When you are looking at a new car, there is one decision that is a very personal one. Do you want to go with leather seats or cloth? There are mainly 3 factors you need to consider when choosing a car seat: Cost, Comfort and Durability. The weight of importance you give to each will help you make this decision.

Cost

For many people, cost is a priority. Leather seats usually cost more than cloth. You can often get seats now that are part leather and part cloth. This may be an option if you want the luxurious feel of leather but don't want the added cost to the price of your car. You will find that depending on the vehicle, there are different grades of leather. And many modern cars have leather just on the seat surfaces and the rest of the seat is cloth or vinyl.

Pigmented/protected/top coated/painted type leather because this is the most common leather type and is used in over 95% of automotive interiors. This leather has a uniform appearance and color with a definite grain. You cannot see any natural leather markings through the top coatings because a pigmented leather paint coat is applied to the surface.

Another kind of leather found in automotive interiors is aniline (Castano) leather found mostly on Elite edition pickup seats. It is top quality natural leather in which the actual surface grain markings of the true leather (hide) are visible. This type of leather is not intended to remain pristine but rather rugged.

Comfort

Leather can be a luxurious choice but there are some considerations when it comes to comfort. If you aren't one to warm up your car first thing on a frosty morning, you will feel like you are sitting on a cold rock. On the other hand, nothing feels so heavenly as sitting on a warmed up soft leather seat first thing out of the house on a frigid morning. Experience that once or twice and you may never go back to cloth! Leather can also make you feel like you sat in a puddle on a sweltering hot day - unless you have the latest and greatest - an air conditioned leather seat! Cloth tends to feel somewhat the same under you independent of the weather. More and more models are coming equipped with heated cloth seats also. They are a nice extra but somewhat unnecessary.

Durability

Leather is the strongest natural material known to man, and leather seating will last for many years. It has several advantages over fabric seating when it comes to durability. Leather seats simply last longer than cloth. It ages well and doesn't show the daily wear like cloth seats will. Leather doesn't tear or scratch easily. It can, however, fade a bit with prolonged exposure to direct sunlight.

If you have children (or pets), leather is hard to beat. The natural finish on the leather will provide some waterproofing, so liquid spills should rest on the seat's surface long enough for you to clean it. Pet hair can be simply wiped away. For this reason alone, many parents choose leather.

Cloth seats can be cleaned but since they are quite porous, by the time you get it wiped up, the liquid portion of the disgusting substance in question will have seeped down into the foam cushion itself. Even when well cleaned, a tipped banana split may become a permanent car scent - especially in the heat.

If you do shampoo your cloth seats, you must follow the manufacturer's instructions on the upholstery cleaner. Use a clean, soft cloth to rub the shampoo into the fabric. Wipe the dirty shampoo suds away with a damp towel, and let the fabric dry completely.