When my Model YL was delivered, I had already ordered floor mats plus Model YL seat covers from AliExpress in the same shopping run.
We have kids riding in the back, so keeping the seats themselves clean was the whole point. They climb in straight from playing outside, so something had to go over the upholstery.
I found a set listed as made for the six-seat Model YL, ordered it before delivery, then used it for about two months. Here is what it cost me, plus how it has held up.
If you want the floor mat story first, I wrote that one up here: Model YL floor mats from AliExpress.
What Model YL seat covers cost me on AliExpress
Let me get the money out of the way first. I did not think too hard about the budget when ordering, so the total came in higher than I pictured.
The seat covers: ¥22,174 (approx. $148) across two orders
I ended up ordering the covers in two batches, ¥22,174 (approx. $148) in total. The first order was ¥12,828 (approx. $86), the second ¥9,346 (approx. $62).
The first order broke down like this: two front seat covers at ¥4,906, two second-row covers at ¥4,519, one third-row bottom cover at ¥4,882. A ¥1,479 discount came off, then shipping was ¥1. Yes, one yen. Very AliExpress.
The second order arrived late, so the seller refunded a small amount as compensation. I was not in a hurry, so no real harm done, though I do wish I had ordered everything at once.
I usually think of AliExpress interior parts as a few dollars to maybe twenty, so crossing ¥20,000 made me pause. Split across five seats it works out to roughly $30 per seat, which starts to feel reasonable again.
The armrest cover: ¥1,894 (approx. $13)
The cover that slips over the second-row armrest came from a different shop, at ¥1,894 (approx. $13). List price was ¥2,113 before the discount.
It is silicone, sold as a pair for the left plus right side.
Add that to the seat covers, and the whole thing came to ¥24,068 (approx. $160). By our standards, that is a big single AliExpress purchase.
The exact sets I used
I picked a set explicitly listed for the six-seat Model YL.
The armrest cover is this one.
Neither one needs tools. You hook the cover over the seat, then tuck the edges into the gaps.
Five pieces covered the front row through the third row
Our Model YL is the six-seat layout: two front seats, two captain’s chairs in the second row, two seats in the third row. If you are comparing layouts, the official Tesla Model Y page lays out the seating options.
The Model YL seat covers I bought were two front covers, two second-row covers, plus a bottom cover for the third row. There was no backrest cover offered for the third row, only the seat bottom.
Driver seat plus passenger seat
Starting up front.
It is one piece running from the backrest down over the cushion.
The color is a grey close to the factory interior, with fine perforations across the whole surface. At a glance you cannot really tell a cover is on there.
The stitching follows the seat shape, so the fit right after installing is genuinely good.
Second row
The second row uses the same shape of cover.
These are captain’s chairs, close enough in shape to the front seats that they went on without a fight.
The second row is where our car gets dirtiest, so protecting these was the main reason for the whole purchase.
Third row: bottom cover only
For the third row, only the seat bottom cover was in the box.
There is a cutout so the center seatbelt buckle can poke through.
Up close you can see the perforation pattern clearly. Our third row lives folded flat most of the time, so I could probably have skipped this piece, though the matching look is nice.
Silicone over the second-row armrest
The armrest cover was a separate purchase from the seat covers.
Opening the package, there were two black silicone pieces inside.
Armrests take a lot of rubbing from elbows, so the plan was to protect that one spot with a tougher material.
It just slips on, no slipping out of place so far.
Black stands out a little against the interior, but I stopped worrying about marks on the armrest, so I am happy.
Two months in: the good, the annoying
The look right after installing the Model YL seat covers was flawless. Living with the covers turned up one clear win plus one clear gripe.
Seat ventilation still works through the perforations
Seat ventilation was my biggest worry.
I assumed that draping anything over the seat would choke off the airflow completely.
It did not. Thanks to the perforations, the ventilated seats still blow through just fine. Sitting down in summer, cool air comes through as before, which was a real relief.
I am glad I picked the perforated version.
The tuck-in design shifts more than I expected
Here is the gripe.
The covers tuck into the seat gaps to stay put, but they come loose more easily than I hoped.
The seats our kids use are the worst offenders. Almost every time they get out, the cover has shifted. Getting in or out tugs on the fabric, I assume.
A quick pull puts everything back, so it is not fatal, but this is not a fit-it-once-then-forget-it product.
Stronger straps or clips would fix it.
Wrapping up
That is two months with Model YL seat covers bought on AliExpress.
- ¥22,174 for the seat covers across two orders, plus ¥1,894 for the armrest cover, for a total of ¥24,068 (approx. $160)
- Cut for the six-seat layout, so the front row, second row, plus third-row bottom all fit properly
- Perforations keep the seat ventilation working
- The tuck-in design shifts around on seats that get used a lot
Not cheap, but being able to let the kids use the seats without wincing is worth a lot.
More interior bits I have tried in the Model YL: the center console organizer plus the suede console sticker.
This article is also available in Japanese.
