As a parent, there’s nothing more important than your child’s health and safety — that’s why parents spend so much time researching strollers, cribs, bassinets, and car seats. Finding the perfect car seat for your little one takes a lot of consideration (brand, price, special features), but what a lot of parents don’t realize – oftentimes until it’s too late – is that different cars handle car seats differently. That’s right, some cars are much better equipped for car seats than others.
Luckily, Cars.com has all the information parents need to find the best car for their families. Cars.com’s 2022 Car Seat Fit Report Card compiles 12 months worth of Car Seat Checks (tested by certified child passenger safety technicians and real moms) in 52 vehicles. They examine how well the vehicles accommodate a variety of car seats, look at each car’s Latch system, and evaluate the ease of installation. Cars.com certified car seat safety technician Jennifer Geiger shared a few tips to consider when choosing your next car:
- When choosing a car that is right for your family, look for one that can grow with your family through all of the car seat stages and beyond. Remember, kids can stay in some level of car seat until they’re 4 feet, 9 inches tall — for some kids, that could be when they’re 12 years old. The 2022 Volkswagen Tiguan is a roomy compact SUV that earned straight A’s in Cars.com’s 2022 Car Seat Fit Report Card. It easily handles all stages of car seats — from rear-facing infant seats to high-back booster seats. When car shopping, don’t forget that you also will need enough room for your stroller, grocery bags, equipment for kids’ activities, and other parenting essentials.
- Three-row SUVs and minivans are great options for families with kids both in car seats and out of them. Look for second-row seats that can slide forward — even with a forward-facing car seat installed — to create easy access to the third row. It’s even better when those seats slide with the tap of a button — so kids can move the second-row seat without the help of a parent. For instance, the Hyundai Palisade, a three-row SUV, has those buttons located both on the side of the second-row captain’s seats and on its seatbacks too.
- Captain’s chairs make life easier for parents because they create a walkway between the second-row seats to the third row, allowing older kids to get in and buckled up on their own. Redesigned for 2022, the Nissan Pathfinder offers captain’s chairs in the second row (or families can get it with a second-row bench, creating seating for eight). Of course, captain’s chairs — and that space between them — also help with sibling squabbling on longer road trips.
- Car makers are getting more family-friendly and offer more features. Some cars, like the Honda Pilot, have extra sets of lower Latch anchors, giving parents flexibility on where they can easily install a car seat.
- Many parents are often searching for the automotive holy grail: a car that’s not a minivan and can fit three child-safety seats across the backseat. The rugged and stylish 2022 Ford F-150 offers loads of space for three car seats across, and its exposed Latch anchors makes installing them a breeze, though caregivers will want to check out the owner’s manual for the correct way to use the truck’s top tether straps.
When it comes to installation, Jennifer offered some simple steps that parents can take when installing a car seat.
- First, parents should read the car seat owner’s manual as well as their car’s manual to make sure the installation is starting off correctly. The manuals may have guidance on whether a car seat can be installed in the middle rear seat, for example.
- When installing the car seat, parents should use either the car’s Latch anchors or a seat belt, but not both at the same time. Using the Latch system tends to be a little easier for most parents, but if you cannot find your car’s lower Latch anchors, then using a seat belt for installation is perfectly acceptable. With a seat belt installation, make sure the seat belt’s retractor is in the locked position to keep the car seat securely in place. The car’s owner’s manual will have step-by-step instructions on how to lock the retractor.
Latch stands for Lower Anchor and Tethers for Children. Few automakers set the lower anchors out in the open, so finding these small metal bars often involves digging between the back and bottom seat cushions, called the seat bight, to find them.
- Check the car seat install by grabbing the car seat near the belt path and giving it a tug. If it moves more than an inch in any direction, tighten the Latch strap to better secure the car seat. It’s important to do this test at the belt path because it gives a better sense of installation’s snugness.
- Cars.com has articles and videos that walk parents through car-seat installations and common mistakes. Parents should ask for help when they need it, and can find certified technicians at their local police department, fire department, or hospital for more hands-on help.
Cars.com launched their Car Seat Checks in 2010, and since then they’ve installed car seats into over 650 vehicles to check for fit and safety. They just released the 2022 Car Seat Fit Report Card, which helps parents choose the best family car.
