2017 Volvo XC90 Hybrid T8: Car Seat Check

CARS.COM — The last time we Car Seat Checked the Volvo XC90 was for the 2016 model year — the year of the luxury SUV’s redesign. We liked it so much, we wound up naming it Best of 2016 and subsequently bought one for our long-term fleet. In addition to its more fuel-efficient hybrid powertrain, the T8 version we tested this time out gains Apple CarPlay smartphone connectivity for the 2017 model year along with a limited-edition Excellence trim featuring upgraded interior appointments. In terms of car-seat accommodation, the XC90 by and large stays the same.

How many car seats fit in the second row? Three

How many car seats fit in the third row? Two (boosters only)

More Car Seat Checks

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, Jennifer Newman and Matt Schmitz 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 shorter 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. Learn more about how we conduct our Car Seat Checks.

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.