Keeping your car interior meticulously clean is impossible without floor mats, and most car owners wonder the following – are floor mats universal? Floor mats can be universal, trim-to-fit, or custom-fit, depending on your preference.
Still, universal floor mats somehow always make it into the selection of the best protective options for car carpets. They are less expensive than custom-fit ones, and can even fit most vehicles with a single design, or can be trimmed to suit your car’s floor dimensions.
Benefits of Universal Floor Mats
The largest number of floor mats on the market are universal. They can be easily mass-produced to fit most cars, so, therefore, they are much more affordable than custom-fit mats. These are the main advantages of universal mats:
· Several sizes for each vehicle type
· Nearly complete OEM carpet protection
· Can be both carpeted and rubber mats
· Some can be trimmed to suit specific vehicles
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As mentioned, the first benefit of these mats is that they are less expensive than some custom floor mats. However, they also offer less protection, so you need to be careful when buying universal mats.
The most important thing is to determine the size, as you will usually find from 2 to 5 sizes of universal mats for different vehicles. Although you won’t get 100% carpet coverage, there will always be a decent selection of universal mats that suit your vehicle.
The thing is that not all universal mats have built-in holes for the fabric carpet. You can find some universal mats that have sticky back layers so you can lock them in place while driving. You can also go for either carpeted or rubber floor mats. Besides the material, there are two main types of universal mats to choose from.
Types of Universal Floor Mats
When looking for universal floor mats, you should be aware of the two main types:
1. Universal-fit mats – With these mats, you don’t have to do anything to adjust the liner with your carpet space. These are the mentioned mats that come in several sizes, so you only have to pick the right size according to the dimensions of your car’s interior. Some universal-fit liners might be suitable for SUVs, while other sizes can be good for sedans or smaller cars. Coming in both carpeted and rubber formats, these mats should cover most of the carpet space.
2. Trim-to-fit floor mats – The other type of universal mat you can find is a trimmable variant. With these liners, you can cut through the lines determined for different dimensions of fabric carpets. It’s simple and can be done with a pair of scissors to make the liner fit into your OEM carpet zone perfectly.
Custom-Fit Mats vs Universal Mats
First of all, there’s one factor that’s the most important for the difference between these two mat types – carpet coverage. While custom-fit floor mats are made specifically with the dimensions of a certain vehicle in mind, universal mats fit most vehicles.
So, it’s obvious that you will get better and complete carpet protection with a custom mat. However, universal mats are more affordable and this might turn the odds in their favor with some customers. Also, custom-fit mats work splendidly with fabric fasteners to look them in place, while with universal mats you can count on sticky backings the most.
In some cases, universal mats can serve as a great temporary solution even for new cars. If there wasn’t a pre-developed 3D liner for a brand-new car model, there will always be at least one universal mat to serve protective purposes until a custom-fit one is released.
Overall, universal mats can even cope with custom-fit liners in some scenarios, and they shouldn’t be overlooked easily.
Outro
Not every floor mat set is a universal one, but if you are looking for the best floor mats for your car, chances are that you’ll bump into quite a few. Because of their easy compatibility and adjustment for most cars with trim-to-fit liners, universal mats are a good choice.
Of course, you should choose the floor mats for your car based on carpet zone dimensions and ensure that you pick the right size if you are going with universal mats.