Is it time we stopped using leather in cars? I reckon so

For decades, leather seats have been associated with luxury. People are willing to pay thousands to upgrade from cloth chairs, or for extended leather packages which see the dashboard and door cards of their cars covered in the stuff

But as the weather has started to get warmer, I’ve really been asking myself why this is, because I think leather is a really stupid material to trim an interior with.

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Why do I hate leather in cars?

I’m lucky enough to have two cars at my disposal. The first is my Skoda Fabia long term test car, which has cloth sports seats, and the other is my 2004 BMW Z4 convertible with leather upholstery.

In the cold winter months, I have to crank the BMW’s heated seats up to full every time I drive it because the seats feel like sitting on an iceberg. While the Skoda does have heated seats, I hardly ever use them because the soft, cozy fabric doesn’t get cold to the touch.

But now the weather is getting warmer, I have the opposite problem. The black leather in my Z4 bakes in the sun for hours before I get in, trapping that heat ready to burn my backside when I get in the car. There are no such issues in the Skoda.

It’s not only temperature control either, cloth seats are better on the move as well. I end up sliding around in the BMW’s chairs through corners because leather is slippery, whereas the Octavia’s fabric seats grip you in place.

In a convertible sports car like my Z4, I can see why leather seats make sense. The interior is completely open to the elements with the roof down, and leather is easier to wipe clean than cloth. I also learned this when I leant my old Skoda Octavia to a colleague and they thanked me by spilling tomato sauce on the seat. It was a pain to get out.

Leather is really durable, and it does feel and smell nice as well. But you do need to remember to condition it with the right products from time to time, or it’ll dry out and crack.

Loads of manufacturers are moving away from leather, and I think we’re all the better for it. You can get a wool interior in most Volvos these days, and it looks really cool and modern. It’s the same story with the BMW iX3 as well.

If you forget about the preconceptions of leather being a luxury material, cloth just makes far more sense from a comfort perspective. You can make it using recycled materials as well, like Kia does in its latest electric cars, which is better for the environment.

Leather gets too hot in the summer, too cold in the winter and it’s expensive as well, so I think it’s time more manufacturers started exploring alternative materials.

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