If you're looking for the best family-friendly vehicles, car seats are an essential consideration. Because just as picking the right car seat for your child (and installing it correctly) is important, so too, is the choosing the right vehicle to accommodate it. For some guidance for current and expecting parents on this topic, we turn to Cars.com's 2023 Car Seat Fit Report Card.
2023 Car Seat Fit Report Card
The 2023 Car Seat Fit Report Card scores vehicles on how easily and safely they accommodate car seats, be in infants, toddlers or young children. In its new report, Cars.com also says it found that more than 40 percent of parents bought a new vehicle when they welcomed a third child into the family.
"As a mom of three — which includes twins — I absolutely understand the need for the right vehicle that can easily fit multiple car seats and the whole family for years to come," said Jennifer Geiger, Cars.com news editor and certified child passenger safety technician. "Cars.com has tested over 700 vehicles for car seat fitment to help inform parents about the best family-friendly vehicle options available to them on the market today."
Making the Grade
This year's evaluation involved 56 vehicles from the 2022-2024 model years. Only six scored straight A's and all of them were SUVs:
- 2023 Acura RDX
- 2022/2023 Audi E-Tron
- 2023 Chevrolet Equinox
- 2023 Kia EV6
- 2023 Volkswagen ID.4
- 2023 Volkswagen Tiguan
The evaluation involved installing several different car seats into each vehicle: a Chicco KeyFit 30 infant car seat, a Graco Contender 65 convertible and a Graco TurboBooster.
SUVs Are #1
As you can tell by the list above, SUVs dominated this year's Car Seat Fit Report Card. Cars.com says its editorial team found the top-performing SUVs allowed for simple and quick car seat installation. Plus, they were also roomy enough to provide ample legroom for the rest of the family. As you'd imagine, Cars.com says that data shows the most popular vehicle choice for current parents is an SUV, with over half of respondents saying they own one.
Trying Before Buying
Correctly installing a car seat is critical, and it's often not done correctly. In fact, Cars.com editors say that car seat installation is a notable pain point for parents, with 60% reporting they have incorrectly installed a car seat - and about half admitting it took more than a week to notice their error. Some say they didn't notice it until six months later. Cars.com says this is why more parents are bringing their car seat to the dealership to test it in-vehicle. The number of parents doing so increased 15% from 2022 data.
To check out the complete report card, visit Cars.com →
You can also find more information after child safety seats in the CarPro Guide to Child Safety Seats here→
Photo Credit: Cars.com.