Protecting Your Ride: Choosing the Right Seat Covers

While you might have thought that all seat covers are the same, here are some important things to consider before handing over your hard-earned cash.

Safety

The majority of modern vehicles sold today are fitted with seat-mounted airbags as part of the overall safety package aiming to protect the occupants. When fitting seat covers to your new vehicle you should ensure that your new covers will not impede the deployment of the Airbags.

There are many claims from seat cover manufacturers that their covers are certified, but in Australia, there is no official “Certification Standard” in direct relation to seat covers. The leading seat cover manufacturers currently test against ADR72/00 – (Dynamic Side Impact Occupant Protection) which is part of the testing carried out for ANCAP ratings.

The safest method of manufacturing “Airbag Seam” seat covers is to copy the process employed by the OEM Vehicle Manufacturers which involves:

A purpose-built sewing machine that controls the length, tension & speed of each stitch to ensure quality & consistency
Purpose Specific “Airbag Seam” thread with stringent quality controls & manufacture specifications
Tailored cover design to each individual seat, ensuring unobstructed contact of the seat cover airbag seam to the deploying airbag

Durability

The main function of a seat cover is to protect the seat from the hazards of a busy life, whether that is a hard day’s work on the tools, picking up a load of kids from sports or taking your dog for a day at the beach.

What is the best material for your seat cover? This is going to depend on your lifestyle & what you want out of your seat cover.

If durability is your key motive, Canvas is the best option as it is 100% waterproof, mould + mildew resistant and incredibly hard-wearing. But if you are looking for comfort a 100% cotton seat cover with a laminated foam backing will assist with dispersing heat while providing a soft place to rest your body on.

Regardless of the type of material you choose, it's best to look for Australian-made textiles as these are specifically designed to cope with our UV rays & harsh climate.

Performance

You also need to make sure that you are purchasing a seat cover tailor-made for your vehicle's seat, this will benefit you by not only removing the unwanted continual re-adjustment of a cover that keeps wrinkling up or coming loose but will also reduce the chance of wear being transferred through onto your vehicle seat.

If you're looking for some added protection for your car's interior and are in the market for a set of seat covers that ticks all of of the boxes above, make sure to check out the range from our friends at SupaFit Seat Covers.