How Do Car Seats Fit in a 2025 Hyundai Sonata?
The verdict: The Hyundai Sonata mid-size sedan was updated for the 2024 model year with fresh styling and additional tech. For this Car Seat Check, we tested the sport-oriented N Line trim, and although we had a little trouble with its lower anchors, it overall earned good grades for its ample legroom. We’ve also tested the Sonata Hybrid, which has the same amount of rear legroom as the N Line.
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 2025 Hyundai Sonata.
Related: Search Car Seat Checks
Latch: Grade B
The two sets of lower anchors sit under hinged covers, but the anchors themselves are deeply set within the seat bight, where the back and bottom cushions meet. The anchors are easy to access with car seats that have rigid Latch connectors, such as our infant seat, but are difficult to access with car seats that have skinnier, hooklike connectors, like our convertible. The set of the anchors makes the Latch connectors even tougher to unhook because there’s not a lot of finger space. There are three top tether anchors on the rear shelf under covered flaps; they are clearly marked and easy to use.
Infant Seat: Grade A
This seat was easy to install since it has long rigid connectors that found the deeply set Latch anchors without issue. The 5-foot-6-inch front passenger had ample legroom in front of the seat.
Rear-Facing Convertible: Grade B
Installing this seat was trickier than installing the infant seat. We struggled to connect to the sedan’s anchors with the convertible’s skinny Latch connectors, and it was even tougher to remove the car seat because there’s not a lot of finger room to maneuver and the anchors themselves are deeply set. As with the infant seat, the convertible in rear-facing form fit well, and the front passenger had enough legroom in front of it.
Forward-Facing Convertible: Grade B
We raised the Sonata’s head restraint to situate the convertible flush against the seatback. Again, though, we struggled to access the sedan’s lower anchors and struggled even more to disconnect them when removing the car seat. We had no trouble connecting to the sedan’s top tether anchor on the rear shelf, however.
Booster Seat: Grade A
After raising the head restraint, the booster fit well. The N Line’s short buckle stalks stick up just tall enough to grab, and the bolstered seat cushions help nestle the booster into place, too.
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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