Vinyl Vs Leather Car Seats

Leather of course is the real deal.

Vinyl vs leather car seats.

It comes from a cow. Most cars with leather seats are actually a mix of leather and vinyl. If you re on a tight budget and you don t want cloth seats in your car then a vinyl seating option can be a smart choice. Here s a look at the difference between the two and the pros and cons associated with each.

The parts of the seat you touch when you sit in the seat is leather while the sides and back of the seats are often vinyl. Leather will breath much easier will not get sticky on a hot day like vinyl will and it breaks in nicely and gets even more comfortable over time. This makes the job of identifying your material a bit more difficult. Leather is simply more expensive than vinyl since it s a material that s natural rather than man made like vinyl essentially plastic.

Here are some reasons to consider vinyl seats. Slipping into the leather seats of an older car is like putting on a set of well fitting soft gloves. Over time leather becomes softer. Do you prefer the feel of leather or vinyl.

Its most popular use however is as a substitute for leather. Vinyl costs a fraction of the price of genuine leather. Leather is much more durable than vinyl and with proper care will last much longer. The difference here has a lot to do with appearances.

It s a synthetic surface usually made of vinyl or a type of plastic that is meant to simulate the look and feel of leather. Leather seating is an investment and in many ways is a better car upholstery material than vinyl. It ll cost you less. Leather upholstery increases the value of both new and old cars.

Most quality faux leathers cost less than a third of that. While a quality hide of leather runs about 300 it only provides around three yards of usable material. Vinyl on the other hand feels colder stiffer and artificial. They have the benefit of being cheaper and easier to clean than leather but with the same visual appeal.

Vinyl simply isn t going to have that effect. Where vinyl has a look that s more fake and doesn t try to be a natural material faux leathers try to mimic the look of the real thing. Though vinyl can be made to look almost identical to leather there is a substantial difference in quality between the two. Leather feels softer warmer more natural.

People tend to favor the feel of leather and the majority of vinyl material cannot mimic that leather feel or smell. When it comes to car upholstery new vehicles today offer a variety of choices including cloth vinyl microsuede leather and leatherette. In some instances the material may be presented as leather but in reality is a vinyl material.