Best dog car seat covers

Dogs and cars are not always compatible, especially when you have to clean up the messes they leave behind in the backseat. My dog Lyla loves to roll in mud and swim on our outings, and while I want her to have the best time, I also want to protect my car's interior from dirt and water. Then there's the fur. Lyla is a big shedder, and no matter how often I lint-roll, I always find clumps of hair collecting on the seats and scattered across footwells. That's where the best dog car seat covers come in.

A good car seat cover should protect your car, be low-maintenance, and have a nonslip backing to prevent sliding. I set out to find covers that could trap dirt and debris before they reached the leather upholstery or footwells of my car. I tested nine different covers in my 2015 BMW X1, a compact SUV, using each one for two weeks with Lyla riding along for our usual hikes and trips to the park.

The Frisco Quilted Water-Resistant Bench Car Seat Cover earned the top spot, thanks to its practical quilted top that contained the fur and dirt Lyla tracked into the car without shifting around on the seat. Its waterproof fabric kept messes from reaching my leather seats, and the seat belt slots let people ride comfortably in the backseat. I also recommend two hammock-style covers that provide even more protection. If you're looking to keep your dog more secure in the backseat of your car, check out the best dog car seats we tested.

Read more about how Business Insider Reviews tests and researches pet products.

Our top picks for the best dog car seat covers

Best overall: Frisco Quilted Water-Resistant Bench Car Seat Cover - $42 at Chewy

Best hammock: Frisco Quilted Water-Resistant Hammock Car Seat Cover - $37 at Chewy

Best full-coverage: URPOWER Dog Car Seat Cover - $35 at Amazon

Best overall

The Frisco Quilted Water-Resistant Bench Car Seat Cover earned the top spot because it solved my biggest frustration: fur and dirt collecting on my seats and in the footwells. Unlike smooth covers that let debris slide around, this cover's quilted channels catch fur, dirt, tiny pebbles, and grass before they reach my leather upholstery or the floor of my car.

The woven polyester fabric was soft yet durable enough to handle Lyla's biggest messes, from muddy paws and dripping wet fur after swimming to her heavy shedding. When it was time to clean, I simply wiped away unwanted dirt and hair with a damp rag. Because the fabric is tightly woven, fur didn't get caught in the fibers, so I barely needed to use my lint roller to remove stubborn hairs. After machine washing and air-drying the cover, it looked nearly new.

Installation was a breeze, too. I looped the adjustable straps over the headrests and tucked the seat anchors into the crease between the seat back and cushion. The anchors, along with the grippy, nonslip backing, kept the cover in place while I drove. Even when my four-legged hurricane jumped around in the backseat, tossing her stuffed toy and digging at the fabric to get at it, the cover never budged.

My biggest complaint is the seat belt openings. They're useful if you occasionally have passengers, but I struggled to thread the buckles through the slots. It's also designed for only two passengers so there's no opening for the middle seat belt.

Best hammock

A hammock-style cover does more than protect your backseat. It covers the gap between the front and rear seats to prevent dirt and debris from collecting in the footwells and creates a barrier that helps keep your dog in the backseat. The Frisco Quilted Water-Resistant Hammock Car Seat Cover did both of those things well in my testing. I also appreciated the built-in storage pockets, which held treats, wipes, poop bags, a travel water bottle, and even an emergency nail clipper that I normally store in my back-of-seat pockets.

I tested the regular-size cover with Lyla, and it fit my compact SUV well. Senior pets editor Lisa Sabatini also has this cover installed in a mid-size sedan, and it's an excellent size. Installation was straightforward: I looped the adjustable straps over the front and rear headrests and pushed the seat anchors into the crease of the backseat. Like the Frisco Quilted Bench Cover, it has a grippy, nonslip underside that works in combination with the seat anchors to prevent shifting while driving. During one ride, Lyla dropped a pup cup into the small gap between the seat and the door and tried to retrieve it by digging. Despite her attempts to reach it, the cover stayed firmly in place.

The hammock kept Lyla from climbing into the front seat while still allowing her to see me. At first, she seemed anxious about the barrier, but she quickly got used to it. I also appreciated the extra protection it provided for the backs of my front seats. If your dog rides with a tethered harness, you can also thread a seatbelt through the openings on the left or right side, but not the middle seat. And if you need to make room for a backseat passenger, simply remove the straps from the front headrests and let the cover lie flat over the edge of the rear seat instead of hanging hammock-style.

The hammock design does have a drawback: It's bulkier than a bench cover. It was a tighter fit in my standard washing machine, so instead of washing as often as I normally would, I wiped it down more frequently.

Best full coverage

Of all the covers I tested, the URPOWER Dog Car Seat Cover offered the most comprehensive protection. It covered the entire backseat of my vehicle, including the seat cushions, the backs of the front seats, the foot wells, and the doors. The zippered door flaps are what set this hammock cover apart from the other covers. Once zipped into place, they created a barrier between Lyla and the door panels, preventing muddy paws from rubbing against the doors and protecting the armrests from nail scratches.

At the end of my two-week test, I found barely a tablespoon's worth of debris beneath the cover. Even after Lyla climbed into the car, soaking wet from a swim in the lake, no water seeped through to my seats. Since her thin coat drips so much water after a swim, reliable waterproofing is one of my biggest priorities in a car seat cover.

The biggest downside was having to unzip and rezip the door flaps every time Lyla got in or out of the car. I found the zippers on the flaps easily caught on the track, so it took some maneuvering each time. Once the flap was unzipped, however, it easily folded down and extended far enough that Lyla's dirty paws never touched the seat, eliminating any chance of transferring water or debris.

The instruction pamphlet recommends wiping the cover with a damp cloth or vacuuming instead of machine washing. I did both, but I also ran it through a normal cold-water wash cycle to see how it held up. After line-drying, I noticed a small amount of shrinkage, but the cover still fits my car well. I also found a few scratch marks from Lyla's nails on the door flaps after two weeks of testing. Despite being marketed as scratch-proof, the material showed some wear where she repeatedly scratched, but it didn't affect the cover's waterproofing or ability to contain dirt.

Our top picks compared

What else we tested

Molly Mutt Car Seat Cover: This cover is an excellent option if you're looking for unique prints, colors, or organic, nontoxic materials. It also has a versatile design and can be configured as a hammock, bench cover, or cargo cover. Ultimately, it didn't make my top picks because it isn't waterproof, making it less practical for muddy or wet dogs.

Frisco Water-Resistant Bench Car Seat Cover: This was the most affordable cover I tested, making it a good option for budget-conscious shoppers. However, you sacrifice quality in exchange for a lower price. It offered the least amount of backseat coverage, leaving the base of my seats exposed to dirt and debris.

Orvis Grip-Tight Quilted Hose-Off Hammock Seat Protector: This hammock-style cover provides full coverage, and cleaning is as simple as hosing it off. However, I noticed the lingering smell of wet dog after rinsing it, and it was the most expensive cover I tested, a price I could not justify.

PetSafe Happy Ride Quilted Bench Car Seat Cover: I appreciated how easy this cover was to install and clean, but it didn't make my final recommendations because it wouldn't stay securely in place. The bottom part of the cover repeatedly popped off the seat when I drove over bumps and potholes, allowing debris to slip underneath.

4Knines Rear Fitted Seat Cover, Black: This waterproof cover trapped dirt and debris, but I took off points because it slid around and left sections of my leather upholstery exposed.

Frisco Bolster Bench Car Seat Cover: If your dog likes to curl up and nap in the car, the padded bolster provides a cozy place to rest during long rides. In my testing, however, the bolster bent as the cover shifted around the seat, creating gaps where fur and dirt could fall onto my seats and into the footwells.

What to look for in a dog car seat cover

To identify the features that matter most beyond my own testing, I consulted two experts: Dr. Lori Teller, a veterinarian and clinical professor at the College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at Texas A&M University, and Duane "Doc" Watson, a technical trainer at Bosch Mobility Aftermarket, who specializes in car detailing and knows where most dog owners go wrong when it comes to protecting their vehicle against dirt and debris from pets.

Safety: A car seat cover will not protect your dog in an accident. "The most important way to ensure a pet's safety in a vehicle is to make sure it is restrained," Teller says. She recommends choosing a car seat cover that lets you secure your pet with a seat belt clip or a seat belt harness while driving.

Teller adds that while car seat covers will not protect a pet in an accident, they can help encourage pet guardians to keep their dogs in the backseat, where they are at lower risk of injury in common accident scenarios involving sudden stops or impacts that deploy front airbags. "Avoid putting your pet, even if harnessed or in a crate, in the front seat where a deployed air bag could cause injury or death to the pet," she says.

My top picks include seat belt openings so you can easily attach a safety harness. While my full-coverage pick from URPOWER also comes with a seatbelt attachment that you can secure around your dog's harness with a carabiner clip, it has not been third-party crash-tested and may not protect your dog in a crash. Instead, you can secure your dog with a Center for Pet Safety-certified harness, such as the Sleepypod Clickit Sport Plus Harness.

Compatibility: Watson says most covers will fit your car as long as you check the measurements against the manufacturer's recommendations. When in doubt, he says it's not a bad idea to size up to ensure more extensive coverage — although he emphasizes the importance of ensuring seat belt access to be able to secure your pet during transit, no matter the cover size.

It's also a good idea to look for covers with soft straps, reinforced stitching, and secure but nonabrasive anchor points to minimize damage to your vehicle during installation and use, especially if you have leather seats.

Watson says to look for covers made of tightly woven fabric to minimize the risk of dirt and fur getting caught in the fabric fibers. Tightly woven material will allow debris to sit on top of the fabric, making cleanup simple with a quick wipe-down or vacuum.

Ease of cleaning: While several of the covers I tested were machine washable, others recommended spot cleaning or vacuuming only. I found that the most practical covers were the ones I could wipe clean after a muddy hike, rather than immediately throwing them in the washing machine. If your dog gets dirty often, look for a cover with a tightly woven, water-resistant surface that sheds dirt and fur easily between washes.

Level of protection: The right amount of coverage depends on how much dirt and debris your pet tracks in. Hammock covers are the most comprehensive backseat protection, stretching over the footwells and underside of the seats to block hair and debris. Bench covers can still provide good protection, but they are better options for dogs that are low shedders and/or who don't track in a lot of dirt after walks. Some covers with seatbelt openings may allow debris through, even if the cover itself offers overall protection. To prevent this, you can lay a towel down over especially large seatbelt gaps.

Dog comfort: Look for matte or quilted covers as they give a dog's paws something to grip when the car is in motion. A slippery material can make a dog feel unstable and cause them to slip and fall while turning or braking.

How we tested dog car seat covers

I tested nine dog car seat covers in my 2015 BMW X1 over the course of the spring, using each one for two weeks with my 55-pound pit mix, Lyla. Most of the testing took place as part of our normal routine, including walks, hikes, errands, and trips to the lake. I also performed a series of hands-on tests to evaluate each cover's waterproofing, durability, stability, ease of cleaning, and overall protection.

Debris collection test: To measure how well each cover contained dirt and fur, I used it daily with Lyla for five days, then collected and measured the debris left on top of the cover, underneath it, and in the footwells. I compared those results with how much dirt accumulated in my car over the same period without a seat cover, which was nearly a cup of debris.

Waterproofing test: I poured ¼ cup of water onto each cover and checked whether any moisture seeped through to my leather seats. I also observed how well each cover contained the water instead of letting it run off the edges.

Stability and comfort evaluation: Lyla likes to roll around in the backseat on the way to her favorite walking spot, frequently digging at my leather seats as she walks back and forth along them. I paid close attention to whether the seat anchors and nonslip backing kept each cover securely in place as she moved around. Separately, I also took a fork to each cover and attempted to pull it away from the seat. I also noted how comfortable Lyla seemed during longer rides. Since she rarely lies down in the car, I took it as a good sign when she settled in for a nap.

Durability test: To simulate the wear caused by dog claws, I dragged a fork across each cover 25 times and inspected the fabric for scratches or damage. I also tugged firmly on the straps and anchor points to see whether the stitching or seams showed signs of stress.

Cleaning test: I followed each manufacturer's cleaning instructions, whether that meant machine washing, wiping the cover with a damp cloth, vacuuming, or hosing it off. For covers that weren't machine washable, I ran them through a normal cold-water wash cycle with standard liquid laundry detergent anyway to see how they held up. I also tested how easily dog hair could be removed with a lint roller. Finally, I compared the time and effort required to clean each cover with cleaning my car without one.

Day-to-day ease of use: Because convenience matters just as much as protection, I evaluated how easy each cover was to install, remove, and use over two weeks of everyday driving. I noted how well each one worked with passengers, how easy it was to access the seat belts, and whether it stayed securely in place through normal daily use.

Dog car seat cover FAQs

What is the average cost of a good dog seat cover?

Most of the best dog car seat covers I tested cost between $50 and $100. You can find options for less, but they typically sacrifice coverage, durability, or convenience. For example, many budget covers don't protect the footwells or the backs of the front seats and may lack features such as seat anchors or non-slip backing. I also tested a few premium covers priced above $100, but I didn't find that spending more necessarily resulted in better performance.

What fabric is most resistant to dog hair?

Only smooth, nonwoven materials, such as leather and vinyl, are resistant to pet hair. Watson says that tightly woven fabrics can, for the most part, prevent pet hair from getting tangled in the fibers. The best way to keep your car clean from pet hair is to lint roll and vacuum often; that way, you'll be able to prevent hair buildup, Watson says.

Will a car seat cover protect my leather seats from claw punctures?

Watson says durable, tightly woven, water-resistant materials like neoprene, canvas, and heavy-duty polyester hold up well against spills, a dog's nails, and everyday wear. A key feature to keep an eye on was tightly woven fabric, which can be less susceptible to cracking, shifting, and punctures from claws.

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