Five cars that offer vegan-friendly or sustainable interiors

With sustainability in mind, now more than ever, there has never been so much choice when it comes to vegan and sustainable materials in car interiors. Some manufacturers may not even offer an alternative.

If you're searching for ways to make a difference in all aspects of your life, for example looking at sustainable, planet-friendly, and cruelty-free materials, the selection of your next car is one of many ways you can make an impact. Whether it is choosing a micro-suede Alcantara material steering wheel or optioning for synthetic leather upholstery, the choices are almost endless.

Here are five cars that offer vegan-friendly and sustainable interiors, some of which you might have not expected.

BMW has continued their commitment to sustainability which extends past the manufacturing process and the materials they choose to use in their vehicles. They also consider the development, production, life (i.e., when you own the car) and then afterlife, recycling.

One of the most vegan and sustainable cars that you can purchase is the electric BMW i3, which has cemented itself as a world leader for its sustainable practices and materials and innovations over the years.

In fact, the BMW i3 is so sustainable to the point that up to 95% of the BMW i3 is recyclable. This means that once it is at the end of its life, you can rest easy knowing that most of your vehicle will not be added to landfill.

Depending on the different interior design packages you select, you can pick and choose which elements you want, so if you want to avoid a leather steering wheel you can opt for that to be swapped out.

Sustainable materials in the BMW i3 include 30% kenaf (substituting petroleum-based plastics), 40% pure new wool (available in The Lodge interior design package), interior trim in Eucalyptus (sourced from 100% Forest Stewardship Council-certified forestry) and 100% olive-leaf-tanned leather (which is usually a wasted by-product of olive farming).

Tesla has been utilising vegan (synthetic) and cloth interiors since 2016, even removing leather as an option from the Tesla Model S in 2017. Their newest model addition, the all-electric Tesla Model 3, is no exception.

In fact, when it comes to the Tesla Model 3, regardless of which version you choose (Standard Plus, Long Range AWD and Performance), you only get two options for the interior: black and white or all black vegan leather.

The all-vegan interior boasts comfort ‘softer than leather’ and is a much more sustainable material compared to traditional materials, as well as being durable and stain-resistant. They do not offer any animal-derived alternatives, making the Tesla Model 3 100 per cent leather-free (even including the steering wheel).

Tesla also offers battery recycling to their customers once their car's battery pack reaches the end of its life.

The all-electric Porsche Taycan is the first Porsche to offer a leather-free interior. Leading the charge with sustainability in mind, the Porsche Taycan features a fully leather-free interior using a material called ‘Race-Tex’.

The vegan material is sustainably sourced and cuts carbon emissions by 80 per cent. Like many sustainable materials offered in vehicles, it is cheaper to make and better to recycle. This is due to it being made from recycled polyester.

In addition to high-quality Race-Tex material, the carpet and floor mats are made from a recyclable fibre material called Econyl. Some of the recyclable material Econyl is made from include recycled fishing nets. How cool is that?!

However, if you are not ready to go all-out with the leather-free interior, another option is sustainable tanner leather (like the BMW i3), which utilises olive leaves in the leather tanning process.

Back in 2018 Land Rover first kicked off their new Range Rover Evoque with efficient petrol and diesel powertrain options paired with Land Rover’s first ever mild hybrid powertrain with the aim to lower CO2 emissions and improve fuel economy.

You now also have the choice of the new Plug-In Hybrid (PHEV) too for further CO2 emission reductions. 

In addition to these updates, Land Rover has also introduced sustainable interior options and alternatives to leather, which had previously been available in the all-new Range Rover Velar.

Land Rover has made a commitment to sustainability and carbon-neutral manufacturing, with the Range Rover Evoque containing 33 per cent recycled materials (including plastics, natural fabrics, and post-industrial sourced materials).

For vegan-friendly upholstery options, there is a leather-like performance material, faux-suede and a Eucalyptus textile. For a less-vegan friendly but sustainable alternative, Kvadrat, a high-quality material that combines wool blend and synthetic suede material, is made from 53 per cent plastic bottles.

The Range Rover Evoque is said to be made of up to 33kg of natural and recyclable material.

Lewis Hamilton seems to think that vegan materials are the way of the future, and it seems fitting that the Mercedes-Benz ambassador is giving us his inside scoop.

These days we have come to expect that electric vehicles have sustainable and vegan materials because 1) that is what we have become accustomed to thanks to the likes of Tesla and, 2) it makes sense for the brand’s ethos.

Although the Mercedes-Benz A-Class (like the Range Rover Evoque) is not fully electric, they do still offer some vegan materials for the interior.

Depending on the A-Class model you can opt for ‘Artico leather’ seats (not to be confused with animal-derived leather), which is a vinyl-based leather material made to look and feel like the real thing. As a bonus, it is also a cheaper option for both the buyer and the manufacturer.

Although this is a great start in the A-Class, you may not be able to replace the steering wheel or gear lever leather with Artico, which is important to keep in mind.

Would you consider vegan materials in your car (if you had the choice)? Why or why not? Let us know in the comments below!

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