The number one reason people think about car covers is to protect their car from the elements. Earth, wind, & snow can cause more damage to your car’s paint job than all the other risks combined. Because the weather can happen at any time. If you have to leave your car parked outside, it’s under the elements for the majority of the time.
What are to the risks to your uncovered car?
- The weather. Rain, snow, ice, sleet, hail, UV rays. All these weather conditions can wreak havoc on the paint and finish or your vehicle. Not every car cover can protect your car from hail, only the thicker ones can. But those ugly, dirty city rains can leave all sorts of contaminants on the paint surface after the water dries, shortening the life of the finish.
- Animal life. Birds. Enough said. We know what they do to cars. But how about those stray cats? Raccoons, squirrels, badgers… Wildlife can scratch up a finish with one trip up to that warm hood they love resting on.
- People, the other varmints. Whether by accident, brushing up against your car in those bedazzled jeans. Or on purpose, because some people are just no darn good.
- Trees. Sap, pollen, acorns, and other stuff from trees can build up their damage to your car’s finish in just one season. Parking for the shade, paying for the finish repair.
The materials used to make a car cover are important to look at. The best outdoor car covers have some things in common. Though you may want to protect from the weather, you also don’t want to trap moisture under the cover. That can accelerate damage to the finish. So, you want a breathable cover.
You also don’t want a tough fabric on the side that touches the vehicle. Tough on the outside, gentle on the inside. Like a superhero or the rogue cop from the latest action TV series.
You do, however, want a fairly tough exterior. Especially if you are trying to protect from hail, acorns, or the actions of critters and people. You might not want a stiffer material if you’re primarily protecting from tree sap or neighborhood pollutants. You would look for a cover that is washable in some way.
Several of the best outdoor car covers encompass several of the criteria above.
Top 10 Best Outdoor Car Covers
1. Classic Accessories Charcoal Full Size Sedan Car Cover
This car cover comes in several sizes, I looked at this one for a full size sedan. At this price range, which is very reasonable, I wasn’t expecting a fully customized cover made for just one model of car. That said, I liked how well it fit, even with the very generic sizing. Part of the reason it fit well, and fit my neighbor’s car, too, is because it has elastic inside the bottom of the corner hems.
The elastic corners also help keep the cover on throughout what ended up being a rather windy day. It was a little loose, but not loose so that I thought it would blow off. A tie down underneath the car would probably be a good idea if you live somewhere that stays pretty windy.
A nice feature I really liked was the side door zipper. How many times have I put on a car cover and then realized I left something I needed inside? With the zipper for the driver side door, I could ingress the vehicle with facility to recover the required item. (smiles knowingly) The zipper does not come in contact with the car surface, so no worries about scratches.
I didn’t have any acorns to test with, so I threw some peanut M&Ms at it. It handled those just fine. Seriously, though, I wasn’t going to drop a weight on my car, but playing with the cover, I could tell it had some strength to it. I wouldn’t want to test it out in a hail storm, mind you, but it should protect from most every day types of dangers to an automotive finish.
2. Motor Trend Auto Armor All Weather Proof Universal Fit Car Cover
This was a fairly lightweight cover, but the ad copy does say it protects from hail.
I think we should probably qualify what type of hail most of these ads are talking about. A few years ago, I was under one of the worst hail storms to hit in my area for some 80 years. We had hail over 4 inches in diameter and 90 MPH winds.
Brick walls were torn off of homes, a car near my SUV had the engine damaged thru the hood, and a fiberglass body sports car of another neighbor looked like a block of swiss cheese. A super cell mesocyclone has the capacity to destroy a car that’s parked in a garage, no car cover is going to have any effect on the outcome.
As for this cover, it is definitely not as substantial as the first one, but I think it should protect well from incidental scratches and pings caused by small animals, careless people, or moderate weather. One thing about being lighter is that it fits into a smaller bag for storage. By the way, most of these best outdoor car covers come with a storage bag.
3. Budge Lite B-3 Car Cover
This car cover is designed to protect your vehicle from dust, dirt, bird waste, and moisture (light rain). Made of polypropylene, it will provide affordable, basic protection. The Budge Lite Cover is water-repellent and resistant to other environmental hazards that could cause harm to your vehicle’s surface.
This cover features a full elastic hem to ensure a snug fit and has built-in grommets for added security.
The Budge Lite material is lightweight and thin, making it easy to handle and store. This is important if you have limited storage space or if you would like to store your cover in your vehicle’s trunk for easy access. This cover comes in a nice range of sizes.
So, it’s likely you can fit one pretty snugly to your vehicle. One thing I noticed is that some of sizes are very well suited to lower profile cars, like a Mustang, Corvette, Miata, etc…
4. XCAR Brand New Breathable Dust Prevention Car Cover
This cover is not Waterproof. The cover is water shedding and water resistant, it will keep most of the rain off your car. It is also breathable so that moisture is not trapped between the cover and the car. If your car is going to sit covered for a long period, you should remove the cover after a rain to let the car and the cover dry.
This offers pretty basic protection for your car. I would say more suitable for indoor use and maybe limited outdoor use. If you take a classic or custom vehicle to car shows, this is a good way to keep them bright and shiny.
This car cover is a single layer of a material that feels like a cloth paper. Like something you might see used to close up a guest house for the off season. Still, for what it is, it works just fine.
5. Budge Lite SUV Cover Fits Medium SUVs up to 186 inches
This cover is very similar to the previous Budge Lite cover reviewed. It’s basic protection, not heavy duty. It has an elastic hem for a snugger fit.
It is proportioned differently than car covers for sedans, since SUVs are a different shape. It’s longer, fitting the entire SUV from top to bottom.
Budge Lite are made from 100% breathable materials that will dry quickly to prevent mold or mildew from forming underneath the cover. Budge’s semi-custom sizing assures a snug and secure fit. There isn’t a special cover size for every vehicle out there, but there are enough sizes available to allow you to fit your vehicle as well as can be imagined for these low prices.
Besides outdoors or indoors, I looked at a neighbor’s home that has an outdoor carport. This would be a good cover for that kind of situation. Provides a little extra protection from critters or UV rays.
6. OxGord Auto Cover Fit for SUV, Van, and Truck
This is a very low priced car cover. Fits SUVs and pick up trucks. This is another fairly light weight cover, basic protection only. It came with a thin rope to tie it down for an even snugger fit.
One thing that bugged me was right in the instructions. You have to glue on or sew on yourself the grommet for the antenna hole. The material is also pretty thin, but at this price, I wasn’t expecting the protection of a Pelican camera case.
I’m always somewhat baffled by negative reviews on retailer’s sites that show the customer just basically bought the wrong thing. With so many size options and all those different materials available, a person does well to research a bit before typing in that CC number. Which is why people like me write objective review articles. Thank you. Thank you very much. (I’m here all week.)
7. AUDEW Car Cover For SUV Car XL
This cover is made from heavy duty poly and cotton fabric for all-weather protection, making this car cover good for indoor and outdoor use. It’s a waterproof design, the cover can effectively prevent your vehicle from harmful UV rays, dirt, dust, industrial pollutants and bird droppings.
I really liked whet they’re calling a windproof design, not really wind proof, but fairly heavy duty. It was easy enough to put on and off, the straps and buckle at the bottom serve to prevent your car cover from blowing off in stronger winds
A nice touch was the silver reflecting construction, effectively blocking the ultraviolet radiation from the sun, and the car’s surface and radiation inside, delay the aging in front of the dashboard. The materials stay flexible, protecting the vehicle’s surface from scratches. The seam does not move, eliminating car paint damage caused by friction.
8. Duck Covers A2C200 Double Defender Car Cover for Sedans
A racing stripe! I like racing stripes.
This is designed for indoor and intermittent outdoor use for your sedan size vehicle. The covers are made of triple-layer material that is non-abrasive and fully breathable. Ultrasonically welded seams improve water resistance and UV treated material protects against prolonged exposure to heat.
It’s nice and soft on the inside, but I would say it’s mostly a medium weight car cover. Perfect for basic protection, but I wouldn’t rely on it for extreme weather.
9. Leader Accessories Basic Guard 3 Layer Breathable Universal Fit Car Cover
This is a pretty thick car cover, and I could see people having a bit of difficulty putting it on a larger car. Once it’s on, though, it tends to stay on. Heavy material, elastic, tie down straps, and Velcro all add to the wind resistance capabilities.
The material is biodegradable. Don’t worry, it shouldn’t self destruct on your car, but it won’t remain in landfills for decades.
It is heavy and bulky, but some people will like that. A thinner material just feels light duty to some old school consumers.
10. Motor Trend All Weather Waterproof Premium Van & SUV Cover
Similar to the other Motor Trend cover reviewed, but in a size for vans, SUVs, trucks, and really big cars. Constructed from a three layer fabric with double-stitched seams, it creates a high breathe-ability factor inside the vehicle
Provides a nice level of protection against dirt and harmful UV rays. It handles a moderate wind well, but I wouldn’t rely on it for any extreme weather conditions.
Summary
I didn’t realize how many choices there are in finding what will become the best outdoor car covers for your specific needs. But, you are pretty much able to customize your purchase by getting the right size and right material that will protect your vehicle and it’s finish in the best way possible.
My choices of what are the best outdoor car covers lean very much to the most affordable, yet still high quality, options. I know that a cheaper car cover may not last multiple years, but neither do my cars!
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