7 Things to Know About Your Seats Before Buying Seat Covers

By Thomas S.

Ordering seat covers isn’t always an easy process. Whether it’s the size and shape of your seats, your head/armrests, or choosing which type of material is best for you, the decisions you need to make are endless. That’s where we come in. Our helpful agents are here to help and, because most of our seat covers are made-to-measure, we always ask the important questions about which factory options you have on your car. We ask these questions because we care and to guarantee that your brand-new seat covers fit snugly and leave room for your airbags, ergonomic controls, and seatbelts. So, join us as we run down the seven things you need to know about your seats before buying seat covers.

1) What is the year, make, model, and series of your vehicle?

This question may be obvious, but that doesn’t make it any less important. After all, you can’t have seat covers that fit if you don’t know what vehicle in which they’ll be used. For example, a Camry’s seats aren’t the same as a Ferrari’s, and will require different seat covers. If you can’t determine the year, make, model or series yourself, your registration or pink slip can provide the answers you’re looking for.

2) What style seats do you have?

Whether your ride has bucket or bench seats, there’s a cover out there that will work for you. Depending on the specific vehicle, we utilize a drawing of your seat style to help you feel confident that you’re getting a cover that’s sure to fit properly – without disturbing any vital functions. But mistakes do happen, so don’t forget to double-check that the type of seat in your vehicle matches the type of seat depicted in our graphic.

3) Do you have power seats?

Most newer cars employ electronics wherever possible, some of which move the seats forwards and backwards. You should note which seats have a control panel on the side and which do not (sometimes this feature will be exclusive to the driver’s seat and the rest won’t have it), because it can affect how and which type of seat covers will fit.

4) Do your front seats use side-impact airbags that deploy out the side panel of your front seat?

This may be the most vital question of all, because installing an ill-fitting seat cover can interfere with your car’s safety features – like side-impact airbags. If your ride does use side-impact airbags, the majority of semi-custom and all universal-fit covers will block them, making them unadvisable for use. Custom-fit covers, on the other hand, are fabricated with a special opening to accommodate your side-impact airbags.

5) What type of headrest does your vehicle use?

No two seat covers are the same, and since some covers go all the way over the headrest and some come with an optional headrest cover, you need to know which kind is in your car before purchasing a new seat cover.

6) Where does your seatbelt come from?

Like seat covers, no two cars are alike. Some have seatbelts that come directly out the back of the seat, while others are attached to the right side of the car. If your vehicle utilizes the former, your new seat covers will need to have special openings stitched in. Otherwise, no special openings are required.

7) Do you have pivoting armrest(s) on the driver’s seat? The passenger’s seat?

Determining whether your ride has pivoting armrests is one of the last obstacles to enjoying the protection provided by a new set of seat covers. Once that’s settled, you’re ready to browse our complete selection of seat covers and select the right ones for you and your ride. Just in case, we ’ll ask for your contact information during the ordering process to ensure we can get in touch if additional questions arise. Or, if you run into further questions of your own while shopping online, you can contact our team of knowledgeable professionals by clicking on the live chat button. Or, call us directly at 1-800-874-8888.

Conclusion

Choosing the right seat covers for your vehicle is crucial for ensuring a proper fit and maintaining the functionality of your car's features like airbags and seat controls. By answering these seven questions about your vehicle's make, model, seats, and accessories, you can confidently select the seat covers that best suit your needs.