Heated seats and air-con help keep us comfortable at the wheel, but they are bad news for leather upholstery. Hide trim is becoming increasingly popular, and although a weathered look adds character to a classic model, it has the opposite effect on a three-year-old hatch.

Come selling time, grubby, cracked hide can deter buyers, and raise fears about exactly how well the rest of the car has been looked after.

As leather is a natural product, it needs conditioning as well as cleaning to replace the essential oils within the material that are lost through heating.
Traditionally, this used to be a two-step process, but an increasing number of products on the market combine the two. So which treatment will leave no place for grime and cracks to hide?

Leather cleaners have to strike a difficult balance. They need to shift grime, but without harsh chemicals. We used each product to tackle a dirty interior, and drew a line of ink on the trim to test cleaning power. Points were given for conditioning ingredients, and for products that could be applied accurately over small areas. Value for money was also a consideration.

Verdict

Powerful, leather-friendly cleaning was what the Simoniz Leather Care Cream provided, and the fact it also conditioned sealed its place as our Best Buy.

Armor All’s Leather Care Gel follows closely behind, thanks to excellent
all-round performance and an easy-to-use gel consistency. Turtle Wax takes the final place on our podium. Although its Platinum Series Essential Cleaner & Conditioner is an excellent product, it’s not the easiest to apply.

Top 3

1. Simoniz Leather Care Cream
2. Armor All Leather Care Gel
3. Turtle Wax Platinum Series Essential Leather Cleaner & Conditioner