2016 Honda CR-V: Car Seat Check

CARS.COM — Honda’s popular compact SUV received an update for 2015 and the CR-V returns unchanged for 2016. In our Car Seat Check of the 2015 model, we praised the backseat’s ample legroom, but it lost points for a confusing top tether anchor location. For this Car Seat Check, we tested a 2016 Honda CR-V with leather seats.   

More Car Seat Checks

How many car seats fit in the second row? Two

What We Like

• The CR-V has two sets of lower Latch anchors in the outboard seats and an additional single anchor in the middle position. The extra anchor gives parents the ability to install a car seat in the middle seat with the Latch anchor system. All the lower Latch anchors are in slits in the seatback cushion and are easy to access.
• The rear-facing convertible seat fit well and had enough room. In forward mode, the convertible also fit well in the CR-V’s backseat.

What We Don’t

• The outboard seats’ tether anchors are near the base of the seatbacks and well-marked with a Latch icon, but cargo hooks sit nearby. Their proximity could confuse parents who aren’t familiar with using tether anchors. The middle position’s tether anchor is in the cargo area’s ceiling, which blocks the driver’s visibility when used.
• When in use, the middle seat’s seat belt also comes out of the ceiling, impacting rear visibility.
• For the infant seat to fit, we had to move the front passenger seat forward a bit. Our 5-foot-6 tester found the seat position to be tight, but not uncomfortable.
• The booster fit well, but the seat belt buckles are nearly flush with the seat bottom cushion; this position can be difficult for young kids in booster seats to use.

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-6 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.