3 Types Of Car Floor Mats – Which Is The Best?

If you don’t know what type of car mats to buy for your car, you’ll find your answer in this thorough guide on types of car floor mats.

There are some key differences between car matting types (durability, weather conditions, price, ease of cleaning, etc.), so make sure to read the whole article and know which type will suit you the best. 

I’ll try to show you both the pros and cons of each type of floor mat. I want to be as objective as possible and make it an easy choice for you guys. 

1. Fabric Floor Mats – Best Looking

Carpet floor mats are widely used in the automotive world. I’d say that they’re the most common floor mats type out there. Mostly, brand-new cars come with the fabric mats shipped. 

Fabric floor mats aren’t entirely made of fabric. They usually have a rubber backside to prevent slipping and extend longevity. Furthermore, the front mats will usually have a rubbered feet spot to prevent wearing down. 

In my opinion, carpet floor mats are the best-looking floor mats for your car, at least while the car is clean and well-maintained. However, if they get filthy, they’re the hardest ones to clean because you’ll often have to deep clean them. 

Also, if you drive pets inside your car, prepare to buy a pet hair remover since pet hairs stick to carpet floor mats a lot. 

When it comes to price, fabric floor mats usually cost anywhere between $15 and $35. However, if you want OEM floor mats for your vehicle, you can expect them to cost anywhere between $50 and $150.

2. Rubber Floor Mats – Most Durable

Rubber floor mats for vehicles are the most durable mats that you can use in all weather conditions. They’re incredibly durable and long-lasting. 

Rubber mats don’t slip, which is extremely important for the driver’s side. Even if you spill something, it still shouldn’t be slippery. The most significant advantage of rubber mats is that they’re entirely waterproof, so the water and other fluids won’t damage the carpet underneath. 

Cleaning rubber mats is straightforward. Mostly, you’ll just have to shake them off and use APC to clean them. However, since they’re entirely black, they’ll get dirty very quickly. At least you don’t have to vacuum them, which saves a lot of time when detailing your vehicle. Even better, using a pressure washer is entirely safe on rubber mats. 

When it comes to price, rubber mats are the most expensive ones, which is understandable. Prepare to spend anywhere between $30 and $70 for them. If you want to buy OEM mats, that will cost $100+.

My advice is to go for more expensive ones since they’ll be much more durable and won’t wear off quickly. 

3. Vinyl Floor Mats – Budget Option

Vinyl car floor mats are a great choice if you’re on a tight budget and want something similar to rubber car mats. They’re cheaper but still have excellent waterproof properties. 

The best thing about vinyl floor mats is that you can find them in hundreds of different designs since they’re made of synthetic materials, so it’s easy to implement various colors and designs. For instance, it’s not possible with rubber mats. 

Vinyl mats are highly resistant to chemicals when compared to rubber and carpet mats. Some harsh chemicals won’t damage the vinyl so easily.

However, vinyl is often very slippery when wet, which may be dangerous, especially for the driver. That’s probably the worst thing about vinyl mats. Another bad thing is that they’re not highly resistant to pressure washing, which may break them since they’re not as heavy-duty as rubber ones. 

Furthermore, vinyl floor mats look pretty bad, in my opinion. They just look cheap and low-quality. Even if you buy some more expensive vinyl mats, they’ll still look cheap, at least from my experience. 

If you’re wondering about pricing, you can find some good-looking vinyl floor mats for anywhere between $20 and $40. Also, vinyl mats are usually labeled as rubber ones, but you can instantly see the difference, so keep that in mind when buying one. 

Which One To Choose?

There’s no straightforward answer to which type of car floor mats you should choose, but I’ll try to give you some of my thoughts based on various criteria that I’ll mention for each category. 

If you’re not sure, in my opinion, choose rubber floor mats. They’re the best overall car floor mats that’ll fit everyone.

Again, there’s no rule. If you find something that you like, buy it. However, make sure to keep the information above in mind. Trust me; you don’t want to purchase carpet floor mats if you live in a place with a lot of rain, mud, snow, etc. It’s a pain. 

Where To Buy Floor Mats?

There are thousands of online stores where you can find floor mats, such as Amazon, etc. Amazon is great for buying some carpet floor mats, but check my recommendation below if you want high-quality rubber mats. 

For high-quality rubber car floor mats, the best shop to buy them is the LASFIT store. They have all-weather floor mats for hundreds of vehicles, and they’re all custom-fit for each vehicle. 

Also, as a first-time buyer, you get a 10% off, just use code “FIRSTTIME10“, and you’ll get a discount. There are also other interesting automotive products there, so make sure to check them out.

QUICK TIP: Avoid buying universal car matts. Universal matting is never good, no matter what type of mat you decide to buy. It’s always better to pay a few buck more to get car mats designed for your car model specifically. That way you’ll get mot of them, and they’ll last the longest.

I hope that now you have a better understanding of car matting types and which of these you should buy according to your needs.