I Splurged on Custom-Fitted Seat Covers, Here’s How They Turned Out

Sometimes I feel like the only car nerd I know who likes the idea of seat covers. I mean, being able to change part of your upholstery like a shirt? Come on, that's fun! But, I know, seat covers usually end up looking pretty janky.

I recently splurged on a set of slightly fancy made-to-order seat covers for my Honda Civic to see if they'd be any better.

Here's how a set of CalTrend tweed custom seat covers, which retail for about $200, look in my 2006 Civic Si two-door:

If you're interested, here's the site to check them out. I went ahead and bought these on my own after looking at many seat cover options. As of this writing, the company seems to be doing a very nice 35% off Mother's Day sale.

My review boils down to: Not exceptional, but pretty darn good. The value for money is there—universal seat covers at Wal-Mart are around $50 for a pair, and these are easily four times nicer than those (which I've also tried). A proper upholstery job would be far more expensive unless you have the time and talent to do it yourself (no small feat, we can talk about that another time).

CalTrend sent a flimsy plastic tool for tucking and shoving the cover behind plastic and between the cushions along with these covers. I didn't have much luck with it but also didn't really have trouble getting the covers where I needed them with my fingers. I'd rate installation as extremely easy except for my custom pillow part which I'll get into later. I did cut myself reaching under the seat, be careful, there are sharp bits down there!

CalTrend doesn't actually list the Civic Si as an application—only the lesser non-K-powered eighth-gen Civics. But the seats are the same. I know, Si seats have slightly different headrests and embroidery, but after studying pictures I'm convinced that the seat body is the same as an EX coupe from the same year. I called up the seat cover people, sent them pictures, and we agreed that CalTrend's pattern would work.

The fitment isn't perfect, but I have to say it seems to be improving with use. Initially, I was pretty disappointed with the shape of the covers. Even after a lot of pulling and twisting and tucking, there were still some sags and air poofs.