It’s clear that semi-custom seat covers are absolutely worth the money you spend on them. They offer everything universal seat covers do and more, and the price is right. If you can, try waiting for a sale or promotion to save an extra few bucks to get even more out of your dollar.
With all of this in mind, it all comes down to what your main objective is. Is your deciding factor price? Quality of fit? Lifespan? The middle of the road choice for all of these is semi-custom seat covers, which makes them the best choice for the average consumer.
Eat. Sleep. Drive. Repeat. 