Cars.com's 2023 Car Seat Fit Report Card

For a lot of families, driving is an essential part of daily life. Parents and caregivers go from aimlessly driving during those first months of newborn sleepless nights to captaining the neighborhood carpool just a few years later. It goes fast, so make sure your car is ready for it. While you may be 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 2023 Car Seat Fit Report Card compiles a year’s worth of our Car Seat Checks in 56 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 gone through every car-seat stage. From minivans and three-row SUVs to tiny crossovers and sedans, we’ve installed child-safety seats into each one and evaluated how well the vehicles accommodate a variety of them. 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:

• Cars.com’s 2022 Car Seat Fit Report Card
• Cars.com’s 2021 Car Seat Fit Report Card
• 2020 Car Seat Check Honor Roll: Best New Cars for Car Seats

Best Cars for Car Seats

Cars.com’s Car Seat Checks launched in 2010, and we’ve installed car seats into more than 700 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 2023, the following vehicles are on the honor roll:

• 2023 Acura RDX: Acura refreshed its smallest SUV for 2022, giving the RDX updated styling as well as added safety and connectivity tech. For 2023, the RDX again lands on this list thanks to its easy-access Latch anchors and ample room for two car seats.
• 2022 and 2023 Audi E-Tron: For families looking to go electric, the 2022 and 2023 Audi E-Tron could check all the boxes — it certainly did when it came to our Car Seat Check. This luxury vehicle offers a roomy backseat with an easy-to-use Latch system.
• 2023 Chevrolet Equinox: Chevrolet’s Equinox compact SUV has always offered a big backseat that’s roomy enough for two car seats, and during our test of the 2023 model, we were able to install them with ease. In fact, the Equinox got straight A grades across the board thanks to ample legroom and easy-access Latch anchors.
• 2023 Kia EV6: Kia’s EV6 electric vehicle was new for 2022 and is back for 2023 with appealing range and affordable prices; families will also like the five-seat SUV’s roomy backseat and easy-access Latch anchors, which helped it earn high grades in our Car Seat Check.
• 2023 Volkswagen ID.4: The ID.4 is Volkswagen’s all-electric compact SUV that seats five. The 2023 ID.4 has impressive range and a backseat that’s roomier than its tidy dimensions suggest. In our Car Seat Check, the ID.4 scored all A grades thanks to easy-access anchors and ample legroom.
• 2023 Volkswagen Tiguan: VW’s roomy compact SUV was updated for the 2022 model year and returns to this list for 2023. Its ample legroom and easy-access anchors made car seat installation a breeze.

Not all vehicles are overachievers, however. Below is our 2023 Car Seat Fit Report Card, grouped by vehicle type. 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 three 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 easy or difficult it is to access the third row.

Related: Search Car Seat Checks

We’ve listed the scores of our car seat 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.

2023 Car Seat Checks by Body Style

Two-Row SUVs

Two-row SUVs come in a variety of sizes, from the popular compact SUV to the roomier mid-size version. For families with one to two children, they easily handle family life.

Three-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 and how easy or difficult it is for their child to get to the third row with minimal help.

Minivans

It’s safe to say we love minivans at Cars.com, especially after completing our deep dive into the class, declaring the Kia Carnival Cars.com’s Best Family Car of 2023. Minivans know how to family with their incredible use of space, helpful family-friendly tech — such as a vacuum! — and more.

Pickup Trucks

Americans love their pickup trucks, and many pickup trucks can easily handle family life. Roomy 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 more frustrating than negotiating bedtime with your toddler, however.

EVs, PHEVs and Hybrids

If you’re concerned about the planet and getting your kids to daycare on time, these cars are a good place to start.

Sedans

Sedans have fallen out of favor with many car shoppers, but they’re worth a look for families, especially with the current inventory shortage. You might find a good deal on an overlooked sedan, making your wallet happy.

With 56 vehicles tested for 2023, 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?

More From Cars.com:

• Which Cars Fit 3 Car Seats?
• How Cars.com Conducts Car Seat Checks
• How to Install a Car Seat With a Seat Belt
• Which 3-Row SUVs Offer Captain’s Chairs?
• Find Your Next Car

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Cars.com’s Editorial department is your source for automotive news and reviews. In line with Cars.com’s long-standing ethics policy, editors and reviewers don’t accept gifts or free trips from automakers. The Editorial department is independent of Cars.com’s advertising, sales and sponsored content departments.