How to Install Car Seat Covers: Step-by-Step Guide

New seat covers only look good if they sit tight. The good news: you don't need tools or a trip to the shop. Here is how to put car seat covers on the front seats, one seat at a time.

Before you start

• Check your seats. Most covers are made for standard seats. Ours, for example, are not compatible with sports bucket seats with integrated headrests, integrated armrests or seat-integrated seat belts. When in doubt, check the product page and your vehicle owner's manual first.
• Lay everything out. Sort the pieces by seat (driver, passenger) and by part (backrest, seat cushion, headrest), and keep the straps and clips nearby.
• Work in a warm place. Vegan leather is easier to stretch and smooth out when it isn't cold.

Step 1: Clean the seats

Vacuum the seats and the gaps around them. Crumbs and grit trapped under a cover rub against it every time you get in and out.

Step 2: Remove the headrest

Press the release button at the base of one headrest post and pull the headrest straight up. Set it aside.

Step 3: Fit the backrest cover

Slide the backrest cover down over the seatback from the top, like pulling on a shirt. Line up the seams with the edges of the seat so the pattern sits straight.

Step 4: Push the straps through the gap

Feed the straps at the bottom of the backrest cover through the gap between the backrest and the seat cushion. Pull them through from behind the seat.

Step 5: Fit the seat cushion cover

Place the cushion cover on the seat, starting at the back, and smooth it toward the front edge. Tuck the sides in and pass its straps under the seat toward the back.

Step 6: Fasten everything under the seat

Connect the straps and clips under the seat. Pull them snug, not tight: a strap that is too tight can tear a seam, one that is too loose lets the cover slide. Keep straps away from seat rails, wiring and the motors of power seats.

Step 7: Put the headrest back

Fit the headrest cover if your set has one, then slide the headrest back into its holes until it clicks.

Step 8: Check before you drive

• The seat still slides, reclines and adjusts freely.
• The seat belt buckle and the seat controls are easy to reach.
• Nothing is caught in the seat rails.

Then repeat on the passenger seat. Small wrinkles usually settle after a few days of use, especially in warm weather.

Common mistakes

• Starting with the seat cushion: fit the backrest first, the cushion straps go through the same gap.
• Pulling one side much harder than the other, which twists the pattern.
• Hooking a strap onto a cable under a power seat.

Looking for new covers? See our car seat covers in vegan leather, with straps and clips under the seat.