Electric seats - worth extra cost?

Honest John Back Room » Motoring discussion
What is life like with your car? Let us know and win £500 in John Lewis vouchers | No thanks
View Threaded
Sat 11 Jun 2022 17:27
Electric seats - worth extra cost? - movilogo

I have never owned any car with electric seats. Typically electric seats are offered in higher trims which costs extra £££.

I am wondering whether they are worth paying for - especially when no else drives my car?

I can see the advantage for them when multiple people driving it but in my case once I manually set seat position I don't need to change it again unless someone drives e.g. during servicing, repair etc.

Do electric seats provide more comfort compared to manual seats in same car but lower trim level?

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sat 11 Jun 2022 17:33
Electric seats - worth extra cost? - badbusdriver

In theory, an electric seat should provide no more comfort. The seat itself is, after all the same, just the means to move it. But it may be the case that an electric seat offers a greater range of adjustment re height and angles of both cushion and backrest. Also, possibly more fine tuning through smaller movements. This could result in a more comfortable driving position.

I've driven plenty of cars over the years with electric seats, nice to have, but I wouldn't pay extra for it.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Mon 20 Jun 2022 17:38
Electric seats - worth extra cost? - Heidfirst

In theory, an electric seat should provide no more comfort. The seat itself is, after all the same, just the means to move it. But it may be the case that an electric seat offers a greater range of adjustment re height and angles of both cushion and backrest. Also, possibly more fine tuning through smaller movements. This could result in a more comfortable driving position.

Or potentially less. My Avensis T-Spirit had a lovely, adjustable, comfortable leather electric driver's seat but the backrest couldn't recline fully flat like the cheaper trims could.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sat 11 Jun 2022 17:40
Electric seats - worth extra cost? - sammy1

In the second hand market it makes little difference to what you are buying as the overall car. If you are the only driver they are pointless but if you want other features they often come as overall packages. No they are not more comfortable by merely being electric though you do tend to get a different seat for example M sport in BMWs and anything top of range

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sat 11 Jun 2022 18:04
Electric seats - worth extra cost? - RT

Do electric seats provide more comfort compared to manual seats in same car but lower trim level?

They can do - no-one ever drives my car but me so the electric adjustment is never used since the initial set-up but by all accounts on internet forums, the upgraded seats with electric adjustment are more comfortable than the basic seats.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sat 11 Jun 2022 19:22
Electric seats - worth extra cost? - Alby Back
My wife and I do regular long trips together and we mostly use my car. She is 8” shorter then me so needs the driving seat in a very different position. Memory seats and mirrors make transitions between drivers a lot less hassle. Well worth any extra cost in my view. No faffing about trying to get the seat etc back where we both like it.
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sat 11 Jun 2022 20:23
Electric seats - worth extra cost? - Xileno

I completely agree, a real boon if there is more than one driver. Personally I wouldn't bother with electric seats as apart for the garage that services it I don't think another backside has ever been behind the wheel of my car in over fourteen years. If buying new then I might think a bit deeper as it may impact desirability when selling?

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sun 12 Jun 2022 08:13
Electric seats - worth extra cost? - Falkirk Bairn

I have electric seats and very occasionally do I ever use the adjustments - sometimes on a longer journey of 2/3 hours but nowadays most of my journeys are under 30 minutes.

Sole driver - so the seat rarely moves - exception when I get the car back from a garage service / new tyres etc - really annoying as they have not only changed the seat BUT the mirrors, switched off the reversing beepers and even the radio settings!

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sun 12 Jun 2022 09:32
Electric seats - worth extra cost? - John F

It depends how 'electric' it is. Not if it just powers to and fro and /or up and down, and certainly not for mainly short journeys. I am fortunate in having 'comfort seats' in my erstwhile flagship Audi which is full of electric motors contorting all the seat components into an infinite variety of positions. I have no idea how much they cost initially, but when new the W12 was £12K more than the next model down (the relatively puny and uncomfortable V8 ;-)

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sun 12 Jun 2022 09:54
Electric seats - worth extra cost? - badbusdriver

As an aside, I once decided it would be a good idea to remove the seats on a BMW 750 I was valeting in order to make it easier to clean the very dirty carpets. They were massively heavy and on reflection, I should have left them in place!. Not sure exactly how many motors were in the seat, but in addition to the usual electric adjustments, the cushion had an extendable section at the front which was electric, as was (I think) the headrest!.

Thinking back, those in the SAAB 9000 CS Aero would probably have to be the best seats I ever sat in, but perhaps unexpectedly, the seats in the Daihatsu Sirion we had in 2008 were excellent.

My Dad once had a very obscure steed, a DAF 55. This was not a truck, but a small Dutch saloon car, best known for the 'Variomatic' (CVT) transmission. Anyway, Dad was so impressed by the comfort of its seats, when it died he actually transferred them into our next car, a Ford Escort MK2 estate, and then the next, a Hillman Hunter. The DAF seats were only left behind when he bought a Ford Granada!

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Wed 22 Jun 2022 00:15
Electric seats - worth extra cost? - Crickleymal

I have electric seats and very occasionally do I ever use the adjustments - sometimes on a longer journey of 2/3 hours but nowadays most of my journeys are under 30 minutes.

Sole driver - so the seat rarely moves - exception when I get the car back from a garage service / new tyres etc - really annoying as they have not only changed the seat BUT the mirrors, switched off the reversing beepers and even the radio settings!

I hate it when the garage faffs around with my settings. I don't mind the seat position or the mirror as they have to drive it safely if they're test driving it. But why muck around with my radio?

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Mon 20 Jun 2022 16:37
Electric seats - worth extra cost? - Grenache

Electric seats are more faff if you are unfamiliar with the car.

I hired one recently, pick-up in a dimly-lit multistorey car park. Took a few minutes to realise there was no mechanical level for altering the seat - then I found the button, but it would not work until the ignition was on.

The previous driver must have been 7-foot-12, whereas I'm 5-foot-not-a-lot, and so how difficult it was pressing the brake pedal to start the engine perched on the very edge of the seat!

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Mon 20 Jun 2022 19:44
Electric seats - worth extra cost? - Wee Willie Winkie

My Tesla Model 3 has electric seats. They have a feature called 'Easy Entry' which is linked to taking the seatbelt off, the seat will then move to a position (set by me) that makes it far easier to exit the car. On getting in, once I've punched in my 'pin to drive', the seat returns to my normal driving position.

I think that's quite a nifty feature.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Mon 20 Jun 2022 22:38
Electric seats - worth extra cost? - focussed

My Tesla Model 3 has electric seats. They have a feature called 'Easy Entry' which is linked to taking the seatbelt off, the seat will then move to a position (set by me) that makes it far easier to exit the car. On getting in, once I've punched in my 'pin to drive', the seat returns to my normal driving position.

I think that's quite a nifty feature.

That is more or less how I use the electric seats in our 2015 Honda Accord.

Preset 1 is driving position, and preset 2 is all the way back is getting in and out position.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Mon 20 Jun 2022 23:48
Electric seats - worth extra cost? - Ethan Edwards

My Mokka-e does not have electric seats and as the only driver, don't need it. But it does have a massage option. Again tbh not used. Nor do I use the advanced parking assistance. Which is essentially auto parking.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Wed 22 Jun 2022 15:06
Electric seats - worth extra cost? - movilogo

so how difficult it was pressing the brake pedal to start the engine perched on the very edge of the seat

That's odd. Most cars I used with electric seats, adjustment worked even without key on ignition (even with non-keyless entry cars).

My current car has manual seat adjustment but lumber support is electric. It works without ignition switched on.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sun 26 Jun 2022 10:17
Electric seats - worth extra cost? - Grenache

so how difficult it was pressing the brake pedal to start the engine perched on the very edge of the seat

That's odd. Most cars I used with electric seats, adjustment worked even without key on ignition (even with non-keyless entry cars).

In my case, the hire car was parking in a dimly-lit multi-storey car park, with not a lot of room to even open the doors, so I had to move it forward to get room to open the door wide enough to fumble around and find the switch :(

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sun 26 Jun 2022 11:33
Electric seats - worth extra cost? - FoxyJukebox
Electric seats? Something else to go wrong?
Reply | Report as offensive | Link