Early August might seem like a silly time to think about rubber floor mats, even in my home state of Michigan. But late summer can be an ideal time to start ordering what you’ll need for snowy weather driving. Later in the fall, when the impending doom of winter is close at hand, stocks of necessities such as popular winter tire sizes and snow-stopping floor coverings can drop, with order times slowing as a result. Better to be ahead of the “OMG, we’re getting how much snow?” curve than behind it.
Over the next month, you’re going to see a bunch of rubber-mat reviews here in Guides & Gear, covering some original accessories from automakers, in addition to the many excellent aftermarket options. To that end, I borrowed a 2021 Volvo V90 Cross Country fitted with Volvo’s own rubber floor mats and luggage compartment mat to see how they stacked up in this crowded product category.
Before we stepped a single muddy foot inside the V90’s elegant cabin, we were impressed by the potential for value here. Volvo dealers ask $126.81 (at the time of writing) for a set of front and rear rubber mats, which usefully undercuts top-tier competitors such as WeatherTech ($212.90 right now at Home Depot for front and rear).
Pricing is premium, meanwhile, for Volvo’s high-sided luggage compartment liner, at $220.96. However, Volvo also sells a more basic rubber mat with shorter sides, for $135.33, which is comparable in price and function to a similar WeatherTech product at $119.95. We didn’t test the cheaper of those two OEM luggage area mats, but it’s good to know there are options to fit more- or less-muddy lifestyles.
The Good
Aftermarket mat makers go to extensive lengths in marketing efforts to explain that, yes, these floor mats will fit in your car. WeatherTech is famous for its “laser measured” products, for instance, but it’s hardly the only outfit with that boast. This is a place where an OEM doesn’t have to brag. Volvo engineered the car in the first place. Of course, the mats fit.
These soft, rubberized plastic mats are held in place by the factory posts, as you’d expect, and the fit is very snug and secure. I pulled each of the floor mats on and off a few times, to wipe them down and to see how difficult they’d be to install, and I was impressed with the Lego-like snap back onto the post. What’s more, though perhaps slightly shallower than some available aftermarket floor liners, the edges of these mats seamlessly follow the contours of the footwell.
As the parent of an infant and a toddler, I also appreciate that Volvo’s rear mat set includes a cover for the transmission tunnel that is firmly held down by each of the footwell mats. Kids (and pets and, let’s be honest, even most adults) have an amazing skill at spilling liquids precisely at any narrowly exposed portion of stainable surface, so the more coverage the better.
Finally, the rear cargo floor cover—which is constructed of a harder plastic than the floor mats—has high sides that should protect your V90’s load space more completely from the sharp corners of boxes, strollers, pet carriers, and whatnot. As we mentioned up top, it’s a bit expensive. But it might be worth the money; you can see the scrapes and abuse that my test unit has already been protected from just by glancing at the photos. You can also see how easy it is to access, by way of the the auto-retracting cargo cover in this quick video.
The Bad
While I love the look and feel of Volvo’s soft-touch matte finish on these mats, in practice, they might hold onto dirt more than a slicker surface. The driver’s floor mat, in particular, looks natty with its heel rest made of cabin-matching carpet, but in the muddy Michigan spring, I’m afraid I’d have to remove and wash it frequently to keep it from clogging up with dirt.
The Volvo mats did clean up nicely with just a bit of water, but because the soft surface holds onto dry dirt/dust and fuzzies pretty well, I had a hard time getting that “showroom fresh” look, as you can see from the photos. Some folks might like the grippier surface, even if it never looks truly clean, but neat-freak Volvo owners should take note.
The only other real downside might be for drivers who regularly track a large amount of snow or water into the car with them. The Volvo mats don’t have the same kind of deep channels you see on some WeatherTech products, meaning water has an easier ability to slosh around and, in theory, get under the mat completely. Still, for the kind of suburban service I’d expect from a $50,000-plus luxury wagon, most users will be OK.
I called my local Volvo dealer and found that the mats and cargo cover (in charcoal) could be ordered in two business days. But the parts department rep said that if the warehouse is out of stock, the wait can get longer. Don’t wait if you don’t have to. Two days is comparable to aftermarket delivery timing, which is great, but buying through your dealer is rarely going to be as simple as ordering on Amazon.