Buying a new set of carpet car mats for your vehicle can be a tricky journey to navigate. There’s a bunch of options on the market and of course everyone uses stupid car jargon that is A. hard to understand (what’s OEM again?), and B. makes it hard to buy with any real confidence …
So this article aims to break all that down by looking at 17 key points of comparison between a set of OEM (don’t worry, we’ll explain ?) and aftermarket car mats. Already got your head around the lingo and want to skip to the comparison results? Click skip to results
Breaking down the lingo
What do the terms OEM, Genuine, and Factory mean?
Ok so the first thing you need to know is OEM is an acronym for Original Equipment Manufacturer.
The second thing you need to know is ‘OEM’, ‘genuine’, and ‘factory’ all mean the same thing. They’re interchangeable terms.
And finally, according to the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) OEM, genuine and factory parts can be defined as “parts made by the vehicle’s manufacturer that are rigorously tested as an integral component of the vehicle to meet high quality, safety and performance standards.”
In a nutshell, it’s the original copy of the part you need and it is made by the vehicle manufacturer.
What does aftermarket mean?
It’s anything not made by the original vehicle manufacturer. According to the Speciality Equipment Market Association (SEMA), aftermarket parts are also made to a high standard to ensure performance and safety standards are met. They are extremely common in the Australian and U.S automotive scenes and chances are you’ve driven a car with aftermarket parts in them before.
The Results
OEM Vs Aftermarket (FitMyCar) Car Mat Comparison Report
Mat Feature |
OEM |
Aftermarket by FitMyCar |
| Availability | ✘
In most cases limited to the most current model |
✔
Includes early to current models |
| Colour Options | ✘
In most cases limited to black and grey |
✔
7 colour options available. Also mix and match bind and stitch colours. See examples |
| Carpet Quality | Pass
Grade carpet usually matches the quality of vehicle. Inexpensive car = low quality mats. Opposite also applies |
✔
Choose the grade of carpet YOU want or need. Note: the high-end option is of the same quality used in some high German vehicles on the road today |
| Fit / Cut | ✔
Exact fit to shape and contour or floor |
✔
Exact fit to shape and contour or floor (guaranteed). Check out how we make the mats, here. |
| Retention System
Confused? It’s that thing on the mat that hooks, clips, twists onto the anchor point on the vehicle floor. Basically, it’s the system that holds the mat in place. |
✔
Includes retention system |
✔
Will fit over existing fitting points. If no fitting point present, an easy to use installation kit is provided at no additional cost |
| Manufacturer / Model Logo | ✔
Always appear as specified by carmaker |
Pass
None. Not even our own; allows for a clean factory look |
| Carpet Protection | ✔
Maximum floor coverage |
✔
Maximum floor coverage |
| Matches Carpet | ✔
Exactly |
Pass
Extremely close, but not guaranteed |
| Stain Resistance | ✔
High. Synthetic fibres used |
✔
High. Synthetic fibres used |
| Cleaning | ✔
Easy. Straight fibres used. Clean as required. |
✔
Easy. Straight fibres used. Clean as required. |
| Shopping Experience | ✘
At the dealership |
✔
Online, free delivery |
| After Sales Experience | ✘
Through the dealership |
✔
Local customer support from fitment specialists |
| Manufacture Location | Pass
Overseas |
✔
Australia |
| Standard Warranty | ✔
Product must be fit for purpose. Mandated by law |
✔
Product must be fit for purpose. Mandated by law |
| Wear-Through Warranty | ✘
No |
✔
Up to three years |
| Price | ✘
High |
✔
Can range from low to moderate. Check out the price comparison chart below. |
So how do they compare? |
||
Total Score |
OEM 59% |
(Aftermarket)
|
|
Scoring was calculated as ✘ = a score of 0, Pass = 1, and a ✔ = 2. The total possible score is 32. OEM achieved a score of 18 (59%) and Aftermarket by FitMyCar 30 (94%). |
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Pricing Comparison
How do aftermarket mats look?
One of the big benefits of aftermarket car mats is their ability to be customised just the way you like them. You’re not locked in to a certain colour or combination of colours like you are with mats from the dealership. It’s all up to you. You can choose from 8 different colours. Here’s some examples of how they look:
How well do aftermarket mats fit?
Perfectly. The floor mats are cut using high tech machines to ensure a precise cut for your make and model. We guarantee a 100% fit for each set of floor mats sold.
Don’t aftermarket mats slip around?
No. The mat will fit the manufacturer retention system to keep it in place. If no existing retention system is available, don’t stress, we send out an easy to install fitting system with every car mat set sold. The last thing you want is for your car mar to move around or get stuck in behind the pedals.
What is a retention system?
It’s that thing on the mat that hooks, clips, twists onto the anchor point on the vehicle floor. Basically, it’s the system that holds the mat in place. Typically there will be anchor points pre-installed on the vehicle floor. The Original Equipment Manufacturer fits these in place prior to the car rolling off the factory floor. In cases where this isn’t the case, we’ll supply an easy to fit retention system to keep things safe and tidy.
What is the carpet quality like in aftermarket mats?
Speaking of the carpet pile quality of a FitMyCar mat, the answer is good to excellent. There are three different carpet options available to suit the taste or driving frequency of drivers.
| 550g/sm | 700g/sm | 950g/sm |
| Poly needle point carpet | Nylon tufted carpet | Nylon tufted carpet |
| 6 month warranty | 2 year wear-through warranty | 3 year wear through warranty |
I’m on the lookout for aftermarket car mats. Do you have mats for my model?
There’s aftermarket car mats available for a bunch vehicles including, Volkswagen, Ford, Holden, Chrysler, Mazda, BMW, Subaru, Toyota, Mercedes, Audi, Nissan and many more. To check out availability for your vehicle, go here –> Car Mats for Australian Cars — OR here –> Floor Mats for U.S Cars.
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