2015 GMC Terrain: Car Seat Check

GMC’s smallest SUV gets a mild face-lift for 2016, but we tested the 2015 model in our Car Seat Check. Like its Chevrolet Equinox twin, families will find a lot to like about the Terrain’s backseat, including room for two child safety seats, a second row that slides and reclines for added comfort, and exposed Latch anchors.

How many car seats fit in the second row? Two

More Car Seat Checks

What We Like

• There are two sets of Latch anchors in the outboard seats and they are exposed, making them easy to use. Three tether anchors are midway down the seatbacks and also are easy to connect to.
• Both the rear-facing convertible and the infant seat installed without a problem and had plenty of room. We did not have to move the front seat forward to accommodate them.
• The forward-facing convertible also went in easily and fit well despite the SUV’s fixed outboard head restraints.

What We Don’t

• The booster fit well but the seat-belt buckles are floppy, making them tougher for kids to grasp.
• Parents should note that the middle position does not have a head restraint so children seated here need to be in a high-back booster.

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 Geiger and Jennifer Newman are certified child safety seat installation technicians.

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.