How Do Car Seats Fit in a 2020 Honda Civic Hatchback?

The verdict: Honda revised its Civic sedan for 2019 and 2020, and the hatchback version also got an update with some fresh styling, updated tech features and a small price bump across the board. We installed car seats in its backseat, and although the hatch has slightly less legroom than the sedan version, its backseat was still adequately roomy for two car seats — even space-hogging rear-facing ones.

Does it fit three car seats? No

Take a look at how the Latch system and each car seat scored below in our Car Seat Check of the 2020 Honda Civic hatchback.

Related: Search Car Seat Checks

A Grade

• Latch: The two sets of anchors sit under Velcro flaps in the upholstery; they’re easy to find and use.

B Grade

• Infant: This seat went in easily, though we had to move the front passenger seat up a bit. Our 5-foot, 6-inch-tall front passenger had OK legroom, but taller passengers will need more to be comfortable.
• Rear-facing convertible: Again, this was another easy install. We had the same legroom issues as with the infant car seat.
• Booster: The hatchback’s fixed head restraint pushed the booster off of the seatback, where it should sit flush against it. The hatchback’s stable buckles will be easy for kids to grasp and use.

C Grade

• Forward-facing convertible: We had no trouble using the lower Latch anchors, but the hatchback’s three top tether anchors sit all the way down the seatback and are right next to cargo hooks, so caregivers might get confused. Top tether straps should never be connected to cargo hooks. Also, the fixed head restraint pushes the convertible off of the seatback a bit; it should sit flush against it.

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.

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