Best Car Floor Mats

Floor mats are a wear item that many vehicle owners replace during their ownership of any given model. Here in the Northeast, floor mats can help keep your ride corrosion-free or contribute to corrosion, depending on which you choose. Car Talk’s experts offer our advice on which types and brands of car mats will provide you with the best results.

Car Talk's Key Takeaway

• OEM floor mats made by your car’s manufacturer will have a perfect fit but can be pricey.
• Most owners opt for “all-weather” plastic floor mats to replace the originals.
• Avoid “Universal Fit” and “One-size-fits-all” mats because they don't fit.

Car Talk's Top Recommendations

The following are recommendations based on interviews with ASE-certified mechanics.

• Best All-Weather Floor Mats: WeatherTech >>

• Best All-Weather Floor Mats: Husky Liners >>

• Best for Carpeted Aftermarket Floor Mats: GGBailey >>

• Best Match To Your Car’s Interior Your OEM brand is always a safe bet but expensive.

Car Talk's Top Picks

#1 WeatherTech: Best All-Weather Floor Mats

About WeatherTech Floor Mats

WeatherTech is a brand that prides itself on a perfect fit for your vehicle. Among the first of its kind in the industry, WeatherTech is also a company with an American-Made focus. We’ve used this brand for decades at Car Talk. WeatherTech floor mats are a great value and focus on being American-made.

Pros and Cons

Specs

• Front, rear, or combo mats
• Cargo liners
• Window sunshades
• Made in America
• Price range: $130-$320

#2 Husky Liners: Best All-Weather Floor Mats

About Husky Liners Floor Mats

Husky Liners is a brand that offers outstanding all-season floor mats for your car, crossover, SUV, or truck. If durability and a perfect fit matter to you, this is a brand to check out.

Pros and Cons

Specs

• Front, rear, or combo style
• Cargo liners
• Lifetime guarantee
• Price range: $139-$160

#3 GGBailey: Best Carpeted Floor Mats

About GGBailey Floor Mats

If you are seeking high-quality, perfect-fit mats for your vehicle, GGBailey is the brand to turn to. This is a brand that provides carpeted mats as good as, or better than OEM.

Pros and Cons

Specs

• Carpeted
• Sized to your model
• Price range: $72-$130

Brand 4 OEM: Best for Fit and Style Match

OEM floor mats you purchase after you bring the vehicle home can be very high in quality and value. They will be the best match to your vehicle and the carpeted ones will have the perfect color. OEMs also provide very high quality custom-fit all-weather liners we’ve had good luck with.

Pros and Cons

Specs

• Model-specific
• Carpeted or rubberized

What is a floor mat, and what does it do?

In the modern era, almost all new vehicles come with carpeted floors or specialty floors that are waterproof and intended for outdoor adventures. A popular way for automakers and dealers to pad their profits is to add carpeted floor mats or all-weather floor mats, also called liners. The idea is that you preserve the original carpet, and the mats or liners are easy to remove for cleaning.

All-weather mats or liners also have an added purpose. In areas where snow and mud are common, they can help keep the floors of your vehicle from being soaked with water and taking on a musty smell. They may even help to prevent corrosion of the floors of your vehicle if you are dragging road salt in with your winter boots.

What to consider when buying floor mats

By far, the most important thing to consider when you are buying floor mats is whether they are a proper fit. Hardware stores, big-box stores, and automotive parts chains all carry “Universal fit” type mats that do not fit properly. They can be affordable, and they are handy, since you are in the store already, but we strongly recommend avoiding them. A proper fit in the driver’s footwell is a serious safety consideration. Unintended acceleration crashes have happened due to improperly secured and improperly fitting car floor mats.

One company that revolutionized the floor mat market in America was WeatherTech. Headquartered in Bolingbrook, Ill, WeatherTech was among the first aftermarket suppliers to popularize mats that were custom-fitted to your make and model vehicle. We’ve used WeatherTech mats for a long time, on many vehicles, both new and used. They drop in, and they fit perfectly on day one. Now, WeatherTech has some competition, but it is hard not to call the company a leader in this industry.

Husky and GGBailey are two other popular companies that offer high-quality, custom-fit mats. While WeatherTech and Husky have a focus on all-weather plastic/rubberized mats, GGBailey has a focus on carpeted-style mats.

We pulled a few reviews from online retailer Amazon about each brand to give our readers a sense of the satisfaction that each brand offers. We used a 2020 Toyota RAV4 & Nissan Rogue as our example in our search for reviews by buyers.

WeatherTech:

• “All of the floor mats fit perfectly as advertised and do a great job of protecting the floor of their SUV. To clean them off, all you need to do is take them out, dump them, and wipe them off. Easy!”
• “I like that the mats fit perfectly. The price was right.”
• “Perfect Fit. Adds more protection for entire floor area than OEM mats.”

Husky:

• “I received the liners and installed them within 2 minutes, and the driver's side floor retention posts fit the liner exactly. The liners are heavy-duty and fit the floor exactly. Plus, the liners are made in USA.”
• “The grips on the back of both liners are aggressive and stay in place. The coverage is great for expected rain and winter conditions. The liners also have a lifetime warranty.”
• “These x-act contour are worth paying for. Fit is great. I have had other high-priced mats, and these fit even better.”

GGBailey:

• “Fits great! Looks good!”
• “Way better than the other company I tried buying a mat from. Opened it and installed it right away with a perfect fit.”

Safety is a real consideration when buying floor mats. Never use “Universal fit” mats in the driver’s footwell. They can bunch up under the pedals and cause accidents. You will notice that quality OEM mats will have a method to prevent this that goes beyond fit. Some have holes that allow a button set into your floor to snap over. Others have holes that allow a retention clip to come through and secure the mat. Many have ribs and nubs underneath to grip the carpet. There is more safety tech in floor mats than one might imagine.

What costs are associated with buying floor mats for cars?

When shopping for floor mats, you have a choice of just front, just rear, both front and rear, and you can also add a matching trunk or cargo liner. So, your price will depend on many factors, including whether you opt for just front mats or the whole shebang. Also, you have a choice of styles. Basic plastic floor mats for the front row may start at around $50. A complete kit with a cargo liner may be around $250. Carpeted mats tend to be a bit pricier.

OEM car mats and trunk liners are a very good choice if money is no object. They always fit perfectly, the dealer can drop them in for you, and OEMs offer both carpeted mats that match your interior perfectly or rubberized all-weather mats. Expect to pay as much as 50% more for OEM mats and liners.

Car Talk detailing experts weigh in on floor mats

ASE-certified mechanics and vehicle experts have strong opinions on floor mats and cargo liners. Both Jr. Damato and John Paul had their favorites, and your author does as well. All three of us listed WeatherTech as a brand we have used and had good experience with. Jr. Damata added that WeatherTech mats today are better than they were originally. He told us, “I have modified WeatherTech mats for customers many times. The older ones would shrink and change their shape a bit over time. I would snip and clip the sides near the door to help make them right again.”

Straight from our ASE-certified mechanics:

John Paul, AAA’s Car Doctor * If you are not buying factory mats, then GGBailey is quite good. I have used them in the past, and they outlasted the OE mats. * Everyone likes WeatherTech, although the Husky Liners are quite good for all weather mats.

Jr. Damato, Junior’s Automotive Sales and Service, Middleboro, MA

• Don’t buy inexpensive general-purpose mats. They can slip forward on the rug and cause safety issues.
• WeatherTech has improved since they were first introduced.

John Goreham, Car Talk Staff Writer

• My go-to brand has always been WeatherTech, but I have also had some luck buying OEM mats using service department coupons.
• I now avoid the deeply-grooved all-weather mats in favor of the ones that are mostly smooth plastic or rubber. I found the deep grooves hold water and are hard to wipe clean or empty, which is not a good thing in winter.
• I always get a full set. All three of my children have, at one point while toddlers, leaned forward and upchucked their lunches onto the rear floor mats. Having the mats be easy to remove made that nasty cleanup simple and quick.

Can I buy floor mats and liners myself?

Buying floor mats before WeatherTech changed the game was a hit-or-miss proposition. It was hard to know what would fit and what would not. Today, online retailers allow you to input your car’s make and model to ensure a perfect fit every time. Don’t be surprised if the model year listed is actually a range of a few years. That is simply because the floors don't change shape every year but rather every generation.

Conclusion

Experts agree that aftermarket vehicle floor mats and liners are a great idea. They are affordable, durable, help to protect your vehicle from mildew and corrosion, and are available in a wide range of styles and colors. Avoid general fit mats in favor of ones that are made specifically for your vehicle. OEM mats are always a good fit and of high quality, but they can be 50% more expensive than those from quality brands like Husky, GGBailey, and WeatherTech.