3 Types Of Car Floor Mats – Which One To Buy? (Answered)

---

Choosing the right type of floor mats for your vehicle is important if you want a beautiful car interior that’s easy to clean and maintain. There are three main types of car floor mats, and today I’ll show you which one you should choose. 

Three main types of car floor mats are:

• Fabric floor mats
• Rubber floor mats
• Vinyl floor mats

There are some key differences between them (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 pros and cons of each type of floor mats. 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 side. Even if you spill something, they 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 For Rubber Mats

If you don’t want to spend too much money on rubber mats, you should consider buying vinyl car floor 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. 

Choose carpet floor mats if:

• You often detail your car and keep it clean all the time
• You don’t drive pets very often
• You live in a place with mostly sunny weather
• If you like premium-looking carpet design, especially OEM versions

Choose rubber floor mats if:

• You drive off-road
• You live in a rainy area
• You have kids that often spill something
• You usually ride pets inside your car
• It’s not a problem to spend more money on mats

Choose vinyl floor mats if:

• You don’t want to spend a lot of money on rubber mats
• You drive harsh chemicals in your car
• You want some good looking vinyl designs

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.

I hope that now you know which type of car floor mats is the best for you, and for your car too. Having the right type of mats is important since you don’t buy them very often. If you find this article helpful, don’t hesitate to share it with others, I’ll appreciate it.

Similar articles:

• 2 Ways To Deep Clean Car Carpets Without an Extractor
• Turn Your Shop Vac into Carpet Extractor Quickly: Easy and affordable way
• Best Car Carpet Cleaners: Clean any dirt with these picks