What type of car cover do you want?
Please ask yourself first, “What do I want from a car cover?” then let us help you decide what is the best car cover for you from each type of car cover. A carport is always the best protection outside of a garage, but that’s not always a practical solution. The two main types of car cover are (a) car covers for indoor use only and (b) car cover for outdoor use to protect against the elements. We’ll start off with the biggest sellers – the outdoor car covers.
Very best car Cover for 2021 – the clear winner
But first, for those who are looking for the very best indoor or outdoor protection for their valuable prestige or classic vehicle, the answer has got to be a Car Bubble. Available for Sedans, Hatchbacks, SUV’s or Utes, the Car Bubble will keep any vehicle in safe and in pristine condition in its own atmospherically controlled environment. Maybe technically not a car cover as such, we had to make a mention of the very best vehicle protection available. You can read more about these by clicking here.
Outdoor Car Covers – Best Car Cover for 2021
The best-selling covers in Australia are the outdoor range, but even here there are different types of cover., so again ask yourself “What do I want from a car cover?”
- Light-weight covers to keep off sun damage, dust, bird droppings, tree gum and leaves and rain
- Heavier duty waterproof and weatherproof car covers to keep out everything, keep your car dry dust free and offer a bit more protection against scuffs and damage
- Hail Protection Car covers offering full weatherproof protection as per the heavier duty outdoor car covers but also add hail protection to stop damage from large hail storms.
- A car cover to give full protection to my prestige or classic car and help prolong its life in a controlled atmosphere.
A car cover to protect from the rain is just the beginning!
A car cover to block out rain is just the beginning! The best outdoor car covers will protect your vehicle from bird poop, dust, corrosion, UV rays, bangs and scratches and hailstorms.
As you might expect, the more ‘protection’ you want, the more expensive the car cover will be. A car cover is an absolute necessity for most Australian car owners who do not have a garage to keep their vehicle. The cost of a cover will be paid back many times over in the re-sale price of a well-kept car or just in the big savings you will make by protecting your car against just one major hailstorm!
It is quite common for some insurance companies to EXCLUDE hail damage from their policies but even with included hail damage, just have a look at your standard excess! In most cases this is around the first $800 of necessary repairs coming out of your pocket!
If you are a first-time buyer of a car cover, this buying guide has narrowed down the best-rated car covers for your vehicle that are affordable and of good quality.
Best over-all
1. The Premium Hail Protection Car Cover
The Premium hail protection cover gives your vehicle all the protection it needs from the worst of the Australian climate. This is the best-selling outdoor cover in Australia. The Premium Hail Protection cover comes in all sizes to fit most vehicles including sedans, hatchbacks, SUV’s wagons and Utes. It is a high quality cover that comes with a 12 month warranty and will protect against:
- Rain
- Dust
- UV rays
- Bird and bat droppings
- Tree sap and small dropping branches
- Hail protection up to large hail stones!
The Premium Hail cover has anti-condensation air breathers and is specially lined with soft plush, non-abrasive backing fabric, ensures no scratching of paint work. The outside is an all-weather, UV protection material, double stitched high resistant P.E waterproof fabrics ensure long life for your cover and your car. It will fit most vehicles snugly with its elastic hemming and two security holding straps that tuck round the front and back of your vehicle with ease
Side window protection with the Premium Hail Cover
The Premium Hail Protection cover gives your car side window protection as well as top-protection with its 6mm compressed polyester padding fitted between the outside and inside layers. It gives the necessary side-protection which is not available on the Standard Hail Protection cover, which just has the padding on the top and its not nearly as bulky as the Ultimate Hail Protection Cover.
Pros Cons
Good quality By their nature, the padding makes them
Light weight at just around 7kg quite “bulky’ covers.
Best hail protection
Full weather protection
Good dust protection Difficult to fold back into bag
UV sun protection
Warranty
Scratch protection
2. The Stormguard all-weather range – best car cover for 2021
The Stormguard range of car covers – all come with a 12 month warranty and their is a specifically designed car cover for:
- Sedans and hatchback covers
- SUV covers
- Station wagon covers
- Ute covers
- Van and People Mover covers
- Motorcycle Covers
Importantly, they all have anti-condensation air breathers to allow moisture escape and give all the protection of a good hail protection cover with the exception of hailstone protection. These covers have no hail protection padding and will only offer some protection against small hail stones. They will give excellent protection against:
- Rain
- Dust
- UV rays
- Bird and bat droppings
- Tree sap and small dropping branches
Soft, plush inside protection of paintwork
All Stormguard car covers are specially lined with soft plush, non-abrasive backing fabric to ensure no scratching of paint work and the outside is an all-weather, UV protection material, double stitched high resistant P.E waterproof fabric to ensure long life for your cover and your car. You will find one to suit your vehicle snugly with its elastic hemming and two security holding straps that tuck round the front and back of your vehicle with ease. There is a third ‘security’ strap on most that is jammed in the boot to prevent theft.
Pros Cons
Good quality Not quite thick enough to protect against hail
Light weight and easy to install
Full weather protection
Good dust protection
UV sun protection
Easy and light to fold back into bag
Easy to find a good fit for almost every vehicle
Scratch protection
Warranty
3. The Evolution Car Cover Range – For a light-weight outdoor cover – best car cover for 2021
The Evolution range of car covers is the best available light and inexpensive car cover in Australia. This lightweight, all-purpose car cover can be used outside or inside and is ideal for cars that are stored under carports. They are very easily folded and packed into the supplied carry-bag. They are perfect for light weather protection outside or that extra protection from dust and sun in your carport or even indoors. A soft, plush, non-abrasive, and non-scratch fabric in the inside ensures protection of your paintwork and the light outer fabric is rain-proof and UV resistant.
Eight different sizes ensure you’ll find a good fit for your vehicle
There are 8 different sizes in the range so it’s easy to find a good fit for your sedan, hatchback or SUV. They are ‘breathable’ and are also fitted with 4 Anti-Condensation air breathers to allow airflow around your vehicle.
Elastic hems and exclusive security holding straps ensure a secure snug fit on all cars and it comes with a 12 month warranty.
Pros Cons
Good quality Not 100% waterproof but cover can breath
Very Light weight Thinner fabric won’t protect much against dents
Rain-proof weather protection No protection against hail
Full dust protection
UV protection
Inexpensive and easy to install
Very easy to fold back into bag Warranty
Some Tips & Advice for Outdoor Car Covers – Best Car Cover for 2021
- Go to google first! Look up (year/make/model/Dimensions). The cover you buy must be the same measurement or slightly longer than the length of your vehicle- Never Shorter!
- Buy an outdoor car cover with tie-down straps. Straps make the cover windproof, so it will not blow away. Straps give added protection against dust and rain. A car cover that easily moves in high wind can cause dust to enter and scratching.
- Any car cover must be breathable. This protects against mold mildew and corrosion. Breathable car covers lessen the chance of moisture being trapped underneath and also allows for some evaporation. A full plastic cover will be cheap and fully waterproof but should never be used on a vehicle!
Indoor Showroom covers
The Showroom Car Cover is the ultimate dust protection car cover for indoors. It has superior protection from dust and pollutants and is made with high quality non fade polyester stretchable fabric and comes with a 3year warranty!
The showroom cover is also specially lined with soft and plush non-abrasive fabric backing.
This cover is ideal for sedans and hatchbacks and you will find a ‘good-fit’ for any vehicle between 3.5m long and 5.5m long in the 4 different sizes available.
It also comes in 3 colours of your choice – red, black and blue and all with a sporty white stripe down the centre.
A very similar showroom cover is also made for utes and another for SUV’s.
See the Ute showroom cover here and the SUV showroom cover here.
An indoor cover for prestige cars.- CONCOURS D’Elegance Indoor Car Cover
If you are looking for more than just a dust cover, the Concours D’Elegance is the cover for you. It is suitable for most prestige cars like:-
The best quality generic indoor car cover to protect your Luxury Car.
- Lotus Car Cover
- Ferrari Car Cover
- Lamborghini Car Cover
- Aston Martin Car Cover
- Bentley Car Cover
- Ford Mustang,
- Holden VK or VF
- Ford Falcon
- any other performance vehicle that deserves an indoor car cover!
Made from a very special stretch TPU (Thermoplastic polyurethane) on the outside, the inside is a soft plush non-abrasive fabric backing. Unusual for an indoor car cover, this also has tie downs front and rear for a tight dust-free fit. A three-year warranty comes with this superb cover and it is available in 2 sizes for vehicles up to 4.5m and vehicles up to 5.2m.
Tailor Made Ready-fit Indoor Car cover
The best value custom fit cover indoor cover must be the Custom Made Bespoke Velvet – describe by those who have one as “The best Car cover I’ve ever seen” . If you want an exceptionally good fit, try the Black, Blue, Red or grey Custom Bespoke velvet indoor cover. All you need to do is give us the make year and model and a picture and you can have a high quality indoor stretch cover specially made for your vehicle.
For that extra bit of exclusivity, you can have the manufacturer logo printed on your special cover at no extra cost or send in your own special logo and it can be added for a few dollars more. This Velvet Ready-Fit cover provides a very good fit to most sedans, Utes and SUV’s using incremental sizing for your price guide.
Summary – Best Car Covers for 2021
The most popular and the best value cover available in Australia is the Premium Hail Protection Cover. It has proven to be a great full weather protection cover with the added benefit of an excellent hail-protection padding.
If you don’t need the added hail protection feature, the Stormguard range of covers will give you all the protection you need. Even if its a Ute, Van or wagon you will find a cover to suit.
The Showroom car covers will give most owners the indoor protection they are looking for without spending a lot of money. Of course, for the prestige owner, there is the excellent Concourse D’Elegance indoor cover and for those who really want to look after and protect their very valuable classic or prestige, the first stop should always be the Car Bubble.
A very helpful blog. I like the information
What car cover [ Lexus IS 250C Sedan ]would you recommend for a Tropical climate [ Cairns ].
The Autotecnica Hail Prevention covers are made specifically for Australian conditions, including FNQ. Your car is just under 4.7m long so you would require the 4.9Sedan. We would suggest the Premium Hail for your car Cairns but you may prefer the more expensive Ultimate hail cover. Remember, it is a hail protection cover and while it is waterproof and UV protected, it is NOT designed for all-round UV protection and in fact, the outer membrane will damage if it is left in direct sunlight for extended periods of weeks on end. The Stormguard cover is best for general everyday use in tropical Australia.