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We’ve read through this guide and still recommend all of our picks.
The daily grind of shoes, mud, crumbs, and spills can take a toll on a car’s carpet, creating a messy eyesore and dragging down your vehicle’s resale value. That’s why a good floor mat or liner can pay for itself over time. After over 100 hours of researching dozens of models, talking with experts, and testing 23 sets, we recommend WeatherTech FloorLiners. Unlike typical add-on liners, they’re designed to fit specific vehicles and have raised edges that trap liquid.
Durable and snug-fitting, this floor liner is custom designed for your vehicle and has raised edges to trap liquids and debris.
WeatherTech FloorLiners provide edge-to-edge coverage of a vehicle’s foot wells that better protects the carpets from water, snow, muck, and other messy things that can get tracked into the vehicle or spilled onto the floor. In addition, compared with other similarly priced liners we looked at, the WeatherTech FloorLiners include a taller, more pronounced lip around the edge—particularly at the rear—as well as a pattern that channels fluids away from your feet to a reservoir at the rear. They also come in a far wider range of fits than any other liner, with designs for more than 1,000 vehicles.
A compromise in protection, Hexomat custom-fit mats lack raised edges. But they still provide more complete coverage than a less-expensive universal mat, without the higher cost of floor liners.
If you want a custom-fit floor mat but don’t want to spend the money on a premium liner, we recommend the Intro-Tech Hexomat, which splits the difference in cost and coverage between a universal mat and a model-specific liner. The Hexomat lacks the higher side walls of liners like our top pick, but it does provide wall-to-wall footwell coverage and a design that helps contain spills.
An inexpensive mat that doesn’t look cheap, but like all universal-fit mats, it lacks raised edges and doesn’t provide as much protection as custom-fit mats and liners.
*At the time of publishing, the price was $23.
If you just want an inexpensive, basic universal floor mat to provide some protection for your car’s carpet or spruce up an older car on a tight budget, we liked the Motor Trend Odorless Rubber Floor Mats best. Made by Custom Auto Crews, they have a look and feel that belies their low price, and a relatively flat design that makes them easier to clean than more aggressive-looking mats we tested. But like other inexpensive mats, they tended to move around more than we’d like and will require periodic adjustment to keep them in place. Like all traditional mats, they also lack the high side walls and precise fit of our top pick, and therefore don’t provide the same wall-to-wall coverage and protection.
Durable and snug-fitting, this floor liner is custom designed for your vehicle and has raised edges to trap liquids and debris.
A compromise in protection, Hexomat custom-fit mats lack raised edges. But they still provide more complete coverage than a less-expensive universal mat, without the higher cost of floor liners.
An inexpensive mat that doesn’t look cheap, but like all universal-fit mats, it lacks raised edges and doesn’t provide as much protection as custom-fit mats and liners.
*At the time of publishing, the price was $23.
Before joining Wirecutter, I spent the better part of three decades as an automotive writer, reporter, and editor for various automotive publications, including about 10 years as an associate editor for Consumer Reports. A lifelong gearhead, one of my primary beats at CR and an area of personal interest has always been the automotive aftermarket and car accessories. That ranges from sophisticated audio and electronics products to things that are less likely to make for interesting party conversation, like tires, car batteries, wipers, and, yes, floor mats.
If you often carry kids in your vehicle; drive in sandy, dirty, or muddy areas; or tend to track in snow and slush in the winter, your car’s carpet probably isn’t getting enough protection. And worn or stained carpets can shave hundreds of dollars off of your vehicle’s resale value. The best add-on floor liners are designed to prevent that by providing much more protection than regular floor mats. In fact, if you know you’ll be experiencing those types of driving conditions, you may want to skip ordering the factory mats from the dealer and get more protective floor liners right away; the cost may not be that different.
On the other hand, if you have an older car with a carpet that’s beginning to, well, show its age, a product’s appearance and a friendly price tag may be more important to you than overall protection. In that case, an inexpensive add-on floor mat may be all you need. What’s the difference? We cover the pros and cons of each below.
You’ll find two types of products to protect the carpets in your car: floor mats and liners. But there’s a big difference in how well they work and how much they cost. Floor mats are just that: flat pieces of rubber (or a rubber-like material), carpet, or some combination of the two. They cost far less than liners but also provide less protection. Floor liners are custom fit to the shape and contours of the footwells for a specific make and model of vehicle, and they have a lip or walls around the sides to help trap big spills. Whether you choose basic mats or custom liners will depend on your priorities, needs, and budget.
The vast majority of traditional floor mats have a universal design that’s intended to fit a wide range of vehicles and cost between about $10 to $50 for a set of four. If you just want to save some money while providing some protection for your car’s carpet, or if you drive an older car with a well-worn carpet, you’ll probably be perfectly happy with a set of inexpensive universal mats. (And any of them may look and work better than what you have now.)
But any universal mat is going to be a compromise. They are rarely a perfect fit for any vehicle right out of the box, although most rubber mats can be trimmed using scissors. Even some of the least expensive include cut lines for this purpose.
Any universal mat is going to be a compromise.
Carpeted mats are an even less expensive way to go. We’ve seen our tested BDK 4pc Premium Carpet Floor Mats advertised for less than $10 for a set of four, and several sets are available (at the time of writing) on Amazon for about $17. But if you choose carpet, make sure to measure extra carefully before buying, because trimming is really not an option.
Whether you choose carpeted or rubber mats, measure your floors thoroughly front and rear, and be especially careful with the driver’s floor mat. Draw a diagram of your car’s footwells, take width and length measurements at several places along the length and width of the footwell, and note any unusual features or irregularities. Then take those measurements with you to the store (or your computer if you’re shopping online) because we found a lot of packaging doesn’t include dimensions, though some shopping websites do.
A handful of manufacturers do make traditional mats for specific makes and models; they generally cost between $80-$100 for a set of four. By conforming to the exact shape and size of the car’s footwells, they cover more of the carpet than universal mats and provide better protection against spills and debris tracked into the car.
If you tend to spend time slogging through muddy areas, like to treat your kids to trips to the beach, find yourself frequently cleaning up spilled sodas and fries, or need to frequently drive in wet or snowy areas, floor liners may be a better bet than mats. And that’s true whether you change vehicles every couple of years (and want to maximize their resale value) or if you plan to keep yours for a long time.
Floor liners from Husky, Michelin EdgeLiner, Rugged Ridge, and WeatherTech, which range in price at the time of writing from about $135 to $290 for a set of four, all provide a custom fit for specific vehicles and other advantages over traditional floor mats. Their raised edges or side walls better contain spills, keeping liquids from seeping around the edges and into the carpet. In addition, all the liners we tested have a higher quality look and feel than cheap mats, and they don’t look out of place, even in an upscale vehicle. All use the factory floor mat mounting points supplied with new cars to help keep them in place, and some, such as Husky liners, also have nibs on the bottom to help anchor them to carpets.
Liners like these are a bigger investment, but shopping for them is less complicated than it is with mats. There are far fewer liners to choose from, and you can skip the measuring. Once you’ve chosen a brand, the rest is easy. The manufacturers of all our tested liners have websites where you can enter the make, year, and model of your car. The site will tell you if a fit is available and its cost. Some also include links to or names of other retailers that carry their brand, and we found it pays to shop around.
Prices for floor liners can vary considerably, depending on the brand, what you drive, where you buy, and whether you purchase liners only for the front seats or for both the front and rear (or add a matching trunk or cargo liner). At the time of writing, a set of front-only liners from Rugged Ridge started at around $50, but liners for all three rows of a full-size SUV from WeatherTech or Husky can easily top $300. For most sedans and SUVs, plan on spending around $180 or so for front and rear seat liners. That, of course, assumes a full set is available for your vehicle. Depending on the manufacturer and what you drive, it may be that only front liners are available for your car (or none at all). WeatherTech has the widest variety of liner fits for all types of vehicles, while the others tend to focus on trucks and SUVs. Adding a matching trunk or cargo area liner—a good idea if you drive an SUV or minivan—adds about $100 from any of the manufacturers.
Aftermarket mats and liners can be purchased through a wide variety of outlets: big-box department stores, auto parts retailers, and any number of sources online such as Amazon and AutoAnything. Some manufacturers offer direct shipping from the factory.
Regardless of whether you select a universal mat or model-specific mat or liner, fit is critical. The idea is to protect the carpet beneath, so the larger the area covered, the better—with the important caveat that mats are not so large, poorly fitted, or loose that they can interfere with pedal operation and cause a crash.
“Look for a mat with teeth or rubber nibs that grip the carpet.” said Ken Saviet, a professional car detailer with more than 20 years of experience that’s based in Mendham, New Jersey. “You don’t want something that’s going to move, otherwise the mats can get under your pedals and create a safety issue.”
The most secure fit comes from products that have holes that correspond with factory-mat mounting points.
We found that the number and size of those nibs, along with the shape, weight and stickiness of the material used to make the mats, can make a big difference in how well they stay put. But the most secure fit comes from products that have holes that correspond with factory-mat mounting points for the driver’s mat or include their own.
“Having an anchor is important,” said Scott Trager of Northeast Off-Road Adventures, an off-road driving school in Ellenville, New York. “When you’re getting in and out, you’re pushing the mat with your feet. Having it secured is critical for safety.”
All of the floor liners we tested attach to factory mounts, but only two of the floor mats—those made by Intro-Tech and WeatherTech—had that feature.
The other essential part of a good, safe fit is never to install a set of mats or liners over another set that’s already in your car. That only increases the likelihood of your new mats sliding around and getting hung up on the brake or accelerator pedals.
As of this writing, a quick Amazon search for “car floor mats” will return thousands of results, including some from all of the brands we tested. A lack of choices is not something to spend a lot of time worrying about.
To narrow our search, we spent weeks researching the market to learn more about what was available. We scoured the Internet, looking at manufacturer and retailer websites and reading user reviews for feedback on different products. To gain more industry insight and get a feel for new products and trends, we talked with manufacturers, retailers, and Monika Earle, the public relations coordinator for the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA), the trade association for all things automotive aftermarket.
For additional insights, we interviewed experts from off-road driving schools, professional car detailers, and ordinary users to learn from their experience and hear what they like and don’t like. We looked for other published product tests online and in print and were surprised to find that next to none were available. That made all our extensive research and outreach that much more valuable in terms of deciding how to test our mats and liners.
In the end, we chose to test 23 sets of mats and liners. This included premium liners from each of the companies that sell them, a variety of inexpensive mats, and a couple of custom-fit mats that split the price difference between those two categories.
Make sure you know what you’re getting. The price could be for a single mat, a front pair only, or a set of four.
Here are a couple things to keep in mind when shopping online. Some web sites list “mats” for your car without including a quantity. Make sure you know what you’re getting. The price could be for a single mat, a front pair only, or a set of four. In addition, some sites and/or manufacturers offer free shipping, which can be a big savings. Husky offers free shipping from the factory. Walmart also offers free shipping, and Amazon includes free shipping for orders over $35.
We spent several more weeks testing and living with the two dozen products chosen for this report. We conducted tests in a total of six vehicles, including sedans, SUVs, and a pickup truck. Tests for cleaning and stain removal were conducted outside, where we applied mud, food products, and beverages to sections of each mat. All were then allowed to sit for two days before cleaning.
First, we checked each set of mats and liners in an appropriate vehicle, both front and rear, looking at how well they fit, how easy they were to install and remove, how comfortable they were underfoot, and how well they stayed put. Universal mats were tried in several vehicles, including three crossovers/SUVs—a 2015 Chevrolet Tahoe, 2012 Honda CR-V, and 2004 Toyota RAV4—and two sedans: a 2009 Acura TL and 2014 Honda Civic. Custom fit mats and liners were ordered for and tried in some of the same vehicles and a Chevrolet Colorado pickup truck.
Before installing the new mats and liners, we removed any old mats in the vehicles per installation instructions and thoroughly vacuumed the vehicle floors to ensure as good a fit as possible. We used vehicle factory mounting holes with mats and liners that were designed for them, noting how compatible those fits were. While installing, we noted any difficulties due to poor fit, overly stiff products that made them harder to install, or anything else that caused a problem. Once installed, we noted how well the products fit lengthwise and from side-to side and how flexible they were to conform with uneven floors and obstructions like floor-mounted fuel-door releases. We also evaluated universal mats to find out how easy they were to trim for a customized fit.
When it came time for the dirty business of testing for stain resistance and cleaning, we turned to the Internet and to Pat Slaven, who at the time was Consumer Reports cleaning expert, for advice. Pat has been making messes and cleaning them up in a lab environment for decades. First, we asked about rubber mats and liners.
Oily things like salad dressing or french fries are things that could stain them.
“Short of dropping a hot soldering iron, there’s not much you can do to damage a rubber mat,” said Pat. “They’re pretty much impervious to stains from anything. The one exception is oil. If you drop salad dressing or french fries, those are the things that could stain them.”
Pat said that carpeted mats were a similar story, and much more resistant to stains than the carpets in your home. “In general, carpeted mats are made from polypropylene or polyester and are easy to clean, although oil and grease can be an issue,” she said. “They’re highly resistant to red stains like grape or cranberry juice. Coffee, black or with cream, is no problem. But sugar and sugary foods attract dirt. So clean those up right away, otherwise, they’re like a magnet for dirt.”
Pat’s final piece of advice was, “If you do have a spill, try to clean it up right away with dish detergent and water. And don’t rub the stain; use a blotting motion.”
Duly informed, we rounded up a jar of mayo and a bottle of grape juice, and we made a pot of coffee—in the interest of science, and so we could pour ourselves a cup while perusing the Internet for mud recipes. A quick search for “How to make mud” brings up a surprising (or maybe not so much) number of alternatives. We opted for a fairly basic mix involving basic packaged garden soil and water.
We spread our mats and liners out on the lawn and mixed up a bucket of mud according to directions. We then spread a measured quantity onto a section of each mat. Next, we poured a half cup of grape juice and coffee onto each, and smeared mayonnaise to represent oily food. And then we let the soiled mats and liners sit for a period of 24 hours. The next day we cleaned them using a garden hose, scrub brush, and a bucket of water with mild dishwashing soap mixed in.
Many products claim a hose is all it takes to get them clean; to a degree, that’s true. Our hose was easily able to blast off most all the mud, mayo, coffee, and juice we’d spilled or spread on all our carpeted and all-weather mats.
That said, to really get them clean required a bit of elbow grease, along with soap and a brush. Still, we were surprised how well all of them cleaned up with a little work—especially after the 24-hour wait. As Slaven had warned, the one exception to this was the sugary processed grape juice, which didn’t stain but left a sticky sugary mess that we had to work at getting off. Not surprisingly, products with deeper, narrow grooves and compartments such as the Michelin and Rugged Ridge liners tended to be harder to clean out than more open designs, even with a brush. WeatherTech and Husky liners were just as good at containing spills, but their wider, shallower grooves made them easier to clean.
Carpeted mats as a group tended to be harder to get clean than rubber mats for much of the same reason that scrubbing your home carpets is more difficult than vinyl flooring. Fibers can more easily trap crud than a flat surface. But we were pleased to see how well they stood up.
Still, don’t expect to make any of these floor coverings look new again with any amount of hosing or scrubbing. To eliminate streaks and scuff marks altogether requires another step with some kind of cleaner. WeatherTech makes specialized TechCare products that are available on their website. We found that household cleaners work just fine. America’s Choice Carpet & Upholstery Cleaner and Windex Multi-Surface Cleaner, both chosen because they happened to be under our kitchen sink, did a fine job.
Here are a few tips about using and caring for your mats:
Never, ever stack a new set of mats on top of the ones that are already in your car.
Durable and snug-fitting, this floor liner is custom designed for your vehicle and has raised edges to trap liquids and debris.
After using, living with, and cleaning 23 sets of car floor mats in several different vehicles over several weeks, we’re convinced WeatherTech FloorLiners are the best choice for drivers who want the most protection for their vehicle’s carpets. WeatherTech FloorLiners not only fit perfectly: They’re the best at containing spills, are easier to install and remove, and have far more vehicle fits than any of the others.
Thoughtful details set the WeatherTech liners apart.
Thoughtful details set the WeatherTech liners apart from similar liners from Husky, Michelin, and Rugged Ridge. There’s a more pronounced lip, for example, all the way around its perimeter—particularly at the rear—to better contain spills than competing liners. It is also the only liner designed to channel spills to a separate reservoir at the rear, away from your feet. WeatherTech’s raised sidewalls come up higher than competing liners, particularly those from Rugged Ridge, to better trap fluids and further guard carpets against wear.
FloorLiners also manage to stay put without needing the pronounced nibs on the bottom that you’ll find on Husky and Rugged Ridge mats. The nibs are designed to dig into carpets to keep the mat in place, but they can also dig painfully into your hands when pulling the liners out for cleaning. WeatherTech’s liners rely instead on their precision fit and grippy surface. We also found them easy to clean, needing only a hose to spray them out.
WeatherTech has custom fits for more than 1,000 vehicles, about three times more than Husky, its nearest competitor.
Finally, WeatherTech has custom fits for more than 1,000 vehicles, about three times more than Husky, its nearest competitor. That’s far more than Michelin or Rugged Ridge. And none of the others have fits for as many older vehicles as WeatherTech, so you’re more likely to find a set that fits your car without having to look around at several sites. As a bonus, we’ve also been impressed with WeatherTech’s customer service, which has live operators available to answer questions and helpful videos on their website to guide owners through safe installation, cleaning, and more. While not necessarily a reason to buy, it’s things like this that make the transaction and ownership experience more pleasant.
Unlike with competing Husky liners, WeatherTech does not offer free shipping on factory-direct orders within the continental United States. But some other online retailers, such as AutoAnything, do, and prices vary. It pays to shop around.
A Wirecutter editor has been using the WeatherTech FloorLiners in his Honda Fit since 2017. He says they fit perfectly, adding, “I’ve barely thought about them, which is exactly what you want.”
WeatherTech FloorLiners continue to get mostly high user ratings on Amazon, as well, although some buyers have complained about getting liners that didn’t fit their vehicle as well as they expected. Keep in mind that Amazon is not an authorized WeatherTech seller, and, in its limited lifetime warranty, WeatherTech says that if “purchased from unauthorized resellers on the Internet, such as Amazon, eBay, and some of their resellers, you are at risk of not getting the correct parts for your vehicle!” It also warns that those retailers may not honor WeatherTech’s limited lifetime warranty coverage. We recommend buying directly from WeatherTech or an authorized dealer.
A compromise in protection, Hexomat custom-fit mats lack raised edges. But they still provide more complete coverage than a less-expensive universal mat, without the higher cost of floor liners.
Squarely priced between premium liners and budget-priced universal floor mats, Hexomat model-specific floor mats from Intro-Tech provide the custom fit of a liner—providing wall-to-wall coverage to guard against spills and dirt—and the ability to trap small amounts of liquid for about half the cost. Their fit rivals that of a set of premium liners, like WeatherTech’s or Husky’s, and they include holes in the driver’s mat that correspond with factory mounting points. This helps them stay in place far better than any universal mat, an important safety feature. We were also impressed with the ease of installation, removal, and cleaning, and we found the compartmentalized design did a good job of helping to contain spills. Hexomat even offers more than 10,000 custom-fit patterns to fit most vehicles. That said, Hexomat still can’t trap big spills or protect carpets as well as our top pick or any of the other liners because it is a flat mat and lacks the higher sidewalls of a liner.
Even though Hexomat mats lack the raised lip of a liner, their hexagonal pattern divides each mat into dozens of small compartments to help contain liquid. Hexomat mats are arguably not the most stylish of the products we tested (not that style and floor mats are two things normally discussed in the same sentence). But they get at least most of the job done at a much lower price than model-specific liners.
We preferred the Hexomats to the similar WeatherTech All-Weather Floor Mats, which are another model-specific choice and also use factory mounting points. Hexomats fit better in our 2004 Toyota RAV4, and their thinner profile conformed better to irregularities in the floor. The WeatherTech Mats are soft and cushy, but their non-skid surface makes them not only harder to clean than Hexomats, but among the most difficult to clean of all the products we tested. (WeatherTech’s All-Weather Floor Mats use a different material than that of our top pick, the WeatherTech’s FloorLiners, which we found are much easier to clean.)
An inexpensive mat that doesn’t look cheap, but like all universal-fit mats, it lacks raised edges and doesn’t provide as much protection as custom-fit mats and liners.
*At the time of publishing, the price was $23.
Something of a bargain in the seemingly endless sea of low-end mats, the Motor Trend Clean Rubber Series Odorless Floor Mats have a look and feel that belies their low price tag and sets them apart from other inexpensive mats from BDK, Custom Auto Crews, and OxGord. They’re also slightly larger and heavier than those competitors, which not only makes them feel more substantial but makes for a better fit in larger footwells. The upscale two-tone finish is worth at least a couple of bucks, and we found even the lighter-colored bits to be extremely stain resistant.
They didn’t fit our vehicles as well as more-expensive custom-fit liners and, like all mats, they don’t have a lip around the perimeter to contain liquid. In fact, their relatively smooth finish lets spills run off pretty easily, although it helps make them easy to clean. And like other inexpensive mats, they tended to move around more than we’d like.
For about the same cost as our top pick, Husky WeatherBeater Floor Liners offer fit, coverage, and protection that are almost as good as that of WeatherTech FloorLiners. They’re well-shaped, although their sidewalls aren’t quite as high as the WeatherTechs and the lip around the perimeter isn’t as pronounced. The WeatherBeaters have sharp nibs on the bottom to help keep them in place, but we found they can also be painful on our hands when we pulled the liners out for cleaning. Husky offers free shipping within the continental United States on factory-direct orders, but the company doesn’t offer liners for nearly as many vehicles as WeatherTech.
Husky’s premium product, the X-act Contour floor liners, are priced higher (at the time of writing) than the WeatherTech FloorLiners or Husky’s own WeatherBeater liners. But we found nothing in their fit, coverage, or performance to justify their higher price tag. With a matte finish and soft-touch feel, they do have a somewhat more upscale feel. They fit well, although no better than WeatherTech’s liners. They use less prominent nibs on the underside than those on the Husky WeatherBeater Floor Liners, which are easier on the hands when installing or removing them. And like the WeatherBeater liners, X-Act Contour Floor Liners carry a limited lifetime warranty and come with free shipping on factory-direct orders. But they lack WeatherTech’s fluid reservoir and raised edge around all four sides to better contain spills, and protecting floors is what a liner is all about. Combined with their limited range of fits, we’d recommend you save a few bucks and go with our top pick, the WeatherTech FloorLiners.
In response to the success of WeatherTech and other aftermarket companies, General Motors now offers its own Premium All-Weather Floor Liners that are designed to fit specific Chevrolet and GMC pickup trucks and SUVs. They’re color-matched to the truck’s interior and carry the corresponding brand’s logo. Their cost can also be rolled into the truck’s financing; of course, you’ll pay interest on their cost, but at least it isn’t a big out-of-pocket hit. We tried a Chevrolet Colorado equipped with Premium All-Weather Floor Liners, and found that they fit as well as competitive liners from Husky and WeatherTech, with similar coverage and protection to the front and sides. They’re also just as easy to install, remove, and clean. Premium All-Weather Floor Liners do lack the fluid reservoir of WeatherTech FloorLiners, though.
The Michelin EdgeLiners have a quality look and feel, and they’re easy to install, remove, and clean. But they cost almost $100 more than the WeatherTech FloorLiners or Husky WeatherBeaters for a full set. For now, Michelin also has fits for a very limited number of full-size pickups and SUVs, although more are promised in the future. Extra-deep channels are claimed to be three times the depth of competitors, but we found that just made them that much harder to clean than WeatherTech FloorLiners. They also had the dubious distinction of being the only liner or mat in this test to still have a pebble stuck in those extra-deep grooves at the conclusion of testing. The EdgeLiners fit our borrowed Chevrolet Tahoe well, but only in the front; no rear liner is available for that SUV.
Thicker and heavier than all the other liners we sampled, Rugged Ridge liners feature a more aggressive, deeper grid pattern to trap mud and snow. That’s all good after a walk in the swamp, but cleaning between those teeth can be a chore. Rugged Ridge makes no apologies for this, because its products are targeted at off-roaders. All of their fits are for Jeeps, pickups, and just a few SUVs, and your choice is further limited by the availability of even fewer rear floor liners. On the other hand, they’re less expensive than some competitors, with a full set of Rugged Ridge floor liners for a Jeep Grand Cherokee SUV, one of the few full sets available, priced a bit less than the WeatherTech liners we recommend. Their limited range of fits meant it was no surprise that we couldn’t get a set for either of our small SUVs, but we were surprised to find that rear liners weren’t available for our 2015 Chevrolet Tahoe either. We also found it curious that in spite of their off-road marketing, our set of front liners were actually smaller than all other tested liners, and they lacked the higher walls of WeatherTech and other competitors to keep mud off the sides of the floor well.
With custom fits for a wide variety of makes and models, the WeatherTech All-Weather Mats are more than twice the price of basic, universal mats, but they offer more complete floor coverage. That said, we think the similarly priced Intro-Tech Hexomat is a better choice if you’re looking for a custom-fit floor mat. Like the Hexomats, the WeatherTech All-Weather floor mats provide a snug and more precise fit than universal mats, and they use the factory floor-mat mounting points on the driver’s side for a safer and more secure fit. The All-Weather Floor Mats are made of the same soft, non-skid flexible resin used in WeatherTech’s universal AVM floor mats. They’re thicker and cushier underfoot than other floor mats, the Hexomats, or even WeatherTech’s own FloorLiners. That’s nice, but not entirely a good thing, because we found the sticky surface is harder to clean than any other mat or liner we tested, and it acts like a magnet for animal hair. We also found that the thickness of the All-Weather Floor Mats made them less able to conform to the floor contours of the 2004 Toyota RAV4 we ordered them for, and that the front passenger side mat was too wide and needed to be trimmed—in spite of it being a claimed custom fit. Our Hexomats fit just fine.
The one-size-fits-all bargain version of WeatherTech’s All-Weather Mats, the AVM mats, have a similar high-quality look and feel. Unfortunately, they also have the same grippy surface. It can feel nice underfoot, but that surface makes the mats harder to clean. A unique MatGrip anchoring system for the driver’s mat screws into the carpet beneath and helps keep the mat in place. Thicker and heavier than all other universal mats we tried, AVMs don’t conform to floor irregularities as well as the Motor Trend CleanRubber mats or even cheap mats from BDK, Custom Auto Crews, and OxGord. Their design includes trim lines for a more custom fit, and the AVMs are easy to trim with scissors.
We tested both Michelin All-Weather mats with and without carpeted inserts. Thicker and more substantial feeling than basic mats, they have a bit more style than cheaper BDK, Custom Auto Crews, or OxGord mats. Slightly larger, they’re a marginally better choice for larger footwells. We found their deep grooves and aggressive, deeply compartmentalized design was very good for containing fluids. But that design made the Michelin mats among the hardest to clean. We also found that in spite of their weight and size, they tended to slide around underfoot. Another drawback is that their design doesn’t lend itself to much trimming. The Motor Trend CleanRubber Series Odorless Floor Mats are less expensive and a better choice.
Identical except for packaging, the BDK Premium Heavy Duty 4-pc Rubber and OxGord 4-pc Full Set Ridged Heavy Duty are among the least expensive floor mats we tested. Any of them would be better than no mat at all. Buyers can choose between four- and three-piece sets that include coverage over the rear hump. Beyond that, there’s not much to say. As some of the smaller mats we tried, none of these mats completely filled the floor area in any of our vehicles. With some of the smallest nibs to keep them in place, they also tended to move around more than more expensive mats. But they did prove to be easy to clean and stain resistant.
We’re going to lump these two together, because in terms of look, feel, performance, and price, the OxGord 4-pc Carpet and Rubber Queen Universal Carpet mats are about the same. Their best feature is that they’re inexpensive, and we’ve seen sale prices on Amazon less than $10. For the money, it’s hard to go wrong. Yes, they look and feel kind of cheap and insubstantial, and their light weight means they tend to migrate around the floor more than even basic rubber mats. They also require more scrubbing to get clean, but they are surprisingly stain-resistant as long as you clean up greasy or sugary foods and beverages promptly. If you’re driving an older car, either one may be a step up from whatever is in your car now.
Henry Willis, Auto Best car mats: Reviews and group test, Auto Express (UK), October 28, 2014
Pat Slaven, Consumer Reports Testing Program Leader, phone interview, July 1, 2015
Scott Trager, Northeast Off-Road Adventures, phone interview, July 1, 2015
Robert E. Wheeler, Communications Mgr. General Motors Company, phone interview, July 1, 2015
Monica Earle, Public Relations Coordinator, Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA), phone interview, July 1, 2015
Ken Saviet, phone interview, July 2015, Ken’s Mobile Detailing, phone interview, July 1, 2015
Here’s what you should know when driving in wintry conditions, to reduce the risk of your car getting stuck, sliding off the road, or suffering other problems.
Yoga mats are rarely recycled. Repurposing an old mat is one way to keep it out of the waste stream for longer.
by Mark Smirniotis and Kaitlyn Wells
With lots of internal space, easy entry, and high walls to stop scatter, the Nature’s Miracle High Sided Litter Box is everything a cat needs in a litter box.
After testing 17 cat litter mats with 15 cats, we found the Easyology Premium Cat Litter Mat is the best for most cats.
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