Car carpets or car mats are an integral part of car accessories. Without car carpets, the car will develop scratches on the floor and it has many other purposes as well which we will discuss shortly and also suggest to you some of the best car carpets.
Why should you use car carpet?
There is a thing that you should be aware of before continuing this blog. That is flooring. Should you get flooring done in your car? What are its pros and cons and will it be an alternative to the car mats?
Flooring is mostly PVC flooring which is a form of plastic and it is glued to the floor of the car. Each PVC sheet is cut according to the shape of the cabin.
Advantages of PVC flooring
- The original floor of the car gets protection from dust and spills like tea or coffee.
- PVC floorings are water resistant and any water or liquid can be wiped off easily. Water doesn’t sip inside the flooring.
- In the rainy season this is of great help as we can easily clean the water and mud from the flooring.
- Is not very expensive.
Disadvantages of PVC flooring
- The work may be improper if an unskilled worker does this job.
- The pasting is dangerous. If you want to remove the pvc flooring sometime, the glue may stick so tightly that it may ruin the floor.
- Fungal growth between the PVC and the original car floor may cause damage to the floor and corrode the metal.
- The odour of PVC is annoying and passengers may complain to you about it.
Types of Car mats
There are a number of options available in the market which confuses us like Rubber mats, 3D mats, 7D mats etc. different types of mats are made with different materials and it will help to guide you in your purchase.
- Rubber mats
Most of the time, we get rubber mats free as accessories with our cars. These mats are made of thick flexible rubber material. They come in black or beige colour mostly. On the back side, these mats have pointy studs which help these mats to stay at their place.
Pros
Rubber mats are very cheap which comes at around 500 to 1000 rupees. Rubber mats are available easily in automotive shops and when it comes to durability, they are the best when compared to others. These mats can be cleaned very easily.
Cons
No aesthetic value- These mats come only in black and beige colour and add no aesthetic value to the car. It looks boring as all of these look the same and feel the same.
These don’t cover a lot of the flooring. It will cover the bare minimum to rest your feet upon. Rubber mats get dirty easily and so you need to clean it frequently.
- Carpet or fabric mats
This is made from a flexible base and carpet material on top of that. It is available in various designs and colours in the market.
Pros
These mats aren’t too expensive and come in various shapes and colours which adds some aesthetic value to the car’s interior.
As these are made from carpet material so they easily absorb water and dust. It is more suitable for use in the rainy season as you don’t need to dry it completely before using.
Cons
Durability of carpet mats are less than other types. These start to look old and fade fast. As these have carpet material so it can cause foul smell if not dried properly.
- 3D
3D mats are plastic types of mats but are softer and feel nicer than the rubber mats. These are custom made as per car’s model and so it fits perfectly and covers a large area.
Pros
3D are available in many colours and patterns which adds value to the visual appeal of your car.
3D mats cover a larger area as compared to rubber and carpet mats which is an essential feature of car mats.
3D mats are easy to clean and durability is better than fabric or carpet mats.
Cons
Price is quite high as compared to rubber and fabric mats.
These tend to get dirty fast and do not have a water absorbing layer like the carpet mats.
- Coil mats
Coil mats are also known as noodle mats and you may have seen these outside offices or maybe you have one at your home. These are very useful in cars too.
Pros
It can hold dirt well and water too. It is the best for all kinds of weather conditions.
These mats are available at a price as per the surface area so you can cover the whole floor of your car with these mats.
Cons
Coil mats are not very easy to clean.
- 7D mats
These mats are also exclusive to each car model like the 3D mats. 7D mats solves all the cons of every other mat and is a cushiony mat which is comfortable for your feet. It covers the highest area of your car and has no cons except that these are expensive and are not available for not so popular cars.
That was all regarding which car mats you should prefer. If budget is not a concern and a 7D mat is available for your car then definitely you should get it. You can purchase car carpets or car mats from various car accessories online shopping sites in India
