The Best Heated Seat Covers Keep You Toasty

How We Picked The Best Heated Seat Covers

We purchased a HealthMate IN9438-01 Soft Velour Heated Seat Cushion to test last winter, and have used it hundreds of times since. We were expecting something floppy, like a seat cover, but found the HealthMate to have enough structure to support itself, so it doesn't fall down and bunch up. It's firm, cushioned with a thin layer of dense polyurethane foam, and the velour top is holding up great. The assortment of elastic straps and hooks, along with a non-slip bottom, do a good job of holding it in place.

As with any seat cover, it can be a pain to get under a seat or in next to the console to attach everything. The adaptor cord is over four feet long and should reach almost anywhere in your car, but make sure you don't plug it into an always-on 12V port and drain your battery, which we did the first time we used it this fall.

Healthmate makes a number of different heated seat covers, several of which are represented on our list, and this basic version landed at the #1 spot for it's 81% four- and five-star rating over 2,000 reviews, 'A' review grade for the entire company, and affordable price. The Healthmate Soft Velour Heated Seat Cushion draws a maximum of 40 watts and has two heat settings, topping out at 114°F/45.5°C, which isn't as warm as most other covers. Wagan uses high-quality wiring with a heat-resistant silicon sheath for safety.

An eight-amp fuse increases safety and it can be connected to a 120-volt adapter for in-home use as well as in-car. If you want a more upscale look, check out the quilted Luxury version farther down the list.

Healthmate/Wagan has a one-year limited warranty; customer service 800- numbers for the US and Canada; and responsive email contacts.

We don't know much about the company that makes Sunny Color, but it's been selling this and other seat covers for several years, with very good ratings across products. Sunny Color's stylish and well-made heated seat cover has 91% positive reviews with an 'A' review grade, and consumers report they are performing and holding up well.

It's a larger seat heater than some choices, about 18 inches wide, with a back around 24 inches high, enough to cover bucket and truck seats. There are two elastic straps with hooks on the bottom, an adjustable cinch strap around the back, and a headrest loop to hold it in place. Like most heated covers, the cord is on the passenger side and is only 36 inches long, so if you have a wide vehicle and a center 12V outlet, you might have a hard time reaching it.

Sunny Color says it's heated cover gets warm in two minutes, and reaches the 140°F/60°C range. There isn't much difference between high and low settings, so it could be too warm for some people. We couldn't find any warranty or other corporate information about either Sunny Color or parent company Mao Wn Rui, although reliability has been very good and it's covered by Amazon's standard 30-day return policy.

The best part of sliding into the best luxury cars? You get seats that are heated, ventilated, and massaging. They'll warm you, cool you, and rub you. All to make sure that you get the utmost comfort and attention every time you go for a drive. Well, you don't need to spend six figures in order to get that kind of coddling in your own ride. You barely even need to spend a hundred bucks.

Pafferney has crammed a whopping eight fans into this car seat cover. Strategically placed to give you maximum comfort and ventilation for your back and your backside. There are also heating elements in the bottom and the back. Vibrating massagers help work your tense muscles to keep you relaxed while you drive.

The cover itself is surfaced with premium leather and an appealing contrast stitch. There is breathable mesh to help make the best of the cooling air and to help stop you from sweating while you sit. A non-skid bottom keeps the cover in place and there is extra insulation to help add cushioning. Pafferney has plenty of five-star reviews, with the few complaints mentioning the noise of the fans. Which is hard to avoid, and something even factory-fit seat covers can suffer from.

There are a few drawbacks to a heated seat cover, and a heating pad for your car might be the answer to them. Their materials may not be as breathable as your seat fabric, especially if you have cloth seats, they won't work with a lot of back seats, and of course you need one for every passenger. Adding a fleecy Stalwart Electric Car Blanket takes care of all of that, for less money than most car seat heaters.

Measuring 59 x 43 inches, the Stalwart is available in six different colors, all made from polyester fleece with a very long 96 inch (12 foot/2.4 meter) cord that plugs into a 12V outlet. A little clear vinyl pouch is included for convenient and clean storage, so you can keep it in your car all year long. There is no temperature control or times—it turns on when you plug it in and doesn't turn off until you unplug it, so forgetting it could drain your battery or pose a fire risk. We wouldn't recommend sitting on it.

Stalwart doesn't specify a temperature, but the Stalwart Electric Blanket for your car draws about 45 watts, so it should easily get into the warm 120°-140° degree range, and users report it gets pleasantly toasty. Reviews from 13,000 customers are 83% positive with a 'B' review quality grade. The main complaints have been about quality control or defective units.

Electric blankets are explicitly excluded from Stalwart's normal one-year automotive products warranty, but are covered by the 30-day Amazon warranty, and are not washable.

If a heated car seat isn’t sufficiently opulent, Snailax (what a name!) offers a seat cover that both warms your posterior and gives it a massage. Though to be fair, they say that it’s not a deep tissue “Shiatsu” massage, but the Snailax seat cover is undoubtedly better than a frigid, static factory seat.

The massage is delivered by six motors with five massage programs; however, the heat is either “on” or “off.” The heat function does have an automatic shut-off feature to prevent overheating. The contact areas of the Snailax are soft synthetic fabric, while the reverse is finished with a slip-resistant rubberized material. a pair of straps also serve to secure the Snailax.

The Snailax operates on 12 volts from your car’s cigarette lighter or 120-volt household current, allowing it to be used at home or in the car. However, the 12-volt car adapter is sold separately; order it here. The seat cover’s back and seat measure 25.4 inches and 16.6 inches, respectively, and the maximum width is 18.5 inches.

There are over 10,000 reviews for this product on Amazon, and over 80% of them are positive. However, if things should go wrong, the Snailax is covered by a 12-month warranty, and there’s a QR code in the instructions for an extended warranty at no additional cost.

If you're ambitious, have a garage and a weekend to spare (and ideally a helper), you can upgrade your unheated seats to the same seat warmers that are equipped in factory heated seats. These are the same pads a technician might use to repair factory seats, and they are designed to work in any seat with any upholstery. They go under your seat cover instead of sitting on top.

The Dorman 628-040 Universal Seat Heater Element kit comes with a set of self-stick backrest and bottom pads, a pair of hog-ring pliers for seat clips, seat clips, wiring, switch, zip ties, and a 13-step instruction booklet. The installation is straightforward, if time-consuming, but you may need to remove your seats, and it requires running wiring to the fuse panel and install a switch. If you've done any serious car stereo work, these steps probably won't be too difficult.

When installed correctly, the results are great, comparable to factory seat heaters, and the Dorman 628-040 Universal Seat Heater Element kit has 91% positive reviews, and a 'B' rating. Complaints mostly center around the cheap included hog ring pliers and fasteners, so we would recommend buying those separately to make sure you can finish the project.

Unlike any heated cover, Dorman has a limited lifetime warranty on their seat heater kit.

Can I Upgrade My Factory Seats to Heated Seats?

Are Heated Covers Safe?

Will a Heated Cover Damage My Seat?

If your heated car seat cover is getting hot enough to damage your upholstery, it's going to let you know in some very personal and uncomfortable ways. If it were our nice car, we'd probably go ahead and add an extra layer of protection in the form of a seat cover underneath, preferably either a cloth or genuine leather one that could hold up to heat, just in case there was a malfunction, or the heat somehow made dye in the heated cover's fabric run.

How to Install Heated Seat Covers

Take the cover out of the box, put it on your seat, plug it into your 12-volt outlet. There, you're done. Ok, it's a bit more complicated than that, but not much. Attach the included straps to the vehicle's seat and secure it in place and you've accomplished the hardest part. If you want more than one heated cover and only have one 12-volt port, a splitter can divide that one plug into two or more, letting you plug in more heated seat covers.

How to Pick Heated Seat Covers

Look for a cover that offers multiple heat settings. You might like extra features like ventilation or massage, but they will cost extra. Next, look for a color that best matches your interior's, and try and find a cover that matches your seat style. Easy-access remotes are a nice feature, since on-cover controls can be tough to reach. If you're large or tall, look for thin covers that don't push you off the edge of your seat.

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