Choosing Leather or Cloth Upholstery

2012 Chevrolet Avalanche interior

There are dozens upon dozens of choices facing drivers whenever they are in the market for a new car. Some of the really hard ones, manufacturer and vehicle choice for example, tend to get a lot of the attention in blogs such as these.

But what about your upholstery choice? When I was young and thought I couldn’t afford leather upholstery, I didn’t even give it a thought, but the fact is that it’s often far more affordable than I imagined and can provide a great, long-lasting, durable alternative to cloth seating.

There are upsides to buying cloth seating, though. It will cost you less, to begin with, which is the big selling point with most drivers. Cloth seats also seem more low-key and remain cooler when they’ve been in the sun for a while. “Fine nylon blend” may not sound as fancy as “leather,” but it sure will keep you from scalding your legs on a hot summer day. And if you or a passenger spills their drink in your car, it won’t be nearly as much of a disaster as the possibility of ruining leather or the cleaning necessary to get a stain out.

Cloth seats in general are just lower maintenance and cost less, but that doesn’t necessarily make them better.

Leather upholstery is more expensive, is a bit more difficult to maintain, and for the faint of heart, does require the slaughtering of a cow or two. Those are the downsides. The upsides are that leather upholstery is sleek, smooth, and conveys a sense of status that cloth just does not. Not only that, but it is also very comfortable and will often outlast cloth seating, if you’re looking to hold onto your vehicle for some time.

And really, when you’re already spending tens of thousands of dollars on a new car, what’s a little extra for seating as luxurious as leather? If you aren’t pinching pennies, take one more decision off the list of things to consider when shopping for a new car. Spoil yourself a bit and drive off on slick leather seating!