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Keeping your car in nice condition—especially after a new purchase—is about more than just looks. The environment can be rough on your vehicle’s body, so it’s important to wash away debris, dust, and salt to prevent long-lasting damage to your car’s clear coat. Since keeping your car clean is time-consuming and resource-intensive, we recommend a well-fitted car cover to maintain that fresh look long after you go to the car wash.
A car cover provides a protective barrier for drivers who don’t have access to a covered, indoor parking spot—and luckily, most are relatively inexpensive, priced at under $100. There are a few basics to nail down before you start shopping, ranging from the size and material to how it attaches to your car. We break it down below.
Aftermarket covers generally come in so-called universal sizes made to fit a range of vehicles in a certain category, like a general four-door sedan or a hatchback. Automakers also offer bespoke, snug-fitting covers for your particular vehicle, but those come with a higher price tag (and, in our opinion, aren’t really necessary for most car owners).
Car covers have a tough, protective outer layer typically made of polyester and coated in polyurethane to repel water. This outer layer often employs reflective materials to block UV rays and reflect heat. The innermost layer is usually made of cotton, or a soft polyester—think fleece—to protect the vehicle's paint job.
Between those two are more layers of polyester to bolster UV protection and weatherproofing. A multi-layer construction provides a stronger barrier between your car and the elements, and a heftier cover will stay in place better when the wind picks up. Polyester materials like nylon and tafetta make for great exterior and middle layers because of their water resistance and durability.
Simple options like our Best Budget pick from Mornyray use polyester on both the exterior and lining. These cheaper options are suitable for short-term storage outside, or for keeping out dust and debris when storing your car in the garage.
Long-term preservation outside requires a multilayer cover for better weatherproofing. Keep in mind that car covers offer varying degrees of water resistance, and most aren’t completely waterproof. For extreme weather protection, we recommend options like the Coverado All Weather cover and the inflatable Hail Protector, which we review in detail below.
Specialty covers, like the Hail Protector, are made of a single plastic sheet, which doesn’t contact the car, but creates a vacuum-sealed bubble. Die-hard car collectors might use an option like this to meticulously preserve decades-old machines.
Car covers are fixed to the vehicle using either tie-down straps or an elastic hem that runs throughout the bottom of the cover. Elastic is usually more convenient to put on and take off, but it’s also liable to slip off in windy conditions. Options such as the Leader Accessories cover include thick straps to keep the car cover secure. These straps can attach to different points of the car such as the wheels or the underside of the chassis.
If your vehicle has a radio antenna that sticks out from the body, get a cover with a hole to accommodate it. Mirror pockets are also handy for a better fit but they aren’t included on all models.
Extra features on car covers include details like reflective strips so your vehicle can be seen at night if you’re street parking, or a zipper on the driver’s side door to get into your car. You don’t want to have to completely remove a car cover you’ve meticulously installed just because you forgot a pair of sunglasses or your gym bag in the front seat. Some also include storage bags, extra straps, or grommets for adding extra straps.
Before installing your car cover, it’s important to make sure your vehicle has already been washed. Any contaminants left on the surface of the paint become trapped underneath the car cover and can lead to scratches.
If you park your car outside, look for as much water-resistance as possible and a multilayer construction. Acid rain, bird droppings, and UV rays can lead to chemical reactions that make your car’s clear coat break down and peel away, leaving your vehicle vulnerable to rust. A cover also protects your dashboard from cracking and drying out due to extreme heat.
The original author of this story, Talon Homer, has been an auto journalist for the past five years and has tested a variety of vehicles and automotive products, car covers included. During research for this article, he considered products based on a combination of personal experience, user reviews from retailers, and other industry publications. As we updated it, we also considered protection, durability, installation, and size options when searching for the best car covers. We noted extras like reflective strips and storage bags. All of the car covers we recommend below are made for a universal fit, and are aftermarket options to suit a wide variety of vehicle makes and models.
The EzyShade car cover features seven layers of material for all-season protection, more than any other cover in our lineup. The outermost layer provides waterproof protection, plus there’s a taffeta layer for padding and a cotton liner.
There are plenty of extras thrown in, including security straps, mirror pockets, zipper door access, and a storage bag. There are also two grommets to lock the car cover to your vehicle.
It’s available in sizes ranging from small coupes to large SUVs, and the manufacturer includes a handy size chart to find the right option for you. However, it hasn’t published exact dimensions for each size.
The Mornyray car cover is water-resistant and will protect your vehicle in moderate weather. It has an elastic hem along with built-in straps for a secure fit on windy days. Reflective strips along the top keep your car visible at night.
This cover does a good job protecting against rain, but moisture may get through during particularly heavy downpours. The polyester fabric protects against scratches, and the soft lining won't damage your car.
The car cover is a great value and will last a year or so when not used everyday. Customers needed to replace it around the six-month mark when using it everyday in severe weather, but it met most reviewers needs.
The Coverado All-Weather car cover combines weatherproof layers for maximum protection with a soft fleece lining on the inside. Polyurethane layers block water while a reflective, aluminum layer blocks heat and UV rays. This cover uses double-needle stitching throughout to bolster durability and prevent snags and tears.
Its jet-black outer fabric gives a sleek, professional look, and the integrated silver reflectors make sure your vehicle is visible at night. Five tie-down straps along with an elastic hem make this car cover secure under gusty conditions, and mirror pockets provide a more custom fit. Zipper access and a storage bag are also included.
While other car covers are designed for general purposes, The Hail Protector is created specifically for harsh storms. Hailstones present a great menace to our cars. The largest stones impact with great velocity, leaving dents in bodywork and potentially cracked windows.
This unique cover defends against hail by combining a rigid metal skeleton with inflatable synthetic fabric. Your car will look like it’s wearing a puffer jacket. The built-in pump motor supplies air, running on household power, your car’s accessory outlet, or AA batteries in a pinch.
While this level of protection comes at quite a cost, if you live in an area with heavy storms, it could easily pay for itself.
This car cover has two shiny silver outer layers, which reflect both UV rays and heat away from the vehicle, protecting your dashboard and paint job. Underneath is a waterproof synthetic layer to keep out moisture, even in severe weather. The interior uses three cotton layers to add extra padding and protect the car’s body. The multilayer construction bolsters this cover's durability.
The cover has both an elastic hem and tie-down straps for a secure fit and is available in 13 different sizes. Features like reflective orange strips, mirror pockets, and a driver’s door zipper check off the extras we want in a car cover. It also includes a storage bag.
The Favoto cover incorporates four layers of durable polyester, a soft cotton interior, and a double-stitch construction for added durability. It has a secure fit thanks to an elastic hem and tie-down straps that attach to the wheels of the car. Mirror pockets also provide a more custom fit.
Reflective strips are well placed, giving your vehicle visibility on the front, sides and top. A zipper opening on the driver’s side is placed in the middle of the cover, making it relatively easy to access either the front or back seats without removing the entire cover. Six sizes are available and a matching storage bag is included.
This reasonably priced car cover is available in 14 sizes and comes with three layers polypropylene, one layer of waterproof polyethylene film, and one layer of UV protection. This basically means you can leave it out, rain or shine, without worry.
The fabric straps hug the underside of the vehicle, so moderate wind won’t blow the cover off. We do wish that it included a cotton inner layer for a gentler touch.
Each car type—hatchback, sedan, SUV,— has three different sizes available: 185, 200, and 228 inches long.
This simple one-ply car cover comes in a bevy of sizes to fit mid-size sedans, large SUVs, and everything in between. The affordable price buys you just a single layer of polypropylene, but it's more than enough to shield dust and debris in a garage and prevent scratches. It also provides moderate protection against UV rays and outdoor contaminants. The downside is that anything more than a sprinkle of rain may seep through the thin material.
There's an elastic band around the bottom to secure the cover to the car, with some integrated metal rings that can be used to tie it down tighter. It also comes with a storage bag for easy storage.
Danny Perez is a Commerce Editor for Popular Mechanics with a focus on men's style, gear, and home goods. Recently, he was coordinator of partnership content at another product journalism outlet. Prior to that, he was a buyer for an independent men's shop in Houston, Texas, where he learned all about what makes great products great. He enjoys thrifting for 90s Broadway tees and vintage pajama sets. His spare time is occupied by watching movies and running to impress strangers on Strava.
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