As the temperatures drop and winter approaches, the need for staying warm and comfortable while driving becomes increasingly important. Heated steering wheel covers are a popular solution to combat the icy chill that greets us during the cold months. This car accessory not only keeps your hands toasty but also enhances your driving experience during winter commutes as well as long road trips.
In this article, we’ll explore what heated steering wheel covers are, their pros and cons. Check out our selection of heated steering wheel covers:
What is a Heated Steering Wheel Cover?
A heated steering wheel cover is a specialized car accessory designed to keep your hands warm during the winter. These covers fit tightly around your steering wheel and are equipped with heating elements that distribute warmth evenly across the surface of your steering wheel. Powered by your car’s 12V electrical system, they offer a convenient and effective way to combat the bitter cold and make winter driving more comfortable, without the need for gloves.
Things to Consider when Buying a Heated Steering Wheel Cover
While shopping for a heated steering wheel cover is pretty straightforward, you might want to consider the following specifications:
Size
Ensure the steering cover fits your steering wheel properly by measuring it. Universal covers usually fit the vast majority of steering wheel sizes.
Power Source
All heated steering wheel covers plug into the car’s 12V cigarette lighter power outlet, so you want to make sure that it isn’t already used for other power applications like a phone charger.
The cigarette lighter outlet, a switched power supply, ensures that the cover will only be able to draw electric power as long as your ignition is on. To not drain your car battery, it’s best to only use your heated steering wheel cover with your engine running and your alternator generating electricity.
Power Cord
All heated steering wheel covers are powered through a 12V power cord that comes out the back of the cover and is plugged into the cigarette lighter outlet.
While most power cords are flexible and straight, some are spiral-shaped to provide more flexibility and more freedom of movement.
Freedom of Movement
Before buying a heated steering wheel cover, you should consider the type of traffic and roads you would use it for: For long stretches of winter roads it works great. However, in busy city traffic, when making lots of sharp turns and maneuvering and parking in tight spots, the power cord can obstruct free steering movement.
How we did our review
For this review we compared the manufacturer specifications and thoroughly read customer reviews to see what their experience was. We only recommend heated steering wheel covers that did an excellent job for the vast majority of other car enthusiasts and were the safest to use. As usual, we first ran Fakespot to filter out fake reviews.
We’ve selected the two different steering wheel covers we are the most comfortable with recommending, all criteria considered. We hope this will make it easy for you to choose the most suited heated steering wheel cover for your car.
Check out our favorite heated steering wheel covers:
Best Overall
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Best Overall
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Specs:
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- Material: Black Loop-Woven Polyester outer, Non-Slip inner material
- Size: Universal
- Power Source: 12V
- Power Cord: Spiral
The reason why we chose this heated steering wheel cover as our Best Overall is because it has a good track record, the material is very soft to the touch and it warms fast. It fits most steering wheels and is easy to install. The spiral cord is less likely to get caught in the steering wheel column when maneuvering than a straight power cord.
This cover does what it says on the box: it warms your hands and doesn’t slip.
Customers say that it is hard to install because it’s so tight, which is actually a good thing. Once the cover is installed, it really grips with its inner non-slip material.
PROS:
- Soft, cozy material
- Spiral power cord
- Universal fit
CONS:
- Difficult to install, but ones on, it grips firmly
Best Budget
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Best Budget
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Specs:
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- Material: Faux Suede outer, Non-Slip inner material
- Size: Universal
- Power Source: 12V
- Power Cord: Straight
The reason why we chose this heated steering wheel cover as our Best Budget is because between its competitors in the same-price range this steering wheel cover really stood out in aspects such as customer satisfaction, reliability and styling.We think this really is the most bang for your buck and it doesn’t look cheap either.
This steering wheel cover heats in minutes but doesn’t overheat, which is great. We would have liked to have seen a spiral power cord for comfort instead of a straight one, but in this price range, none of the competitors seems to have a spiral power cord. Maybe a spiral cord is more expensive? Possibly…
Most customers are very happy with the feel and function of this cover, although some say that when maneuvering and parking their car, the cord sometimes gets in the way.
Overall, a very impressive heated car cover for such a low price!
PROS:
- Soft suede material
- Heats fast
- Universal fit
CONS:
- Straight power cord can get in the way when maneuvering
Final Thoughts
Heated steering wheel covers can be a welcome addition to your vehicle, providing comfort and warmth during the cold winter months. During your daily commute or on long winter road trips, these covers can make your driving experience significantly more enjoyable.
Especially for long stretches of winter roads a heated steering wheel cover can be an added value. However, for busy city traffic, with lots of sharp turns, maneuvering and parking in tight spots, the power cord can obstruct free steering movement.
Our verdict: great for straight open roads, not recommended for busy city traffic.
Happy cruisin’!
FAQ’s
Can you drive with a heated steering wheel cover plugged in?
Technically, in ideal situations you can. However, for busy city traffic, with lots of sharp turns, maneuvering and parking in tight spots, the power cord can obstruct free steering movement.
Our verdict: great for straight open roads, not recommended for busy city traffic.
Are heated steering wheel covers safe?
Heated steering wheel covers are safe to use on straight open roads, but in busy city traffic with lots of maneuvering and parking in tight spots, the power cord can obstruct free steering movement. Use common sense and due diligence.
How do heated steering wheel covers work?
Inside the cover are heating elements that are powered by a power cord that connects to the cigarette lighter 12V power outlet. Once the car’s ignition is turned on, the element starts to heat. The cover has an integrated thermostat that guards against overheating.
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