Tesco Silver Metal Look Front Mats

The need for car mats

I buy a new set of mats for my car every couple and years, and usually buy a new set when I get a new car. I think a new set of car mats gives a smart look to the car interior, and an old tatty set can certainly let down the whole look if you take car of the dashboard etc. The drivers' footwell in my car always gets a lot of wear, and particularly in the winter they can be a godsend. They save a lot of time having to clean the interior carpet, as they can easily be removed and cleaned away from the vehicle. The drivers' seat obviously gets the most wear, and interior carpets will soon look worn if car mats are not used and replaced regularly. When I have been walking and leave a lot of dirty in the drivers' footwell I can easily remove the mats and the mud on them from the car.

Why choose this set?

There are a wide variety of sizes, designs and colours of car mat available. A lot of them are sold as sets of four (two front, two rear) and this ensures your car mats to be uniform throughout the vehicle. I bought this set of mats a number of years ago now, and in hindsight I don't have a clue why I opted for this particular product! I paid around £12 for the set, and this consisted of just a paid of front mats, with no rear mats included in the package. I am unsure whether Tesco still sell this product instore, though I cannot find them available online so I assume they may not do anymore.

I think the reason that these mats appealed to me were because they were in a chequerplate style, and they 'looked good' at the time. I knew I needed car mats to protect my footwells, though I do think I should have bought a different set, though this is a lesson I learnt from.

Appearance and opinions

The TescoSilver Metal Look Front Mats are meant to look like metal chequerplate, and this was the appeal to me at the time. Unfortunately this means that they are metallic and don't have a carpeted finish to absorb dirt and moisture. The anti-slip backing is a positive feature, ensuring the mats don't move when you are sat in the car, and this is particularly useful for the driver as it is important that the mat doesn't obstruct the pedals whilst moving. The rubberised finish to the back of the mats does give some flexibility to them, but the metallic finish means the mats won't do a great job at protecting your carpets from dirt. Dirt simply finds its way from the mat to the carpet, as it doesn't stick to the mat like it would do on carpeted mats.

The silver look could be seen as a positive or negative feature, though at the time it was something I appreciated as I had a silver car. The silver mats matched my interior, though in hindsight I would have been better buying a set of black carpeted mats, or even rubber mats.

Conclusions

In all honesty I think that the look of these mats is quite tacky. The design will appeal more to the 'boy racer' market, though they look like a product even Halfords would be embarrassed to stock. The mats were not 'worn out' when I ditched them, so they will last a good while if you do decide to buy a set. Unfortunately they were thrown away before I got the full wear from them as I realised they simply looked hidious.

At the price of around £12 I don't think I particularly got a bargain. Some full sets can cost £20-£30, though if you shop around you can find full sets for about a fiver. I will most definitely be buying full carpeted sets of mats in the future, and avoid metallic finished mats completely. If you want to improve the appearance of your car interior then buy a set of black mats and look at other ways at sprucing up the interior, like giving it a good upholstery clean instead.