The first step in deciding what type of car cover you need is determining what dangers you need to protect your car from. If storing outside, you’ve got the weather elements to worry about, mainly rain, snow, and UV damage, plus birds and other debris flying around in the wind. If storing inside, you’ve got dust, condensation, and the worry of garage debris toppling over on your beauty when you’re digging out Halloween decorations.
Now that you’ve figured out where you’re going to be storing your car and what elements you need to protect from, you need to know the types of car covers:
- Outdoor Car Covers – these heavy duty covers protect your car year-round and often feature a multi-layered design to protect your car from dings, debris, and weather damage
- Indoor Car Covers – these are less-heavy duty but are fully equipped to protect against scratches, dings, dust, and condensation
- Custom Car Covers – these hug every curve of your car, from your side mirrors to headlights, you are covered
- Universal Car Covers – these protect your car without taking a bite out of your wallet, coming in a variety of sizes and styles to project your car and save you some money
When searching for the right car cover, make sure you find one that is:
- Breathes – you want a breathable cover to allow moisture to escape from below the cover and keep condensation off of your finish
- Weather Resistance – this is a given, make sure you also know the weather in your area so you can make the best choice. Car cover needs differ from Upstate NY to North Carolina to South Florida
- Soft – with most paint jobs being about 0.006 inches thick, you want to be extra careful when it comes to scratches. Find a cover that features a soft, satin lining
- Mildew Resistance – just like your shower curtain, you want to protect your cover against the moisture in your garage or the rain/snow outside and get one that’s resistance to fungi and rotting
Do your homework and find a car cover that works the best for your car, your location, your peace of mind, and your wallet. Good luck!