What is car interior upholstery protection – and is it worth buying?

When you’re shopping for a new car it’s common to be offered interior upholstery protection as part of the deal. But what exactly is it, and is it worth having?

What is car interior upholstery protection?

Car interior upholstery protection is a product that’s sprayed or rubbed into your car seats and the rest of your upholstery. It provides an invisible barrier between your car’s interior and anything you inadvertently spill or rub onto it. It’s often sold under the brand names Supagard, Gard X and Scotchgard, and you can get separate products for cloth and leather upholstery.

Is it worth having?

It’s well worth considering having upholstery protection applied to your car if it has a particularly light interior (white leather seats especially are a nightmare to keep clean), or if you have young kids or pets who’ll travel in the car.

This sort of protection can help stop all sorts of marks from appearing on your seats, so it’s even worth considering if you frequently carry a korma as a front-seat passenger on a Saturday night.

If your car is leased or on a PCP finance deal it’ll be assessed for damage if and when you hand it back at the end of your term – so upholstery protection can mitigate the risk of being charged for costly interior cleaning or replacement.

Interested in buying interior protection for your car?

If you’re interested in getting interior upholstery protection ask your dealer for a quote. You can also buy it from third parties.

Also check out our guides to car paint protection, alloy wheel insurance and scratch and dent insurance to see what other dealer extras are worth having.