I get this question a lot from visitors to www.LeatherHideStore.com so let me give you the short version. Additives are included in the tanning and finishing process that give automotive leather a higher UV protection than regular upholstery leather. Also, these additives help make automotive leather more durable in extreme temperatures.
That said, a lot of folks redoing classic / vintage cars often use upholstery leather. Why? Well many folks want the authentic look and feel of fine upholstery leather. This is hard to find in automotive leather which is typically pigmented (painted) and has a harder finish. A second reason is cost - discount automotive leather is hard to find.
We recommend that anyone who buys upholstery leather for this purpose apply a protectorant to give the leather more UV protection (if the car is always under roof don’t bother) While we do not endorse any product, we have heard good things about Blackfire Hi-UV brand leather conditioner. In fact, we will be testing Blackfire later this month under a UV light to see if its claims hold up.
Finally, we have noticed that some car upholstery shops use regular leather instead of automotive leather on their jobs. You should make certain that you car upholsterer is using the type of leather you want and have paid for!
