How to choose right seat covers for a car?

I’ve researched online and offline stores before selecting a right seat cover for a new car. Came across plethora of varieties of seat cover for a new car from material to fitments.

Here’s some notes that I took from the variety sources and beneficial to others also if you are in the similar situation and confused between what parameters to consider while looking up for a seat covers for a car.

Mainly seat covers are available in three materials:
1. Fabric seat covers.
2. PU (Poly Urathane) leather seat covers.
3. Genuine leather seat covers.

Let’s discuss brief on it:

1. Fabric Seat Covers
   This type of covers are made up from fabric material, as name suggests itself.
   Comfort wise it is superb.
   If you are someone who loves to eat and have some cold drinks then I believe this seat covers are not much recommended for you since the stains and other dirt is very hard to remove.
   Also on if car is under direct sun, then its color is also fade away.
   Durability of this seat covers are maximum 3 to 4 years.
   So far,
   the good fabric seat covers I came across are made up from Fitto Fabric Seat Cover.
   To take care of this seat covers special care is required through dry cleaning and using interior cleaning material.
2. PU Seat covers
   This type of seat covers are made up from artificial leather material.
   Hundreds and thousands of varities are available for such PU material seat covers.
   Thickness of this seat covers are varied from 0.9mm to 1.3mm
   Various types of PU seat covers are available, which I heard of so far are listed below:
   - Artificial Leather
   - Nappa leather (Very popular in recent times last 2–3 years)
   - American Leather
   - Calf Leather
   - Sheep Leather
   - Durban Leather
   - Baverian Leather
   - Skoda leather
   - Stylish Leather
   - Roseli Leather

All these leathers are varied in terms of grades and textures.
Also different styles and stitching methods, used materials like foams, lining (Astar in layman language), will make every PU seat covers different with each other.

Durability of this seat covers from NAPA leather onwards are long lasting.

Those covers are more water, stain and dust repellant.

While preparing this PU seat covers, following materials are being used:
PU Leather,
On top of if there will be the foam. Again foam is coming with various varities like High density foam , Memory foam, Fire resistant foam with different thickness like 10mm foam, 40mm foam etc.
On top of that there will be the linings.

All these three can be bonded with each other one piece through the Heat pressing machine.

Also the stitching applied on such PU seat covers are mainly categorized in two categories.
- Sewing through normal industrial sewing machine.
- Computerized sewing machine. (Fit and finish probably be better than the previous option, I believe, but 1st option also not disappointing you if you feel sewing stitching are consistent and properly done)

Different brands are having different way of making this PU seat covers:
Say for example, some brands made seat covers having foam all side from front , side walls and back side, while others only provide at front side.

However, the major advantage with PU seat covers are that,
mutliple options of customizations can be available and designs can be done bespoke.

There are different fitments option available with seat covers:
- Normal Seat covers.
- Skinny Fit or Semi bucket.
- Bucket Fitment
- OEM fitment.

For OEM fitment, certianly the material of leather must be either Roseli emution/ Stylish-soft leather/ American Leather.

Note:
Rexin is different material than the PU material. Not recommended to use Rexin since these seats are getting heated when car is parked under direct sun. So, better to go with PU leather against Rexin.

Bucket Fitments are also carried out by seat cover installers with different approach:
- Stitching portion of seat covers, to cut for proper seat cover fittings.
- Using thread and big niddle can be done without cutting stitches of the seat covers.

3. Genuine Leather seat covers:
- Those are made up from animal’s skins and hides. Not much recommended , since it’s not animal friendly. A more expensive in terms of cost.

Gathered informations from various online resources and videos, putting the links here to give credits to them:

https://youtu.be/CYQSbdcAZz8
https://youtu.be/oYOaVij0tzI
https://youtu.be/6wur2xBZlPk (Recommended to watch, bucket fitting through big niddle and thread)
https://youtu.be/Zou4mFXJzf4
https://youtu.be/NNVMPwER6pY
https://youtu.be/EHzl3UeLCvo (Recommended to watch)
https://youtu.be/uobfFeR8NIA (Good to know)
https://youtu.be/5pkh9eALe9g
https://youtu.be/6Uw4pUwQiVA
https://youtu.be/peAlR6VjFz0
https://youtu.be/5pkh9eALe9g
https://youtu.be/mKDUaSo9OB0