If you think about the number of hours you spend in a car, you’re really going to want to invest in nice seats.
According to a study conducted by the Harvard Health Watch, Americans on an average drive for 101 minutes per day. That’s over 600 hours a year! Since you’ll be spending well over 1000 hours sitting in your car’s seats during its lifetime, comfortable seats are a must-have. The question is, what seats are best?
Let’s quickly break it down.
Most cars have cloth seats and for good reason. They’re cheap, comfortable, and stay comfortable in extreme hot or cold weather. These seats tend to be made of polyester or broadcloth, but all cloth seats have the same general ups and downs. The main issue here is stains. Though some cloth seats are easier than others to clean, you may never get that coffee stain completely out of the seat.
Meanwhile, vinyl seats have been an up and coming force to be reckoned with in the auto industry. They’re easier to clean than cloth, yet they’re still cheap enough to not hike the price of your car. Modern vinyl seats are also comfier than they’ve ever been, though preferences on this one vary. The most significant downside to vinyl seats is the weather: these things can get really hot or really cold depending on the temperature. Still, vinyl has proven itself to be a cheap and viable alternative to luxury leather seats.
And on that note, let’s talk about leather seats! Leather has long been a staple feature of luxury cars. It looks fantastic, it feels fantastic, and it even smells nice too. Of course, all that comes with an increase in price. We’re talking hundreds of dollars here. While that investment can pay itself back in the long run, also know that leather requires some extra love and care to maintain. If you don’t regularly condition your seats, or you let your car sit in the sun for too long, you could wind up with some nasty cracks in the material.
Also, real quick tip, “leatherette” seats are actually vinyl seats that just look and feel like leather. These seats are actually great for a lot of reasons, but they’re not exactly “leather.” Just a friendly heads up from your local neighborhood car salesperson.
In the end, it’s hard to say which seat is best. Each has distinctive pros and cons, but the best way to tell is to try driving in them yourself. Regardless of the other features of each type of seat, the seat that’s most comfortable to you is best. After all, if you’re going to statistically be spending over 10% of your waking hours per year on the seat, it’s well worth investing in.
If you’d like to see what seats are best for you, give me a call and schedule an appointment. I promise I’ll help you find the seats that are just right for you.
