WeatherTech Car Mats vs Premium Car Mats: Which One is Right for You?
When it comes to protecting the interior of your vehicle, car floor mats are one of the smartest investments you can make. Though not all mats are created equally. If you're debating between WeatherTech car mats and WeatherTech Premium car mats, your choice depends heavily on what you drive and how you use your vehicle.
WeatherTech Standard car mats: Built for Utility
WeatherTech mats have become a household name for a reason. They're precision-engineered to fit a wide range of vehicles, made from durable materials, and designed to handle serious messes. Their signature design features high sidewalls to trap dirt, mud, snow, and spills. If you work outside, haul gear, or have a rugged lifestyle, WeatherTech mats make a lot of sense.
The standard car mats are lighter and slightly thinner, but much more rigid compared to the premium options, which makes them easy to pull out, shake off, or hose down. The higher edges act like a tray, preventing liquids from spilling over and soaking into your carpet. For trucks, SUVs, and work vehicles, where mud, grease, or even cement dust might be a regular passenger, this kind of design is ideal.
They also come with the WeatherTech Logo prominently positioned on the side of the mat.
So if you are running your SUV or pick-up truck, transporter van for heavy use, we recommend the Standard “original” TPE floorliner.
Premium Car Mats - WeatherTech HP series : Quality look, Sleek and Solid
When you own a high-end vehicle — a luxury sedan, sports car, or prestige SUV — every detail matters. Premium WeatherTech car mats feature a lock in place system that is then covered by a cap, keeping the inside of your car simple, elegant and sleek the mats are also thicker with sturdier grip on both sides keeping everything, and everyone in place especially when traversing the cabin of the car.
In addition the HP car mats have special anti-skid nibs on the underside that naturally grip into the carpet underneath, making them very stable during driving or entering or exiting the vehicle, quite a good bonus.
One key difference is also the branding. The Premium mats have had the branding minimised and simplified. Instead, they blend seamlessly with the interior, letting the vehicle itself shine. They come in an all mat black colour variation and fit nicely in any Audi Q5, BMW X5, or Escalade.
So if you are running the Audi, BMW, Land Rover, Mercedes and Porsche vehicles, with family and friends, we would recommend the HP range, they are subtle, classy, and more discrete.
Who Should Choose What?
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Working Vehicles and Daily Haulers: If you drive a pickup, a cargo van, or an SUV that's in and out of job sites or rough terrain, standard car mats are a no-brainer. Their lighter weight, deep reservoirs, and easy-clean surfaces make them perfect for quick cleanup without worrying about ruining your carpet. While costing a little less but staying sturdy for many years.
- Luxury and Premium Cars: If you drive a Mercedes, Porsche, Tesla, BMW, Audi, or any vehicle where every interior surface is a design statement, premium mats are the way to go. They're thicker, feel more substantial, and enhance the luxury vibe without lacking protective ability.
Cost Comparison
WeatherTech's premium car mats typically cost between 350-700 CHF for a full set, depending on the vehicle. These mats lay flatter and feature an all mat black finish with lower lip raise, making these models better for lower set cars such as a Dodge challenger. They also make a car such as a Chevrolet Tahoe or a Cadillac Escalade car easier to traverse for younger or older people and pets, the lower set edges with thick foot grip make it harder to trip and slip or fall once inside the car cabin.
WeatherTech's standard car mats however tend to cost around 300-600 CHF for a full set. These mats feature higher side edges to best protect from spills and contain them effectively until removal of the mat is possible, they lock into place and are watertight while staying ever so slightly flexible in order to help contain liquids effectively, if your trips frequently include pets, kids, or tools and lumber, then you’ll want to grab a set of these to keep your hard working car living a longer life.
The Verdict
Choosing between WeatherTechs standard and premium car mats isn't about which is "better" overall - it's about which is better for your lifestyle and your vehicle.
If you need a tough, no-fuss solution that can take a beating and still come out looking good, WeatherTech standard mats are hard to beat. If you're more concerned with a rich, integrated look and a premium feel underfoot, investing in weatherTech's premium high-end car mats makes sense.
Both have their place. Both serve different kinds of drivers. The key is to know which one you are.
My Final Thoughts
Don't overthink it. If your vehicle is a tool that works hard and takes the punishment for you, treat it like one. Get standard mats and keep the mess contained while you focus on life. If your car is a prized possession that you pamper and polish on weekends, opt for premium mats that honour that investment.
But remember, anything is better than using your carpet mats, these will not work for you in the longer-term. With carpet mats
- Your vehicle carpet floor will wear thin and salt will start to discolour the carpet, making it almost impossible to clean.
- Over the years, using carpets means that cleaning will just get harder as time goes on, as the carpet wears and loses its shape.
- Carpets are porous, so water goes straight through.
- Try getting grease, oil, other nasty things off carpet, not the Sunday night job, with WeatherTech mats, a hose, brush and our TechCare Cleaner and Finisher, you’ll be back to new even 5 years on.
- Put your car carpets on the shelf on day one, then when you come to sell the car years later, put them back in, your car’s value will go up a lot more than the cost of those carpet mats!