How do I measure my car for a cover?

Steps

1. Park on level ground with the doors and boot closed and the wheels straight. Retract any powered aerial and, if possible, unscrew a whip aerial.
2. Take the tape from the most forward point of the front bumper along the kerbside line to the most rearward point of the rear bumper. Read the number in millimetres. If a tow bar or bike rack is fitted, measure to the end of that instead.
3. Look at the boot. If there is a factory or aftermarket spoiler that projects rearward, run the tape from the rearmost tip of the spoiler back to the bumper and add that figure to your base length.
4. Measure the vehicle's width across the widest point, usually at the door mirrors folded in, in millimetres.
5. Measure the height from the ground to the highest point. If roof rails or a roof box are fitted, that is the highest point. If the cover you want is not designed to go over roof rails, note their height separately so you can decide whether to remove them.

What you need

• A tape measure at least 5 metres long, ideally with a lock button.
• A second pair of hands, or a small weight to pin the tape at the front bumper.
• The owner's handbook to confirm mirror-folded width if you cannot fold them manually.
• A note of any fitted extras: tow bar, bike rack, roof box, shark fin, whip aerial.

Common mistakes

• Using the brochure length. Brochure length is the homologated overall dimension and ignores tow bars, bike racks, dealer-fit spoilers and country-specific number plate protrusions.
• Ignoring the aerial. A whip aerial tents the fabric and wears a hole in the cover at that exact point within a season of use.
• Rounding down for universal-fit covers. Universal covers are sold in size bands, and rounding down means the cover is stretched taut over the rear, which strains the elasticated hem and lets wind lift the rear off the boot.

Frequently asked questions

Do I measure the car or use the manufacturer's quoted length?

Measure the car. Manufacturer length figures are usually the homologated overall dimension and often ignore aftermarket tow bars, bike racks, protruding number plates and dealer-fit spoilers. A tape measure along the kerb gives the real number that the cover has to enclose.

How much extra length should I add for a rear spoiler?

For a small lip spoiler, add 30 to 50 mm. For a boot-lid wing on a hot hatch or a saloon boot spoiler, add 80 to 150 mm. Measure from the very rear point of the spoiler back to the rear bumper and add that to the base length. A cover cut short at the rear rides up over the boot in wind.

What about the aerial?

A short shark-fin aerial usually fits under a fitted cover without issue. A traditional whip aerial does not; either unscrew it before covering, choose a cover with a reinforced aerial pocket, or accept that the cover fabric will tent up around it and wear at that point.

Semi-custom, universal or fully custom, how does length interact with fit?

Universal covers come in size bands, usually in 250 mm steps, and you round up to the next band. Semi-custom covers are cut to a specific vehicle silhouette and quote a single tolerance. Fully custom covers ask for your measured length, width and height directly. In every case the length you supply should be the measured figure with spoiler and tow bar included, not the brochure figure.