The last car I had with side moldings was a 2003 Corolla -- and I took those dang moldings
OFF. 
They probably help in about 2% of all "door ding" situations. They look horrible 100% of the time.
With so many trucks and SUV's out there, chances are huge that they'll hit you at some point where those moldings aren't going to protect the car.
I haven't had a door ding in
ANY of the cars I've bought new -- a period of about 15 years. I really don't even recall getting any "new" dings in any of the used cars I've ever owned, though I've bought some with dings already in them. A period of about another 15 years.
99% more effective than side moldings is just to never
EVER park next to another car. Park out in the boonies
EVERY time you possibly can. Find a curb you can park a half-inch away from, leaving far more room on the other side of the parking space for the uncaring idiots to have enough room to get out of their cars without hitting yours. And so on. Just stop looking for "the closest space to the store," and instead look for the space farthest away from the store that'll be the most protective of your car (curbs to one side and to the front) and least likely to attract other cars because it's so far away from the door of whatever building you're parking around.
That has worked for me for about 30 years!
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