Reupholstery quotes shock people — seats feel like they should cost furniture money, and instead they cost holiday money. Here are the real numbers, what drives them, and the honest decision tree between the trim shop and a much cheaper path.
The numbers
- Single seat, fabric: €250–600 at an independent trim shop, depending on damage and material.
- Single seat, leather: €500–1,200 — hides are expensive and the labor is skilled.
- Both front seats: €600–1,500 fabric, €1,000–2,500 leather.
- Full interior: €2,000–6,000+, into five figures for classics and customs.
- Foam repairs add: €100–300 per seat — collapsed bolsters mean the padding, not just the fabric.
Why so much? It's bespoke tailoring: stripping the seat, patterning, cutting, sewing and re-fitting around airbags and heaters — a day-plus of skilled labor per seat.
When reupholstery is the right call
Classic and collector cars where originality is the value; torn structure (collapsed foam, broken frames — a cover can't fix geometry); and cars you'll keep a decade where the interior is otherwise mint. For a proper restoration workflow, our project car guide maps the order of operations.
The 95%-cheaper path
If the problem is surface — stains, fading, thinning fabric, small tears — a universal seat cover solves the visible and tactile problem for about €50: over the seat in a minute (guide), waterproof against the next accident, and washable forever after (routine). It's also the correct sequence: cover now, reupholster only if you later confirm the car deserves it — nobody regrets spending €50 before €1,500, and plenty regret the reverse. The full logic: 5 real options for old seats and the honest worth-it breakdown.
