How Do Car Seats Fit in a 2024 Hyundai Kona?
The verdict: Hyundai redesigned its Kona subcompact SUV for 2024 with fresh styling and more room. The 2024 Hyundai Kona is available with a gas engine or an all-electric powertrain. For this Car Seat Check, we tested a gas-powered version and despite the SUV’s added space, we had some trouble fitting our rear-facing car seats in the backseat.
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 2024 Hyundai Kona.
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A Grade
- None
B Grade
- Latch: The two sets of anchors sit just within the seat bight, where the back and bottom cushions meet. Although they’re partially exposed, they still require a bit of muscle for connection. Three top tether anchors sit on the seatback; they’re clearly marked for easy access and connection.
- Forward-facing convertible: After removing the bread restraint, the convertible fit well. We had no trouble connecting to the top tether anchor, but connecting to the lower anchor required some muscle.
- Booster: We again removed the head restraint to situate the booster flush against the seatback. The Kona’s outboard buckles are stubby and will be tough for kids to grasp without help. The middle buckle is floppy and may also be tough for kids to maneuver independently. The seat is not wide enough to install a booster there, however.
C Grade
- Infant: As with the other seats, we struggled a bit to connect to the lower anchors. We also moved the seat up; our 5-foot-6-inch front passenger needed more space to be comfortable.
- Rear-facing convertible: As with the infant seat, installation was a struggle and front passenger legroom was an issue.
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: One room, fit or connection issue. Some problems accessing the third row when available.
C: Marginal room plus one fit or connection issue. Difficult to access the third row when available.
D: Insufficient room, plus multiple 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 Chicco KeyFit 30 infant-safety seat, a Graco Contender 65 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.
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