A car cover is a great way to protect your vehicle from the elements, UV damage, bird droppings, tree sap, dust and chemical fallout. It provides a protective shield between your car and the outside world. We went deep “under cover” and came back with only the very best ones out there. In this line-up, we will explore the different types of car covers, each with their benefits and drawbacks.
Check out our selection of best car covers:
Benefits of a Car Cover
A car cover is arguably the easiest and most cost-effective way to keep your car protected and clean.
An indoor car cover will keep your car dust-free when you’ve just cleaned it. It’s like pushing a car detailing “pause-button”. It’ll be shiny and ready to go, just like you left it when you put the cover on. No more last-minute dusting, washing and detailing before you hit the road or go to a concours.
An outdoor car cover forms a barrier over your car’s exterior when it’s parked out in the open, protecting it from aging and deterioration. It acts like a sunscreen, shielding your car from damaging UV rays. It will also protect against rain, snow, light hail, pollution, falling leaves and debris, tree sap and bird poop.
Hail covers are specially designed and cushioned to protect against heavy hail storm damage. Just like other outdoor car covers, they can be strapped down to resist strong winds.
All these benefits make a car cover the most affordable way to protect your mobile investment and get maximum resale value should you ever decide to sell it.
Things to consider when buying a car cover
There’s no such thing as “The best car cover”. It all depends on what you want to use it for and on what you want to spend. These are things to consider when buying a car cover:
Different Types of Car Covers
Indoor Car Cover: An indoor car cover is designed for use in an enclosed storage environment like a garage. It’s lightweight and designed to protect from dust and other airborne particles. You want to use this type of car cover to retain that freshly washed and polished high gloss finish until you take the cover off and go for a spin.
Outdoor Car Cover: This type of car cover is designed for use outdoors, like in a driveway, on the street or in a parking lot. A good outdoor car cover is made from multi-layered water repellant yet breathable fabric. It is typically heavier than an indoor cover but it provides optimal protection from sun, rain, snow, and other weather elements. It will also shield your car from pollution, falling leaves and debris, tree sap and bird poop. Although it works great outdoors, it’s not advisable to use an outdoor car cover indoors because it’s less breathable than an indoor cover. You want maximum breathability to prevent mold and rust.
Hail car cover: A hail cover is an outdoor cover with thick cushioning to protect your car from hail damage. The thick material makes them more bulky and difficult to fold and store. You want to only use a hail cover when strictly necessary, because although they do a great job at shielding your car from large hail balls, their material is not breathable. For short periods of time like for a couple of days in a row, this is no problem. Yet, when used as a semi-permanent outdoor cover, this will promote mold and rust.
Touchless car cover: This type of cover is suspended over your car by means of a lightweight structure or by inflating it. It can be opened at one or more ends and driven into, eliminating the hassle of covering and uncovering your car before and after each use. There are touchless car covers for indoor or for outdoor use. Another advantage of a touchless car cover is that it does not contact or “touch” your car paint, making it the only 100% scratch proof car cover type.
Fit
Custom Fit Car Covers: This type of cover is made to fit your specific make and model of vehicle. It follows its contours exactly, with side mirror pockets in the right places. On special demand, an optional spoiler or antenna can even be included in the car cover design. Most custom-fit covers for cars with standard specifications can automatically be selected by the selector tool of the manufacturer. A custom-fit cover for a modified car (aftermarket antenna, spoiler(s), door mirrors,…), needs to be measured and communicated exactly in order to get a perfect fit.
Universal Fit Car Covers: A universal fit car cover has a standardized size and shape. Generally, they are only available in small, medium and large. This type of cover is less expensive than a custom fit cover and is available off-the-shelf, but it does not fit as snugly.
Semi-Custom Car Cover: This type of car cover is sized for your vehicle in three dimensions: length, width, and height but has no side mirror pockets. This type of cover is tailored to fit the approximate dimensions of a particular vehicle. It provides your car with a snug (but not exact) fit. It’s less expensive than a custom car cover, making it arguably the best compromise between budget and fit.
For a universal fit or semi-custom car cover, check manufacturer specifications for the correct size. In case your car has an aftermarket antenna or door mirrors, make sure there’s enough space.
You wanna consider a semi-customized or fully customized fit if you don’t mind spending more to get a better fit.
Different Grades of Protection
Dust protection
For an indoor car cover, dust protection is an essential characteristic.
When you store your freshly washed convertible in your garage in wintertime, you want to be able to just pull off the cover and be ready for a drive as soon as the weather permits. A good indoor cover makes the difference between your car being ready to go in top shape anytime you feel like it or to have to wash or dust it before you can enjoy it.
The same goes when you’ve detailed your trailer queen a week or so before a concours or meet: after having washed, waxed and polished it, you don’t want a layer of dust building on that shiny paint, you want it to be perfect when you take the cover off. That’s where a good indoor cover comes into its own.
An outdoor cover works best for outdoor dust protection, but it is not ideal for inside use because it is much less breathable and bulkier and heavier to store.
All-weather protection
A quality outdoor car cover has to provide all weather protection, also called “all season” protection. An all-weather car cover protects against sun, rain, snow, ice and light hail. It will also protect your car against dust, falling leaves, bird droppings, chemical fallout and more.
Sun
For an outdoor car cover to be effective, it must reflect sun rays and UV to keep your car cool and protected against extreme heat and UV damage. To achieve this goal, an all-weather cover with a reflective silver or light outer color works best. Dark colors may look cool (pun intended), but they are no good for outdoor use, because they absorb heat.
Rain/Snow/Ice
If you live in a wet and/or cold climate, an outdoor car cover will protect against water, snow and ice. Quality all-weather covers should be breathable, so moisture can evaporate. You don’t want a cover that keeps the moisture trapped underneath, because it will cause mold and rust.
Dust and Dirt
If you live in a windy or dry desert type area, an all weather car cover will protect your car against dust, pollution, falling leaves and debris, tree sap, bird poop and other environmental factors. Even a moderate wind can blow leaves, twigs or fine dirt on your car paint, possibly causing scratches.
Hail
All weather protection will protect against light hail, but it won’t shield your car from large-size hail.
Hail Protection
Consider buying a specific “Hail Car Cover” if you live in a climate that frequently has to cope with intense hail storms. These car covers are extra thick and provide impact protection against large size hail balls. However, a hail cover does not make a good all-weather outdoor car cover because it is not made of breathable material. It really is a one-trick pony. But a very good one, at that.
Material
An indoor car cover’s main purpose is to protect against dust. This type of cover is generally made of a stretch material, but you want to check for dust-proofness. If the material is too thin and stretches too much, dust will easily fall through. What’s the use of an indoor car cover that doesn’t protect against dust? Also, make sure that it is washable, because you want to wash your indoor cover a few times a year to keep it clean and avoid dust collecting in the material. That’s why it’s very important that the material doesn’t shrink when machine-washed and holds its color.
An outdoor car cover should be made from durable materials to be able to cope with the elements over a long period of time. It’s not the number of layers that matters, it’s the quality of the materials that makes the difference in the long run. The material needs to be UV-resistant and water repellent but breathable.
A hail cover isn’t breathable because of the thick hail protection cushioning on its top side. That’s why it’s only well suited for one single purpose: to defend against heavy hail impacts. When no hail is forecasted, you wanna switch to a breathable all-weather type of car cover so mold and rust can’t get ahold.
CAUTION: It’s important to know that all car covers are made from non-heat resistant fabric. So, before covering your car with any type of cover, make sure that the cover does not touch your car’s exhaust when it is still hot, or it will melt the cover, possibly burning a hole in it!
Breathability
Car cover material should allow air to circulate and prevent moisture buildup. If it doesn’t, it will promote mold and rust. If the material is 100% waterproof, moisture can’t escape from the inside, wreaking havoc on your car. If it’s too breathable, water will seep through too easily.
That’s why a good outdoor car cover has to be water-repellent to keep rain and snow out. At the same time, trapped condensation on the inside of the cover has to be able to escape/evaporate.
Lining
A car cover must be lined with soft material to protect your car from scratching.
However, you don’t want to put any car cover on a dirty car because the dirt will scratch your car paint, not the cover! Scratching occurs when you cover your car with sand and dirt particles in between the cover and the car surface. Same deal when you cover your freshly washed car with a car cover that has sand and dirt on the inside. That’s why you always want to put a clean car cover on a freshly washed car.
Color
For outdoor car covers, light colors are best to reflect the sun’s heat. Metallic silver is the most heat-reflective and UV-protective color by far. For indoor car covers, any color’s fine.
Securement
For outdoor use, it is crucial that the car cover has decent straps and elastic hem to keep the cover in place in windy conditions.
Grommets for a lock may come in handy to prevent your cover from being stolen from your car.
Ease of use
Make sure that you can handle the weight and size of the car cover by yourself because there won’t always be other people around to help. An elastic front and rear can make it easier to cover your car on your own. It’s also good to have a reusable storage bag, because it is more practical to store your car cover when it’s not in use and it won’t collect dust lying on the shelf.
Waterproofing vs Breathability vs Weatherproofing vs Condensation
The most difficult balancing act in outdoor car cover design is waterproofing vs breathability.
Condensation is formed when hot, moist air on the inside of the cover condensates against the inside of the cover when exterior temperatures drop. If this moisture gets trapped under the car cover, mold and rust will be promoted.
At the same time, an outdoor car cover has to be weatherproof too, meaning water-repellent, UV-proof, wind-proof and heat(sun)proof. That’s quite a large order for any manufacturer.
For best results, manufacturers combine a UV-reflective outer cover with multiple inner layers in order to repel rain and snow but to also allow condensation to evaporate. Nonetheless, condensation remains a big issue in humid climates with large temperature fluctuations.
How we did our review
Over the years we’ve tried and tested a lot of different car covers for our cars. We’ve used different types of outdoor covers to protect our black metallic sports car with black leather and red stitching from sun damage. We tried different covers for our Jeep TJ’s to prevent rain from seeping in from orifices and gaps you wouldn’t know were there (Jeep people know exactly what I’m talking about).
Whenever a hail storm passes, we like to experiment with different hail covers too, because three of our cars are parked in the driveway in open air.
We also tried different types of indoor covers for our classics to keep dust in check while they’re stored.
For this review we also dove deep in the manufacturer specifications and looked at customer reviews to see what their experience was. We only recommend car covers that did an excellent job for us and the vast majority of other car enthusiasts. We’ve selected car covers for different purposes, to make it easy for you to choose the right car cover for your car, depending on what you intend to use it for and the budget you want to spend.
Check out our favorite Car Covers:
Best Outdoor Car Cover
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Best Outdoor
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- Type: Outdoor
- Protection: All-weather protection
- Fit: Semi-custom
- Material: High quality woven polyester fabric with a reflective urethane coating (outperforms 5 layer covers)
- Breathable: Yes
- Scratch free lining: Yes
- Color: Reflective silver
- Securement: Cable and lock
- Included accessories: Storage bag, antenna patch, cable & lock, 3 pack of microfiber dusting cloths
- Ease of use: Easy
This top-of-the range all-weather outdoor car cover provides the highest level of all-weather protection. Platinum Shield Car Cover protects against rain, snow, light hail, wind, UV and sun rays, falling leaves, bird droppings, acid rain, you name it… Its extremely durable yet lightweight exterior is lined with soft fleece lining to protect from scratches when you drag it over your car paint while covering and uncovering your car. You even get an antenna patch for a non-removable whip-antenna, should you have one.
Although the outer material’s high quality woven polyester fabric is extremely water-repellent, it is still breathable to allow captured moisture underneath to escape. This will prevent mold, mildew and rust. A reflective urethane coating provides excellent heat and sun resistance too. It has an elastic front and rear hem that ensures a snug fit and a lock and cable for anti-theft protection.
This multi-layer cover is double-stitched for leak-protection and durability and comes with a 30 days return policy and a Limited Lifetime Warranty.
Customers say they love the snug fit. With its sturdy grommets to hold it down, it’s hard to steal it without ripping it, they say. They do recommend buying extra gust straps before checkout if you live in an extreme climate. They state that this really helps to keep the cover in place with high winds.
We think it’s a huge added value that this company does its utmost to give advice and provide service and support when customers need it. No ship and drop mentality, just friendly small-business accessibility. It’s great that you can mail or chat with support but that you can also just pick up your phone and give them a call, they’ll be happy to help you.
PROS:
- Provides superior outdoor all-weather protection
- Arguably the most durable outdoor cover, backed by a Limited Lifetime Warranty
- The reflective outer shield keeps your car cool and protects against UV
- Breathable material prevents rust, mildew and mold
- Soft fleece lining protects against scratches
- Snug semi-custom fit
- Anti-theft protection with included cable-and-lock
- 30 days return policy
CONS:
- Premium pricing, but worth every penny
- Gust straps are not included
- Not for hail protection
Best Indoor Car Cover
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Best Indoor
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- Type: Indoor
- Protection: Dust protection
- Fit: Semi-custom
- Material: Ultra soft satin stretch
- Breathable: Yes
- Scratch-free lining: Yes
- Color: Black
- Securement: N/A
- Included accessories: Storage bag, antenna patch
- Ease of use: Easy
If you’re worried that your car’s delicate finish will scratch by adding an indoor cover, Satin Shield is the cover you want. Its luxury black satin stretch material is ultrasoft and will keep your vehicle’s finish perfectly preserved and protected for years to come. It’s double-stitched for durability and fitted with front and rear hem to provide a sleek fit. This car cover elegantly accentuates any car’s beautiful contours. It’s a premium indoor cover that provides top level dust protection for any indoor storage solution.
If you detail your show car now and take this cover off in a few weeks or months to go out and enjoy it, it’ll be just like you left it: dust free and amazing!
Because this is the top of the line, this product comes with a 10 Year Limited Warranty.
The luxurious look and feel is highly appreciated by the vast majority of customers. Those who were first skeptical about a semi custom fit, are thrilled that their car cover fits so perfectly. They say that the seams of the car cover perfectly follow the bodylines of their car.
Besides the fact that we are convinced that this is the best indoor car cover a car person can get, we think it’s also the best company to “partner” with for the long term. Because that’s what it is, a partnership. This small business really cares how you feel about their product and they will go to great lengths to make sure you get what you pay for and then some. That’s why they give a 10 Year Limited Warranty. We think that kind of professionalism goes a very long way…
PROS:
- Provides optimal dust protection
- Ultra soft for scratch-free use
- Accentuates and compliments car contours
- Sleek, snug fit
- Lightweight stretch material for easy one-person deployment and removal
CONS:
- Premium pricing, but worth every penny
- Not suited for outdoor use
Best Budget Outdoor Car Cover
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Best Budget Outdoor
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- Type: Outdoor
- Protection: All-weather protection
- Fit: Universal fit
- Material: 5 layer heavy duty waterproof material
- Breathable: No
- Scratch-free lining: Yes
- Color: Silver
- Securement: 4 securing straps underneath
- Included accessories: Storage bag
- Ease of use: Easy
This car cover does what it is supposed to do: the strong 5-layer material protects your car from water, snow, bird droppings, falling leaves, chemical pollution and sun damage.
It has four long straps to tie it down with. It’s available in different sizes and two colors: silver and black. You want to get a silver one, because black absorbs the sun’s heat. The reflective silver color is the better choice because it reflects sun rays, keeping your car’s interior temperature down and preventing heat damage. Your car is easily accessible too, even with the cover on: it simply zips open at the driver’s side front door.
Some customers complain about the four tie-down straps not having hardware to secure them, but most users are satisfied and say that the cover stayed on during storms. There’s a good reason that the straps need to be knotted to secure them too: hardware may dent or scratch your car when you throw the cover on.
Although you cannot compare this cover to a premium one, our thorough research shows that this is by far the best cover you can get for the money.
PROS:
- Most bang for your buck
- Great protection from sun, UV, rain, snow, bird droppings, falling leaves, chemical pollution and more
- Reflective silver color does a great job at keeping your car interior cool and it protects against UV damage
- Reflective strips on both the front and rear of the cover for safety and visibility
- Very soft cotton lining protects against scratching
CONS:
- The cover material is not breathable
- Tie-down straps need to be knotted
- Not as long-lasting as a premium outdoor cover
Best Budget Indoor Car Cover
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Best Budget Indoor
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- Type: Indoor
- Protection: Dust
- Fit: Universal fit
- Material: High stretch wrinkle-resistant polyester fabric
- Breathable: Yes
- Scratch-free lining: Yes
- Color: Black
- Securement: Reinforced security hooks
- Included accessories: Storage bag
- Ease of use: Easy
There’s a lot of budget indoor car covers to choose from. Yet, we think this one has the edge over all of them.
First of all, it is really dust-proof, unlike the majority of indoor stretch covers. Most cheap stretch covers are so thin that dust just falls through. That’s not exactly what you have in mind when you’re looking for a dust cover, is it?
Although this cover is budget-friendly, it still does what it’s supposed to: it protects your car surface from dust. It’s very soft too. The velvetish material wraps itself around your car’s contours without scratching it. It fits very nicely too with its elastic hem. It even has mirror pockets. It really looks the part without being expensive. There’s even a storage bag included.
Customers say that they love the sleek design with the side mirror pockets because it really complements their car’s lines. They feel that it fits almost as good as a premium custom cover. Most users say they can easily put their cover on their car and that it’s even easier to take it off.
PROS:
- Most bang for your buck
- Looks awesome with the mirror pockets
- Very soft, scratch-free material and lining
- Really dust-proof
- Stretches 15%-20% for a tailored fit
CONS:
- Remove the hooks, they might scratch your car
- Close, but not as sleek as a premium indoor cover
Best Car Cover for Hail Protection
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Best Hail Protection
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- Type: Outdoor
- Protection: Hail + all-weather protection
- Fit: Universal fit
- Material: 5 mm thick multi-layered EVA top layer, 150D TC silver side material
- Breathable: No, but has two ventilation flaps
- Scratch-free lining: Yes
- Color: Silver
- Securement: 2 bottom straps
- Included accessories: Storage bag
- Ease of use: Easy
There aren’t too many hail covers to be found on the market, and most of those do a horribly bad job at protecting your car against hail damage.
There’s an inflatable type that works well when there’s hardly any wind. Yet, from the moment it gets a bit windy, it deflates under lateral wind pressure or simply takes off like a zeppelin. Well, in our experience at least, during most hail storms wind speeds pick up considerably. That’s no good then, is it? Most are ill with the same disease: they don’t stay in place under heavy winds or rip.
The hail cover we’ve chosen is relatively lightweight and easy to deploy and “throw” over your car, even if you’re doing it solo. Simply clip the two straps tight in front of the wheels and it’s in place. If you’re expecting extreme wind gusts, we recommend you strap an extra bungee cord over the cover in the middle of your car to make sure wind can’t catch under it. Ask any sailor, if strong wind catches a sail, you won’t be able to hold it for long. The three strap technique has worked numerous times for us, even in heavy winds. We’ve owned one for several years and used it whenever necessary and it has always done a perfect job.
Fast deployment is crucial, because hail storms often suddenly appear with little or no notice. If it takes half an hour to deploy your hail cover, it may be too late.
Like all hail covers, it protects the top of your vehicle against large hail impacts. The manufacturer claims that this cover’s thick lightweight EVA top section protects up to TORRO H6 damage, which is pretty impressive.
Most customer reviews are very positive. Due to the increase of hail storms in some regions, people consider this to be a good investment to protect their car. Customers who were bombarded by hail state that they are very satisfied with the protection this car cover offers. No damage was done. According to some older customer reviews, the weak point was the plastic buckles. The manufacturer took this comment seriously and has now optimized and upgraded the securement system. However, personally we’ve had no issues with the older type of buckles.
If you’re looking to buy a hail cover for your car, this is the only one we recommend.
PROS:
- Great protection against hail storms up to category H6 on the TORRO scale
- Easy and fast to deploy, even single-handed
- Lightweight considering the level of protection
CONS:
- Non-breathable material
- Not designed for continuous year-round use
- Could use an extra middle strap in extreme weather conditions
- Takes some practice to fold it compactly
Best Disposable Car Cover
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Best Disposable
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- Type: Outdoor and Indoor
- Protection: All-weather, but doesn’t protect against UV
- Fit: Universal fit
- Material: High strength plastic
- Breathable: No
- Scratch-free lining: Yes, the soft plastic will not scratch your car
- Color: Transparent
- Securement: No
- Included accessories: 10 individually packed car covers in the package
- Ease of use: Easy
Well, we can be brief about these disposable covers: they do their job for inside and outside use and they are the most bang for your buck.
We use these covers to protect one or several of our cars when they’ve just been detailed but will be sitting outside several days before a meet and we don’t want them rained on or polluted.
It’s also the perfect solution when you don’t have time to dry and fold your premium car cover before you take your car for a trip. If you have to leave early in the morning, you can just throw the disposable cover in the recycle bin and go.
It’s a very thin material, which means they don’t take up much space either. That makes them the perfect solution too when it suddenly starts to rain while you’re at a car show with your shiny trailer queen. Just wrap it and take it off when the rain shower has passed. Your show car will still be shiny and bone dry while others will be dripping wet.
No more stress about sudden downpours when you’re out cruisin’ with your coverless custom either: when it starts to rain, grab a plastic cover from your trunk, pull it over your open top and it’s protected till it blows by.
Because the plastic material is so lightweight, there’s hardly any risk of scratching your delicate car paint.
PROS:
- Very affordable solution
- Can be used in- and outdoors
- Disposable, but can be reused multiple times
- Very compact, can easily be stored in any glove box or trunk
- No more drying and folding after use, you can just put it in the recycle bin
- You will always have a fresh, clean car cover with no washing involved
- Easy to use because of lightweight material and elastic hems at front and rear.
CONS:
- Not breathable
- Only meant for sporadic short-term use
Best Touchless Outdoor Car Cover
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Best Touchless Outdoor
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- Type: Touchless Outdoor
- Protection: All-weather + hail
- Fit: Universal fit
- Material: Folding steel framework, Durable 600 D oxford fabric with waterproof PU coating
- Breathable: Yes, 2 air vents
- Scratch-free lining: n/a
- Color: Gray
- Securement: Ground anchors and locking plates
- Included accessories: Ground anchors and locking plates
- Ease of use: Easy
What’s the deal here? You might ask… It’s not a typical tent-like car shelter with zipper doors like so many. It’s not a classic type of car cover either…
Nope, this is in a league of its own when it comes to protecting your vehicle against the elements. For starters, its steel frame is made up of 12 Heavy-Duty U-shape frame elements that can be anchored to the ground, which makes it much sturdier than any classic square-frame car shelter. No anchor ropes or cables needed either.
To prevent condensation, it has two side vents. Furthermore, it can also easily be suspended a couple of inches above the ground on both sides for extra air circulation. That can be a huge bonus in cold, wet climates.
The canopy material is water-proof and reflects the sun’s heat and UV. It’s available as a replacement part too should you want to replace it some years down the road. No need to buy and install an entire new steel structure when only the cover material is shot, which saves a lot of work and money also.
The vehicle inside the cover is readily accessible by simply lifting one or both sides. This can be done with just one hand. Both sides can be locked for security if required.
What’s so awesome about this car cover is that it is completely touchless, meaning that the cover never touches your car. Contrary to other conventional car covers, this enables you to use it no matter what state your car is in. It can be dusty, muddy, wet… Doesn’t matter, this cover won’t scratch your car. You won’t have to dry, clean or fold this car cover after use either. It’s always ready for use, in all types of weather. It even protects against hail.
Customers say that they appreciate the excellent customer service. They are very helpful and get back to you within 24hrs with a solution, which is great. One customer had a problem with the stitching and he says they immediately replaced it without discussion.
Some customers complain that the manual isn’t very clear and that there should be anchors included for any type of driveway, not just for concrete driveways. However, most people state that they were able to set up their car cover in about 1 1/2 hr without problems and without the use of special tools.
PROS:
- It’s a touchless cover, meaning it won’t scratch your car, no matter how dirty it is
- Heavy-Duty all-weather construction, sturdier than square frame shelters
- Protects against hail
- Easy to set up and use
- One hand open-and-close operation
- Front and back drive-in and drive-thru access
- Good ventilation to prevent condensation
- Can be locked with locking plates for extra security
- Excellent support
CONS:
- Premium price level, but you get what you pay for
- In order to secure it, you have to drill holes in your driveway
- It’s anchored in place, so it can’t be moved without removing the anchor bolts first
Best Touchless Indoor Car Cover
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Best Touchless Indoor
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- Type: Touchless indoor
- Protection: Dust
- Fit: Universal fit
- Material: Clear PVC
- Breathable: Yes
- Scratch-free lining: n/a
- Color: Clear + black
- Securement: n/a
- Included accessories: Inflation/maintenance pump, 2x fans with AC adapter, washable filters
- Ease of use: Easy
If you don’t want to perform the covering, uncovering and folding, unfolding ritual with a car cover each time you take your treasured car for a spin, you might want to take a look at the “Ultimate Car Shield”, a touchless car cover.
No more hassle, just unzip the exit door and drive out with a dustless, shiny car. When you come back, just drive it back in and zip the door closed. That’s it!
Unlike with any other conventional car cover, you don’t have to clean your car first, because the cover doesn’t touch your car. You can clean it when you feel like it. But after you’ve cleaned and stored it in this amazing transparent showcase, it won’t collect dust. You can leave it for weeks or months without looking at it, the Ultimate Car Shield will protect it from dust, falling brooms, pets, rodents, cobwebs, dirty hands or projectiles from children or grandchildren…
Your beauty will always be there to admire through the Shield’s crystal clear PVC material when you pass by. All incoming air is filtered before it is blown into the cover by two ultra-silent ventilators, refreshing the total air volume up to 5 times an hour. This prevents condensation. No condensation means that rust, mildew or mold doesn’t get a chance to develop. Guess this level of preservation and ease of use can hardly be improved…
You won’t find a touchless car cover that is easier to set up either. It’s a one-man job that takes about 5 minutes: unfold and plug the inflation fan’s power cord in an outlet. Let it inflate for about 5 minutes and you’re done! If you want it to stay in place, it’s the only time you’ll have to inflate the support structure too. A maintenance pump constantly checks pressure and adds air if needed. It’s fully automatic. You can move it around or transport it too, by just deflating the support structure with the same pump. Fold the cover to a compact size and it’s portable.
Unlike other “carcoons” you’ll be able to open the Ultimate Car Shield without it losing pressure and making the structure collapse. The difference is that air pressure inflates the black tubular support structure, it does not pressurize the entire cover. It’s genius, isn’t it?
Customers call it a “garage”, which says a lot about its rigidity. They say that it’s constructed like a military inflatable boat and that it really offers stability and protection. They love the silent operation of the ventilation fans and say that there’s lots of room for other stuff too.
PROS:
- The perfect way to store your car dustless indoor and keep it out of harm’s way
- 100% scratch-proof
- Self-supportive structure won’t collapse when you open a zip door
- Easy drive-in, drive-out zipped exit door system
- No more covering, uncovering and folding, unfolding your car cover before and after each drive
- Can be used for storing a clean or dirty car, doesn’t matter
- You can admire your car through the transparent PVC windows
CONS:
- Premium price for a premium solution
- Takes more space than a conventional cover
Comparison Table Of The Best Car Covers
| Brand | Name | |
|---|---|---|
| Best Outdoor | carcovers.com | Platinum Shield Outdoor Car Cover |
| Best Indoor | carcovers.com | Black Satin Shield Indoor Car Cover |
| Best Budget Outdoor | Favoto | Outdoor Car Cover |
| Best Budget Indoor | SLanguage | Indoor Car Cover |
| Best Hail Protection | Sojoy | Anti-Hail Damage Car Cover |
| Best Disposable | Bestauto | Clear Plastic Disposable Car Covers, 10pcs |
| Best Touchless Outdoor | Ikuby | Car Shelter |
| Best Touchless Indoor | IN THE GARAGE | Ultimate Car Shield |
Final Thoughts
Which is the best car cover?
Well, that depends on what you plan to use it for and how much you want to spend.
Each of these car covers have their specific advantages:
For indoor use, there’s three main contenders:
The conventional recipe is still one of the most popular options: a black, velvet-like stretch cover that looks like a million bucks, fits like a glove and accentuates your car’s beautiful contours. There’s two excellent ones we recommend: a budget indoor car cover that looks great, protects from dust and won’t scratch your car. However, if you’re looking for perfection, only our Best Indoor Cover will do.
If you don’t like juggling that cover around and hate the wrapping, unwrapping and folding stuff, you wanna consider a whole different ball-game: Our Best Touchless Indoor Car Cover. It’s nothing like the other two indoor covers, it is inflatable and self-supportive. It is 100% scratch-proof because it never touches your car. You can just drive in and out without all the folding hassle.
For outdoor use, there’s also three main contenders:
Just like with indoor car covers, the conventional ones are still the most popular: We chose a Best Budget Outdoor Car Cover that does what it says on the label: it protects your car against anything nature throws at it, except heavy hail. Although it’s not breathable and isn’t premium quality, it does a much better job than its cheap contenders and is still unbelievably affordable.
For the Major League, we chose our Best Outdoor Car Cover because it is probably the toughest all-weather car cover on the market, with a Limited Lifetime Warranty to back it up. This one’s really got you covered for years to come! (pun intended) It’ll fend off extreme heat, rain, snow, you name it… Everything but large hail. And man, it looks classy!
Still don’t like juggling that cover around and hate the wrapping, unwrapping and folding stuff? Have we got a great outdoor solution for you:
Check out our Best Touchless Outdoor Car Cover: What you’ll love about this cover is that it supports its own weight by means of a tubular steel folding structure. You can just park in it and close it with one hand and you’re done! It protects against all weather types, even hail.
Speaking about hail, we’ve found an excellent, affordable hail cover too. It’s lightweight and has a thick protective EVA layer at the top end that fends off hail up to H6 on the TORRO scale.
Finally, if you’re on a very tight budget or need a quick, temporary solution that doesn’t take much space on-the-go, you will be interested in our Best Disposable Car Cover. It can be used for in-or outdoor rain or dust protection. It’s designed for single use but you can use it several times if you treat it right. No folding here either, just tuck it away after use or recycle it.
Now that we’ve said our piece, it’s up to you to decide which cover soothes your needs best. You can rest assured that all of the covers we’ve selected won’t disappoint.
Happy detailing!
FAQ’s
How Do I Wash a Car Cover?
First, check your cover’s washing instructions on the label or in the instructions manual. If your car cover is machine-washable, just follow the manufacturer’s washing instructions. If you can’t find a label or washing instructions, it’s probably not machine-washable.
Generally, indoor car covers can be machine-washed. Most outdoor covers can’t because it would diminish or completely remove their water-repelling outer layer. However, you can still wash an outdoor cover by hand using a sponge and a mild detergent.
How to Clean a Car Cover?
You can clean an outdoor car cover by hand by following these simple steps:
- Fill a bucket with warm water and mild soap or detergent. Make sure that the detergent has a neutral pH of around 7 and does not contain bleach.
- Wrap the cover over your dry, freshly washed car and pull it tight to avoid wrinkles and folds. You don’t want to clean your cover on a dirty car, because the dirt from the car will transfer onto the wet inside of the cover.
- Spray the cover with a hose or with a pressure washer at lowest setting, removing any dirt, debris, or bird droppings.
- Soak a cloth or sponge in the soap solution and scrub the cover. If the result is not satisfactory, try using a very soft cleaning brush. To avoid damaging your car cover, you don’t want to use a harsh brush.
- Rinse the cover down with your hose or pressure washer at the lowest setting until all the soap is rinsed off and it’s completely clean.
- Reverse the cover inside out and follow the same steps.
- Remove the cover and let it air dry on a clean surface or hang it to dry.
Do Car Covers Scratch Paint?
No, if used properly, a quality car cover with a soft inner lining will not scratch your car paint.
However, you don’t want to cover a dirty car because sharp dirt and sand particles that are trapped between your car and its cover will mar and scratch your car paint. For the same reason, it’s equally important to check that the inside of your car cover is clean and dust free before using it.
Also, you want to choose a correctly sized car cover to prevent it rubbing your car paint in windy conditions. It has to fit snugly yet not too tight. You don’t want to exercise too much pressure on your car paint when putting it on.
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