I like protecting my vehicles and with most Teslas – outside of our Foundation Series (sorry, Non-FS buyers) coming with some basic OEM mats I was fortunate enough to win a contest from forum sponsor @3W Auto Life to test some of their latest mats in my new-to-me, used, Model Y Performance. As it was a warm and sunny day yesterday here in Central NJ, I figured the time was right, so here goes my review.
Disclosure: I did not purchase the mats, to be clear they were provided as a contest prize. As a fellow small business owner I’m providing this honest review of my own volition and it was not a condition for prize acceptance.
Typically, my go-to mats on any vehicle start with WeatherTech, but this time around on the Model Y I had gone with a set of 3D Maxpider Kagu mats – shown below. Why didn’t I go with the Tesla OEM mats like I have in the Cybertruck and my prior Model S? Honestly, they feel pretty plasticky and lower quality than they should be. As a driver, my heel tends to slide a bit on Tesla all weather mats and I prefer a bit more traction. So why the Maxpiders? There are a lot of Youtube reviews which I’ve learned now through experience aren’t entirely on the level. I found the 3D Maxpiders to be pretty flimsy and while the texturing is a cool design idea and traps dust okay (it hasn’t rained here in 20+ days) I think they look better on camera than they actually function. YMMV
So how about those 3Wliners mats? First off, the box they come in is incredible. Yes, the box.
Why is the box noteworthy? It’s got a built-in handle! So simple, but something I’ve never seen on any other box of floor mats I’ve ever purchased – and there have been a lot of them. So picking these up and dropping them in my garage was a cinch. Pop open the box and you’re presented with carefully packaged and wrapped mats in plastic wrappers. So clutch to protect them from dust and dirt during shipping as sometimes these larger boxes can be delivered with rips and tears (none on this box, to be clear). The last thing I want to do is waste time cleaning a new set of mats, not necessary in this case.
Now, I should have left them out in the sun for a few hours before installation, but time was ticking and my oldest needed to get back to college after his fall break, so on to the install!
Starting at the rear, I was replacing this Tesla OEM textile mat. I liked the idea of it, and it has a thin rubber backing, but it slides all over the place. Tough to tell here, but this had shifted 1-2″ toward the tailgate. It’s not holding in place and therefore not protecting the top-edge nearest the seats and eventually going to fray getting stuck when the trunklid closes. What a waste.
So how about the 3Wliners mat? It’s a perfect fit – arguably a much better fit than the Tesla OEM mat. In addition it has lips around the edges, including the part near the rear seat-back, that help protect the trunk carpet and hold it in place.
Again, I did not let it sit in the sun for a bit first, which I should have, but I have no doubt that based on my initial fitment that it will lay flat and, as opposed to the Tesla OEM mat, actually stay in place. Oh, and let’s not forget about that sub-trunk mat, also a perfect fit.
Moving up to the driver’s side, you’ll notice something quite unique about these mats – it’s actually two sets in one. I like the all-weather liners in my vehicles because they are easy to remove, wash or vacuum and replace. BUT I prefer to drive with carpeted mats for better foot padding/comfort. Previously, I had to pick one or the other. Until now.
These 3Wliners mats are actually two sets in one. The carpeted mats snap in to the all-weather mats providing the best of both worlds – protection and comfort. Few details that I especially appreciate are related the moldings at the edges, here is looking towards the edge under the driver’s seat. See how the mats are cut around the podium seat supports and even run over the lip under the seat to catch stray french fries? That’s a thoughtful touch as are the roughly 1/2″ raised edges for protection in the wet and slushy weather that lies ahead. Another nice detail is the extra padding for the heel on your right foot (picture left). It’s enough to be noticeable without being obstructive.
Did I mention great dead pedal coverage? I just did. Many floor mats get chintzy by not running all the way up the dead pedal or not having raised molding at the edges to keep the junk down and into the mat – these have carried the raised lip all the way around, even under the pedals. Nice.
The front passenger side is a similar thoughtful design with snap-in carpets. Fitment is really dead-on.
What I noticed here is the ridges in the bottom of the frunk mat before I even installed it. In practice, these slot in between the ridges in the frunk itself providing incredible stability. They don’t move around at all.
So what didn’t I cover yet? In my 20-30 minutes of installing and taking picture I noticed something unexpected. No offgassing! These have no smell at all – woo hoo! My wife is very, very sensitive to smells and really dislikes the rubbery platiscky smell of most new mats – I often have to leave them sitting in my garage for a week before she’ll let me put them in the car. In this case, it’s really smell free, which was a very unexpected positive surprise.
The other thing that’s difficult to glean from pictures is that these feel like the strength and durability of rubber mats (again, without the odor) but are much lighter weight yet thicker and more solid than typical OEM, 3D Maxpider or Weathertech mats. Really just a nice balance of heft, design and what should be great durability. I’m looking forward to putting these through some hard use.
Finally, they did come with instructions and a safety information card, both good reminders on fitment and regularly testing your mats to make sure they aren’t moving or shifting in a way that impedes vehicle function.
Now, i do have a critique, but it’s not of these mats. I wish Tesla had OEM ‘button’ points build into the vehicles so mats could firmly, and securely, snap in place to prevent movement. BMW has them. Porsche has them. Audi has them. Land Rover? Not so much that I’ve found.
I’m eagerly awaiting the Cybertruck version of these mats which I suspect will be a great alternative to the Tesla mats for non-FS buyers.
While most floor mat companies seem to spend their money – which is really your money if you purchase – on marketing my first impressions of these 3Wliners dual-threat mats are that they really hit this out of the park. If you can ignore the marketing hype and want a great set of mats I’d recommend checking out @3W Auto Life I know I will the next time I’m mat shopping!
Post time: Jun-06-2025