Hundreds Of Products Ready Today. Dispatch/Collection Budget bucket seats for a Honda Civic EK: what fits, and what it costs
A lad came into the showroom last week with a Civic EK and a budget he was honest about. He wanted a bucket seat that bolts straight in and he wanted to know what the least he could spend was without ending up with something that does not fit.
It is a good question on this car, because the frame decides the budget, not the seat. Everything below is priced per seat and inc VAT, and we have said what is in stock and what is not.
- The cheapest single seat is £380.94 inc VAT, seat, frame and slider, all in stock
- Two seats is cheapest as a pair of OMP TRS-E at £742.80 inc VAT all in
- Base mount or side mount is the decision that sets your cost
- The M2 side mount rail kit for the EK is out of stock at the time of writing
The short answer
A Sparco Sprint on the Sparco EK direct-fit subframe, with a Sparco slider between the two. The seat is £252.00 inc VAT, the frame is £87.00 per side and the slider is £41.94, so £380.94 all in for one seat. Everything is in stock.
It works because the Sprint can be mounted either way up, base or side, and the cheap Sparco frame is a base mount frame. Same brand throughout, so nothing needs adapting.
If you want both seats done, the OMP TRS-E works out cheaper. It is base mounted on the same Sparco bolt pattern, so it goes on the same frame, and it comes as a pair.
Base mount or side mount, and why it decides your budget
A bucket seat attaches one of two ways. Base mount goes down through four points in the bottom of the shell onto a flat frame. Side mount bolts through brackets on the flanks of the seat instead, which gets you lower in the car and lets you set the backrest angle.
Side mount is the better result. It is also the more expensive one on an EK, and the reason is the frame. The cheap Sparco subframe is a base mount frame, and Sparco say so plainly on the listing: it will not take a side-mounted seat without adaption bars or side mounts.
Sparco EK subframe
Base mount only, £87.00 inc VAT per side, in stock. Fits the three-door shell from September 1991 to March 2001. Designed around Sparco seats.
M2 EK rail kit
Side mount, £310.80 inc VAT for the pair, and it comes with the side mounts. This is the one we would normally point you at. Out of stock at the time of writing.
PCI adjustable mount
Side mount, £252.00 inc VAT per side, in stock. EK specific, 1996 to 2000, and adjustable. £504.00 for the pair, which is a lot on a budget build.
The cheapest route that works
The Sparco Sprint is listed as base mount or side mount, and that is what makes this the cheap answer. Base mount it onto the Sparco EK subframe, put a Sparco slider in between, and you have a matched set from one brand bolted to the factory floor points.
It is also the only one of the three seats here that Sparco list for all heights. The Cobra and the OMP are both quoted for drivers under six foot, so if you are tall Cameron will steer you at the Sprint before you even look at price.
- Sparco Sprint, £252.00 inc VAT, FIA 8855-1999
- Sparco EK direct-fit subframe, £87.00 inc VAT per side
- Sparco seat sliding runner kit, £41.94 inc VAT per side
- £380.94 inc VAT per seat, everything in stock
- Doing both seats: buy the twin slider kit at £78.00 and it comes to £756.00
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From £210.00 Excl. VAT Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
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From £72.50 Excl. VAT Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
The three seats worth looking at
All three are FIA 8855-1999 approved, all three are steel-framed, and all three sit in the same part of the market. The differences that matter are how they mount, who they fit, and whether you can buy one or have to buy two.
| Seat | Price inc VAT | Mounting | Goes on the Sparco EK frame | Height | Sold as |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sparco Sprint | £252.00 | Base or side | Yes, with a Sparco slider | All heights | Single or pair |
| OMP TRS-E Black Velour | £468.00 a pair, £234.00 each | Base mount | Yes, same bolt pattern | Under 6ft | Pair only |
| Cobra Monaco Vinyl M-Sport | £312.00 | Base or side | No, Cobra use their own pattern | Under 6ft | Single |
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From £210.00 Excl. VAT Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
If you want a side-mounted seat
With the M2 kit out of stock, the in-stock EK-specific option is the PCI Racing adjustable seat mount at £252.00 inc VAT per side. It is a good bit of kit and it adjusts, but £504.00 for a pair of mounts on a car you bought cheap is a hard sell.
There are also universal side mounts, including the Endurance steel M8 set at £34.80 inc VAT, which are the cheapest way to convert a side-mount seat onto a base frame. Whether a given pair of side mounts lines up with a given frame depends on both parts, so send us the exact seat and frame you are looking at and we will confirm it before you order. Better that than finding out on the driveway.
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From £29.00 Excl. VAT Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
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From £210.00 Excl. VAT Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
What it costs
| Build | Seat | Frame | Slider | Per seat | Both seats |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sparco Sprint, base mount | £252.00 | £87.00 | £41.94 | £380.94 | £756.00 |
| OMP TRS-E, base mount | £234.00 | £87.00 | £50.40 | £371.40 | £742.80 |
| OMP TRS-E, side mount on PCI | £234.00 | PCI mount £252.00 | Included | £486.00 | £972.00 |
| OMP TRS-E, side mount on M2 | £234.00 | M2 kit £155.40 | Included | £389.40 | £778.80 |
Prices include VAT and were correct on 12 August 2026. The both-seats column for the Sprint uses the twin slider kit at £78.00 instead of two singles. The M2 row is what it would cost if the kit were in stock, and it is there so you can see what waiting is worth.
What I would actually do
If you only want the driver’s seat done, the Sprint on the Sparco frame with a Sparco slider. That is £380.94 and it is the change you actually feel, because you are the one being thrown about. Plenty of people come in wanting a matched pair, do the driver’s seat, live with it a year and do the passenger side later. Garreth would spend it that way round every time.
If you want both seats, buy the pair of OMP TRS-E instead. Same frame, same bolt pattern, an OMP slider each, and it comes to £742.80 for the car against £756.00 for two Sprints. Not a big saving, but you get two seats for less than two of anything else here.
Whichever you pick, buy the frame and the slider at the same time as the seat. The thing we sort out most on the phone is somebody who bought a bucket seat off a forum and then found the frame cost more than the seat did and the slider was another part again.
Bring the car to the showroom if you are local and Cameron will put a tape on it with you, or ring us on 0115 9893488 and we will work it out over the phone.
Common questions
Will this bolt to the standard floor?
Yes. The Sparco EK subframe uses the factory seat mounting points, so there is no drilling on a standard floor. It is listed for the three-door shell built between September 1991 and March 2001, which covers the EK and the EG before it.
Do I have to do both seats?
No. The seats and the frames on this page are priced per side, so you can do the driver's seat now and the passenger seat whenever. The only exception is the OMP TRS-E, which is sold as a pair.
Does the EK9 Type R take the same frame as a standard EK?
The frames here are listed against the three-door shell, not the trim level, so the EK4 and EK9 are both covered. If you are unsure, send us your registration and we will check it before you order.
Can I keep the standard seat belt?
These seats have harness slots through the backrest and people run them with the factory belt as well. If you are planning to fit harnesses, tell us when you order and we will make sure the seat, the mounts and the belts all work together.
Which one suits a taller driver?
The Sparco Sprint. It is the only one of the three listed for all heights. The Cobra Monaco and the OMP TRS-E are both quoted for drivers under six foot.
What is the difference between a bucket and a reclining sport seat?
A fixed-back bucket holds you far better and is what competition regulations expect. A reclining sport seat gives some of that up for a backrest you can adjust and a seat that is easier to live with day to day. On an EK that still does normal miles, it is worth asking us about both.