Best outdoor furniture covers for winter: plan ahead now

The best outdoor furniture covers for winter; beat the bad weather and protect your garden furniture from rain, frost and snow

A circular wooden outdoor dining table and five dining chairs on a patio terrace
(Image credit: John Lewis & Partners)

The best outdoor furniture covers will protect your patio set from the elements, so it pays to plan ahead and shop early so that you're ready for any bad weather. 

Whether you're looking to keep the rain off an outdoor corner sofa, protect a garden dining table and chairs from the frost or cover up a bistro set before the snow, if you don't have a shed or garage big enough to store your outdoor furniture set over the winter then a waterproof yet breathable cover will help to protect your investment and prolong the life of your garden furniture. 

It can often be worth buying a cover at the time you purchase your outdoor furniture, as the retailer you buy your seating or table from may have a bespoke cover designed to fit your furniture perfectly, but if not, we've rounded up the best garden furniture covers for a generic fit.

Of course, if you're super organised and are researching covers before committing to an outdoor seating purchase, our best garden furniture buying guide can give you some shopping inspiration. But if you've already bought your alfresco set-up and now want to ensure it stays looking pristine, read on to find the best outdoor furniture covers on the Gardeningetc team's radar. 

The best outdoor furniture covers

Why you can trust Gardeningetc Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about how we test.

A black rectangular outdoor furniture cover

(Image credit: Dokon)

1. Dokon Garden Furniture Cover with Air Vent

Best heavy-duty outdoor furniture cover: perfect for garden dining sets and corner sofa sets

Specifications

Best for: Rectangular garden tables and chairs
Size: Wide selection
Material: 600D polyester with a water-resistant PVC lining
Colour: Black

Reasons to buy

+
Wide range of useful sizes
+
600D polyester with a water-resistant PVC lining
+
Air vents to prevent wind lofting and mildew
+
UV-resistant
+
Fade-resistant
+
Four robust straps and 'click' closures at base to secure
+
Mesh vents can be used as handles

Reasons to avoid

-
Your garden furniture needs legs to be able to secure

A wide range of size options makes Dokon's garden furniture covers a versatile solution for any number of outdoor furniture set-ups. This rectangular version alone comes in nine different sizes, so you're highly likely to find a good fit for you.

Perfect for shielding a garden dining table and chairs, or a wide garden sofa or chaise, the protective cover is made from heavy-duty black waterproof fabric, that promises to be UV, fade and tear-resistant too. The robust outer shell also features mesh-covered air vents to prevent wind lofting and allow air circulation to reduce the risk of mould or mildew formation - and handily the vents can double up as handles to make lifting your cover on that bit easier.

If your garden furniture set has legs, then this option also features one of the best means to secure the cover that we've seen, with four straps at the base and click-clack closures to attach the cover to the furniture to keep it locked into place.

A grey polyester outdoor furniture cover big enough for a corner sofa set

(Image credit: VonHaus)

2. VonHaus Furniture Set Cover

Best elasticated outdoor furniture cover: great for corner sofa sets without legs

Specifications

Best for: Corner sofa sets
Size: L250 x D200 x H85cm
Material: 600D polyester with a water-resistant PVC lining
Colour: Grey

Reasons to buy

+
600D polyester with a water-resistant PVC lining
+
Air vents to prevent wind lofting and mildew
+
UV-resistant
+
Elastic drawstrings to secure under furniture
+
Padded handles

Reasons to avoid

-
Only one size

If the outdoor furniture that you want to cover up doesn't have legs that you can attach the Dokon cover's base straps around, then you're going to need an alternative means of securing a garden furniture cover, and this option from VonHaus offers a good solution. 

Large enough to cover most garden corner sofa sets (or outdoor dining tables and chairs), this protective cover features an elastic drawstring at the base which can be tightened underneath your furniture to hold it in place. 

Made from a similar strong 600D polyester with a water-resistant PVC lining, this cover aims to protect your furniture set against wind, rain, frost, and sun fading, and has air vents to allow for air circulation and dedicated padded handles for easier manouevreing.

A grey Kettler Palma Garden 3-Seat Sofa Protective Cover

(Image credit: Kettler)

3. KETTLER Palma Garden 3-Seat Sofa Protective Cover

Best outdoor sofa cover: protect a garden sofa or bench seat

Specifications

Best for: A garden sofa or benches
Size: H84 x W190 x D75cm
Material: Polyester
Colour: Grey

Reasons to buy

+
Water-resistant
+
UV-resistant
+
Pull cord at base to secure

Reasons to avoid

-
Only one size

Although this outdoor furniture cover is specifically designed for Kettler's Palma sofa unit, the size is a good fit for many other outdoor sofas too.

And if you're the proud owner of one of this year's best garden benches, but only want to use it in the summer months, it works well for bench seats too, protecting furniture from UV, frost, tree sap and bird droppings so your seating is kept spick and span and ready to use whenever the sun shines. 

A pull cord at the base ensures a snug fit around your seating, and side vents allow for air circulation. Kettler also offers a set of four weights for protective covers that can be filled with sand and clipped onto your furniture cover if you want some extra ballast, and a tent pole for use with protective covers to lift the centre of your furniture cover and prevent water from pooling.

A grey outdoor corner sofa cover

(Image credit: VonHaus)

4. VonHaus L-Shaped Sofa Cover

Best outdoor furniture cover for corner sofas: an L-shaped cover for tricky furniture

Specifications

Best for: Corner sofas
Size: L298 x D220 x H75cm
Material: 600D polyester with a water-resistant PVC lining
Colour: Grey

Reasons to buy

+
600D polyester with a water-resistant PVC lining
+
Air vents to prevent wind lofting and mildew
+
UV-resistant
+
Elastic drawstrings to secure under furniture
+
Padded handles

Reasons to avoid

-
Only one size

If you just have a corner sofa to cover - rather than a corner sofa set with additional coffee table or lounge chair - or you would prefer to cover each item in a set separately for a snugger fit, then this ingenious L-shaped cover makes short work of protecting this tricky-shaped seating.

Heavy-duty 600D polyester with a water-resistant PVC lining ensures weather-resistance, whilst an elasticated drawstring at the base means you can adjust this cover to fit securely. 

If your sofa cushions themselves aren't already UV resistant, then this protective cover also works well in the summer months, blocking out sunshine when your sofa isn't in use to keep the colour of your sofa as vibrant as when you first bought it.

A black bistro set outdoor furniture cover

(Image credit: Dakota Fields)

5. Dakota Fields Bistro Patio Dining Cover Set

Best bistro set outdoor furniture cover: a compact cover for a small table and two chairs

Specifications

Best for: Bistro sets
Size: H85 x W130 x D70cm
Material: Polyester
Colour: Black

Reasons to buy

+
Water-resistant
+
Pull cord at base to secure

Reasons to avoid

-
Only one size
-
No air vents
-
No handles

Most of the best bistro sets for small spaces are designed to fold up for space-saving storage when they're not in use, but if you have a design that doesn't, then this compact cover is a great way to keep a small patio table and up to two chairs protected from the elements.

A pull-cord at the base helps to secure the cover in place whilst the water-resistant fabric ensures no water gets through.

It's a shame not to have any air vents or handles added to the fabric cover, but as this is a smaller protective cover there's more chance for air to get in underneath the base, and lifting on and off is fairly straightforward, so they aren't such important features.

a white and brown circular outdoor furniture cover

(Image credit: Amazon Basics)

6. Amazon Basics Round Dining Table Cover

Best outdoor furniture cover for round tables: a circular option for round garden tables

Specifications

Best for: Round garden tables
Size: Dia.120cm
Colours: Off white & brown

Reasons to buy

+
Air vents to prevent wind lofting and mildew
+
Elasticated base plus four robust straps and 'click' closures to secure
+
Handles
+
Splash-proof lower section

Reasons to avoid

-
Your garden table needs legs to be able to secure fully
-
Only one size

If you have a circular garden table then for the best fit you're going to need a matching circular outdoor furniture cover, and this two-tone option from Amazon Basics could be a good fit. 

After a roster of grey and black options, we like this predominantly white design which features a coffee-brown splashback trim at the base to disguise any muddy marks. The upper section will potentially mark more easily than the darker coloured options, but you can hose it down, and if you have a light coloured wall you want to store your garden table against then this option feels less visually bulky than the darker colours.

A handy meshed air vent with velcro closers allows air to circulate once your table is undercover, and a drawstring cord at the base is backed up by four straps with click-clack clasp closures to really make sure this cover stays in place  - as long as your table has four legs to fasten them around.

A grey outdoor furniture chair cover

(Image credit: VonHaus)

7. VonHaus Single Seat Cover

Best outdoor chair cover: wrap up your favourite seat in this waterproof covering

Specifications

Best for: Garden chairs
Size: L71 x D76 x H64 (front) x H99cm (back)
Material: 600D polyester with a water-resistant PVC lining
Colour: Grey

Reasons to buy

+
600D polyester with a water-resistant PVC lining
+
Air vents to prevent wind lofting and mildew
+
UV-resistant
+
Elastic drawstrings to secure under furniture
+
Padded handles

Reasons to avoid

-
Only one size

For ensuring a singular chair looks as good in the spring as it did when you covered it up in autumn, this seat cover from VonHaus will do the trick.

Padded handles allow you to take the cover on and off easily, whilst an elasticated drawstring at the base plus fastening clips ensures the fit is as snug and secure as possible.

Meanwhile, covered air vents help to keep air circulating to prevent mould or mildew from forming underneath.

A black outdoor furniture cover for a hanging egg chair

(Image credit: Charles Bentley)

8. Charles Bentley Rattan Swing Seat Cover

Best hanging egg chair cover: keep your garden swing seat dry

Specifications

Best for: Hanging egg chairs and swing seats
Size: H205 x L180 x D180
Material: 600D PVC polyester
Colour: Black

Reasons to buy

+
Water-resistant
+
Front zip for easy fitting
+
Pull cord at base to secure

Reasons to avoid

-
Only one size

If you're lucky enough to have got your hands on one of this year's sell out items - the hanging garden egg chair - then you will want to keep it looking its best, and you'll know that it's a pretty awkward shape to store or cover properly. 

That's where Charles Bentley's specialist rattan hanging swing seat comes into its own, offering a tailored fit designed especially for egg or pod hanging chairs. 

The heavy-duty 600D PVC polyester is waterproof and has an elasticated cord at the base threaded through four rust-resistant aluminium eyelets with a toggle catch to secure. To make it much simpler to fit this cover to a tall item, it also features a front zip for easy access.


What to look for in the best outdoor furniture covers

Fit

This is an obvious one, but always measure your garden furniture first to make sure you know exactly how big of a cover you need. For easy fitting, it's often best to go for a slightly larger cover to ensure you can get it on easily, but don't go too large as excess material is more likely to catch the wind and it can be less effective at keeping moisture out. 

Breathability

Look out for furniture covers that are made from breathable materials such as polyester, Oxford cloth, or other synthetic weaves, and that have air vents within the fabric. As well as helping to prevent wind lofting, air vents prevent moisture from getting in but allow air to circulate so that mould or mildew don't develop under the cover.

Can it be secured?

A furniture cover should have loops, ties, elasticated drawstrings, straps or some other means to fasten it tightly around your furniture and ensure rain can't be blown underneath it, as well as to prevent the cover from being blown away in strong winds. For added peace of mind, you can also buy clip-on weights for the base of outdoor furniture covers if you wish. 

Water resistance

Most outdoor furniture covers offer water resistance, however, they prefer not to have standing water left on them for any length of time. Depending on the shape of your garden furniture, it's a good idea to find a way to lift the centre of your furniture cover so that this is the highest point, otherwise water can pool in the middle of it during a downpour. An upturned plastic plant pot can be a good quick fix or you can buy specially designed tent poles for use with outdoor furniture covers.

UV resistance

Unless your garden furniture itself is UV-resistant, protecting it from year-round UV light can be well worth doing to prevent your set from fading or discolouring. This can be particularly important to ensure that synthetic rattan garden furniture stays looking its best. Most covers will offer some UV protection, but look to see if its mentioned in the product text to be sure.


How we chose the best outdoor furniture covers

To find the best outdoor furniture covers for this list we dived into the specifications to sort the wheat from the chaff, grilled the Gardeningetc team for their expert knowledge, asked friends and family for their top-rated products, and took into account third party reviews on retailer websites. Click here to find out more about how we review products on Gardeningetc.  

Amy Lockwood
Decor Editor

After specialising in Textile Design for Interiors at Winchester School of Art, Amy spent many years working in the design and interior industries, including styling and visual merchandising for many well-known brands. She now writes for multiple interior publications, including Livingetc, Homes & Gardens, Ideal Home, and Real Homes to offer advice on creating a well-designed interior, whether that's choosing the perfect shade of paint, what to look for when investing in a new sofa, or sourcing on-trend and sustainable products for the home.

Amy joined the Gardeningetc team to bring her design knowledge outdoors, offering advice on what to consider when shopping for the best garden furniture, how to choose the ideal garden bench, and sourcing everything you need to create an outdoor living area that will become the perfect place to kick back and relax when the sun shines.