2025 Best Cars for Car Seats

By Jennifer Geiger

July 29, 2025

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Cars.com photo by Christian Lantry; Cars.com graphic

As families grow, the family mobile needs to grow, too — and car seats are there for all of the different stages. 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 2025 Best Cars for Car Seats list compiles a year’s worth of our Car Seat Checks in 55 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 cycled through every car-seat stage.

From minivans and three-row SUVs to tiny crossovers and sedans, we’ve installed and evaluated how well each vehicle accommodates a variety of child-safety seats. 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:

Which Cars Earned Straight-A Grades?

Cars.com’s Car Seat Checks launched in 2010, and we’ve installed car seats into more than 850 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 2025, the following vehicles are on the honor roll:

2025 Genesis GV80, 2025 Genesis GV80 Coupe: The Genesis GV80 SUV got straight-A grades for its ample second-row legroom and easy-access anchors. The “coupe” version — which adds a sloping rear roofline but still has four doors — also excelled.
2025 Hyundai Tucson Hybrid: The Hyundai Tucson compact SUV has three powertrain options: gas-only, hybrid or plug-in hybrid. For this Car Seat Check, we tested the hybrid version, and it earned easy As in our testing.
2025 Lexus RX 450h+: The two-row Lexus RX 450h+ is the PHEV 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.
2025 Mercedes-EQ EQS450+ Sedan: The Mercedes-EQ EQS family comprises a sedanlike hatchback and SUV; the models are the German luxury automaker’s flagship electric vehicles. We tested the EQS450+ Sedan with seats for five (a two-seat third row is optional in the SUV). The sedan earned straight As in our test thanks to ample backseat legroom and easy-access anchors.
2025 Nissan Pathfinder: Nissan’s people mover was last redesigned for the 2022 model year. For 2025, the Pathfinder three-row SUV carries over, and it earned straight-A grades thanks to easy-access Latch anchors and ample room.
2025 Subaru Crosstrek: Subaru’s tiny Crosstrek SUV got redesigned for 2024 with fresh styling, updated powertrains and technology upgrades, and the model carries over for 2025. The Crosstrek earned straight As thanks to its easy-access anchors and plentiful backseat legroom.
2025 Volkswagen Atlas: Volkswagen’s people mover, the Atlas three-row SUV, has room for seven with a second-row bench seat or six with captain’s chairs. We tested a model with captain’s chairs, and it excelled thanks to plenty of legroom and drama-free anchor access. The two-row version, the Atlas Cross Sport, also earned straight As.

Which Cars Just Missed the Mark?

There are also several vehicles that came close to earning straight As. For 2025, the following vehicles earned only one B grade per row:

2025 Car Seat Checks by Type

Not all vehicles are overachievers, however. Below is our 2025 list, grouped by vehicle type. We’ve listed the scores of our 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.

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.

Minivans

For families that can’t or don’t want to choose between people space or cargo room, a minivan might be the best option. While there aren’t very many to choose from, a minivan still makes the most sense for a lot of families, and (as a bonus) some have gotten more fuel-efficient recently with the addition of hybrid powertrains.

Pickup Trucks

Americans love their pickup trucks, and many pickups 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 55 vehicles tested for 2025, 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?

How Do We Conduct Car Seat Checks?

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 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 difficult it is to access the third row.

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News Editor

Jennifer Geiger

News Editor Jennifer Geiger joined the automotive industry in 2003, much to the delight of her Corvette-obsessed dad. Jennifer is an expert reviewer, certified car-seat technician and mom of three. She wears a lot of hats — many of them while driving a minivan.