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I have a big family full of dog people, and literally, years of experience testing cars specifically for dog-friendliness. Not everybody buys their car based on how well it fits animals, but if you do own both a pet and a car, you’re going to want to outfit it with some pet-forward accessories. And one of the most essential is a back-seat cover. 3W Liners recently sent us its modular entry to the market—here’s our Rundown on it.
3W Liners Rundown
Class
Casual
Enthusiast
Prosumer
Professional
Disclosure: 3W Liners provided this unit for testing. We kept full editorial control over what we said about it. If you buy through our links, we may earn a commission, at no cost to you.
Where to Buy
MSRP is $89.99, but 3W Liners does discount promo pricing all the time. As I’m typing this, it’s discounted to about $65. Check current pricing on:
Key Specs
- Available in grey or black
- Full bench-width coverage
- Mesh window on front side
- Detachable front-side panel
- Detachable door-side panels
- Storage pocket
- Machine Washable
Best Uses
This cover protects the second-row bench seat of large to medium-sized vehicles. It’s good for people who want both comprehensive surface coverage but also the flexibility to remove it in parts as animal behavior changes or when you need to put people on the back bench instead of pets.
That removable front section, which comes off with a zipper, also means this is a rare hammock-style dog seat cover that could also work in the third row of seats in a large SUV or minivan. Ingress and egress would be a little less graceful, but you could somewhat easily access the bench from the front with this rather than just the sides.
It stays in place in transit well, even if you don’t bother with the door-side straps (I often didn’t during testing). Some seat covers have more intense anchoring systems than this one, but we didn’t have any real cover-slippage during our test rides.
What it’s not for: Impact protection—you still need to tether your dog with a seatbelt system to keep them safe in an accident. Also note that this is not the “hard-bottom” style seat cover, it’s just soft material.
High Points
- Modular flexibility—you can zip the front half on or off, making it easy to switch between dog- or person-hauling mode without actually removing the main part of the cover.
- The little storage pocket fits a leash, a collapsible water bowl, and poop bags if you don’t have another spot for those standard dog accessories.
- Side panels flop down when you open the door, protecting your seat-bolster area from claw marks.
- No logos or emblems make for a classy design.
- Door protectors attach with straps, not adhesive, which I really like—less marring of your interior.
- Velcro access ports for seat belts (yes, ideally, your dog should have a seatbelt).
Weak Spots
- Material and general build quality are fine, but not exceptionally impressive. It’s not ugly, it’s just not up to the standard of highline vehicle interiors.
- Plastic retention clips are the minimum viable version—they work, but I wouldn’t count on them tolerating aggressive tugging.
Verdict
The 3W Liners dog cover has good functionality with acceptable execution. The materials and straps aren’t quite artful enough to really look at home in a BMW or Mercedes-Benz, but I suspect few owners will notice or care. Ultimately, for the functionality you get, it’s a good buy at the $90 list price and a great deal at sale pricing.
Check Pricing on 3W Liner’s official site if you want to give it a try. Word to the wise: If it’s not actively on sale on 3W Liners’ site, wait until the next holiday, and I bet you’ll see a 20-30% discount.
Alternatives
There are so many dog seat covers on the market—I barely know where to begin. Having tested many of them, I think you’d be hard-pressed to get a better bang-for-your-buck than this when it’s on sale.
The absolute cheapest dog-seat cover I’m comfortable recommending is the $40 Dickies Repreve. Surface coverage is adequate on medium-sized to smaller vehicles, material quality is surprisingly robust, but you don’t get any fancy features, front seatback protection, or side door protection. If your dog’s pretty well-behaved and your car’s not too big, that’s a solid pick.
Any other products we should look into? Send me a note at andrew.collins@thedrive.com.