Every car enthusiast has wondered at least once whether it’s better to have a leather or textile interior. In fact, there is no single correct answer, and in the end everyone decides about personal priorities and preferences. But we would like to share the main features of both materials in use.

Leather interior

Leather is primarily about aesthetics and prestige. In reality, though, the material is now much more accessible and can be afforded not only by owners of luxury cars. In addition, there are many very good quality substitutes.

Leather interiors are far superior to textiles in terms of practicality. To remove a stain or spillage of liquid, it is sufficient to wipe the surface with a cloth. The main thing is that the material should be of high quality from the outset. In this case, it will serve for many years. At the same time, if the stain is really serious, it is a real advantage. Because safe leather cleaners are more expensive.

But the main disadvantage of leather interior is the material’s sensitivity to temperatures. In heat, the seats get very hot and resemble a hot frying pan, and in winter they are constantly freezing. From this point of view, textiles are a definite winner. The leather is also impermeable to air, creating a warming effect. If this is important, you should consider perforated padding.

There are even American studies that in the heat through the glass leather heats up to 70 degrees. And if it freezes in frosty weather, the cheap material may crack at all. Though, of course, there are already seats with heating. It solves the problem, though it adds costs.

Textile interior

Fabric is good with a combination of affordability and variety. There are so many options with different textures, densities and characteristics in general. There is a wide choice of colours and you can experiment with the design in many different ways.

The fabric is temperature-independent, and always remains comfortable. And it’s considerably cheaper than quality leather. And it has no leather-specific fragrance, which is not to everyone’s liking. But it needs a hydrophobic impregnation against moisture.

The main disadvantage of textiles is their sensitivity to dirt and odours. It is best not to eat on fabric seats, avoid smoking and use special protective treatments. Cleaning stains will be much more difficult. And fabric seats wear out faster than leather ones without constant dry-cleaning. Though, it is cheaper to serve it in the end.

If you are planning to resell the car in future, fabric is more advantageous here too. All because you will have to pay extra for good leather seats. And during resale, you will be able to recoup only a small part of this amount.

In addition, there are different types of fabric. Flock and velour, for example, are vastly superior to regular textiles in terms of strength, practicality, durability and even fire safety. The same goes for alcantara. This is the so-called artificial suede, which harmoniously combines the advantages of both materials, although it does not cost much less than leather.