2015 Chevrolet Malibu: Car Seat Check

After a full redesign for 2013 and an extensive update for 2014, Chevrolet’s midsize sedan rolls into 2015 with few changes. Two child-safety seats fit comfortably in the Malibu’s backseat, and the sedan’s extra Latch anchor makes its backseat even more flexible for parents in terms of where they can install car seats with the Latch system.

How many car seats fit in the second row? Two

More Car Seat Checks

What We Like

• The two sets of Latch anchors are easy to access and we appreciate the middle seat’s bonus additional anchor; this setup allows parents to use the Latch system to install a seat in middle position.
• Both the infant car seat and the rear-facing convertible installed easily; we did not have to move the front passenger seat forward to accommodate either one.
• In forward-facing mode, the convertible was also easy to install and fit well. The three tether anchors on the rear shelf are accessible.

What We Don’t

• The booster seat fit well, but the buckles are on floppy bases. This can make it difficult for kids to reach them. The booster seat also has a tendency to slide on top of the floppy buckle.

Grading Scale

A: Plenty of room for the car seat and the child; doesn’t impact driver or front-passenger legroom. Easy to find and connect to Latch and tether anchors. No fit issues involving head restraint or seat contouring. Easy access to the third row.  

B: Plenty of room. One fit or connection issue. Some problems accessing third row when available.

C: Marginal room. Two fit or connection issues. Difficult to access third row when available.

D: Insufficient room. Two or more fit or connection issues.

F: Does not fit or is unsafe.

About Cars.com’s Car Seat Checks

Editors Jennifer Newman and Matt Schmitz are certified child safety seat installation technicians. Editor Jennifer Geiger is working on renewing her certification.

For the Car Seat Check, we use a Graco SnugRide Classic Connect 30 infant-safety seat, a Britax Marathon convertible seat and Graco TurboBooster seat. The front seats are adjusted for a 6-foot driver and a 5-foot-8 passenger. The three child seats are installed in the second row. The booster seat sits behind the driver’s seat, and the infant and convertible seats are installed behind the front passenger seat.

We also install the forward-facing convertible in the second row’s middle seat with the booster and infant seat in the outboard seats to see if three car seats will fit; a child sitting in the booster seat must be able to reach the seat belt buckle. If there’s a third row, we install the booster seat and a forward-facing convertible. To learn more about how we conduct our Car Seat Checks, go here.

Parents should also remember that they can use the Latch system or a seat belt to install a car seat, and that Latch anchors have a weight limit of 65 pounds, including the weight of the child and the weight of the seat itself.

Cars.com photos by Evan Sears