2024 Best Cars for Car Seats
For many, the family mobile goes from aimlessly driving during those first months of newborn sleepless nights to captaining the neighborhood carpool just a few years later — and car seats are there for all of it. While you’re on your own with sleep-training your baby, we can help you find a family car that can handle every stage of car seats.
Related: Search All Car Seat Checks
Cars.com’s 2024 Best Cars for Car Seats list compiles a year’s worth of our Car Seat Checks in 52 vehicles. We test the vehicles as they are made available to us by automakers. Editor-in-Chief Jenni Newman and I are both certified child passenger safety technicians as well as moms of kids who have gone through every car-seat stage.
From minivans and three-row SUVs to tiny crossovers and sedans, we’ve installed child-safety seats into each one and evaluated how well the vehicles accommodate a variety of them. We also rate each car’s Latch system, the lower anchors and top tether anchors, which are supposed to make car seat installation easier but sometimes cause frustrations.
Check out the Car Seat Fit Report Cards from the last few years here:
- 2023 Car Seat Fit Report Card
- 2022 Car Seat Fit Report Card
- 2021 Car Seat Fit Report Card
- 2020 Car Seat Check Honor Roll: Best New Cars for Car Seats
Straight A Grades
Cars.com’s Car Seat Checks launched in 2010, and we’ve installed car seats into more than 800 vehicles over the years. Each year, there are a few cars that ace our Car Seat Checks by earning the top grade of A in all categories. For 2024, the following vehicles are on the honor roll:
- 2024 Lexus RX 450h+: The two-row 2024 Lexus RX 450h+ is the plug-in hybrid version of the RX SUV. It has seats for five and earned straight A grades in our Car Seat Check thanks to ample room for two car seats as well as easy-access Latch anchors.
- 2024 Nissan Pathfinder: Nissan’s people mover was redesigned for the 2022 model year, and 2023 saw some trim-level shuffling. For 2024, the Pathfinder three-row SUV carries over, and it earned straight A grades thanks to easy-access Latch anchors and ample room.
- 2024 Subaru Crosstrek: Subaru’s tiny Crosstrek SUV got redesigned for 2024 with fresh styling, updated powertrains and technology upgrades. The Crosstrek earned straight As thanks to its easy-access anchors and plentiful backseat legroom.
- 2024 Volkswagen Atlas: Volkswagen’s people mover, the 2024 Atlas three-row SUV, has room for seven with a second-row bench seat or six with captain’s chairs. For this Car Seat Check, we tested a model with captain’s chairs, and it excelled thanks to plenty of legroom and drama-free anchor access.
- 2024 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport: Volkswagen’s biggest people mover is available in another flavor, the two-row Atlas Cross Sport. Both SUVs were revised for the 2024 model year with more upscale cabins and new infotainment controls. The two-row Cross Sport model seats five and earned straight As thanks to loads of legroom and easy-access anchors.
- 2024 Volkswagen ID.4: Volkswagen’s all-electric 4 compact SUV seats five and has an all-electric range between 206 and 291 miles, depending on equipment. It scored high grades in our Car Seat Check thanks to easy-access anchors and a backseat that’s roomier than its tidy dimensions suggest.
Not all vehicles are overachievers, however. Below is our 2024 list, grouped by vehicle type. We install a Chicco KeyFit 30 infant car seat, a Graco Contender 65 convertible and a Graco TurboBooster into every vehicle that we test. The front seats are adjusted for a 6-foot driver and a shorter passenger. The three car seats are installed in the vehicle’s second row, with the booster seat behind the driver. The infant and convertible seats are installed behind the front passenger seat. In three-row SUVs and minivans, we install the forward-facing convertible and booster seat in the third row and assess how easy or difficult it is to access the third row.
Related: Search Car Seat Checks
We’ve listed the scores of our car seat evaluations below. The abbreviations in the tables are:
- Latch: Lower anchors and top tether system (in the second and/or third row)
- Infant: Rear-facing infant seat
- RFC: Rear-facing convertible
- FFC: Forward-facing convertible
- Booster: High-back booster seat
- TRA: Third-row access
We use letter grades to rate each vehicle. For more info on a specific car, click through to the related Car Seat Check.
2024 Car Seat Checks by Type
2-Row SUVs
Two-row SUVs come in a variety of sizes, from popular compact SUVs to roomier mid-size SUVs. For families with one to two children, they easily handle family life.
3-Row SUVs
Three-row SUVs have dethroned minivans as the family hauler of choice. Families will want as much functionality as possible out of that third row, so they should pay attention to how many top tether anchors are back there, as well as how easy or difficult it is for their child to get to the third row with minimal help.
Pickup Trucks
Americans love their pickup trucks, and many pickup trucks can easily handle family life. Crew cabs often have plenty of room for all kinds of car seats, and they can often hold three across the backseat. Using the top tether anchor correctly in a pickup truck can sometimes be trickier than negotiating bedtime with your toddler, however.
EVs, Hybrids and PHEVs
If you’re concerned about the planet and getting your kids to daycare on time, these cars are a good place to start and come in a variety of sizes, with more and more becoming available.
Sedans
Sedans have fallen out of favor with many car shoppers, but they’re worth a look for families, especially with the still-lingering inventory shortage. You might find a good deal on an overlooked sedan, making your wallet happy.
With 52 vehicles tested for 2024, it’s clear that families have lots of options. When shopping for your next family vehicle, there’s a lot to consider, including what vehicle fits your needs right now as well as in a few years. Does that mean adding more car seats or — gasp — preparing for a teen driver?
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