Best Family Vehicles for Car Seats

Some vehicles are better than others for families with young children. These are the top 2017 and 2018 models for car seats and booster seats, based on criteria including the ease of use latching system and room for two kids strapped into two car seats.

The list includes SUVs marketed toward young families, plus a few luxury sedans most of us wouldn’t expect to find in a list of car seat winners.

This Cars.com Top Ten list is for ease of car seat use.

Check these winning models against the IIHS (Insurance Institue for Highway Safety) ratings list for four-star and five-star crash testing reports, for vehicles top-rated for safety, to cross-match with those top-rated for car seat installation.

2018 Chevrolet Equinox

Families will find a lot to like about Chevrolet’s redesigned-for-2018 compact SUV. Although the Equinox shrank in size this year, there’s still plenty of room for two car seats in its ample backseat, and exposed Latch anchors mean installation is a breeze.

2017 Genesis G90

The 2017 Genesis G90 is the first model in Hyundai’s luxury offshoot brand, and it has a lot to offer a family willing to spend the roughly $70,000 on a fledgling nameplate still vying for market cachet. The five-seat flagship sedan is comfortable, luxurious and spacious — particularly in the backseat — while offering robust performance and easy-to-use tech features.

2017 GMC Acadia

With its 2017 redesign, the GMC Acadia is now a mid-size SUV available with either two or three rows of seats. The five-seat Acadia just managed to fit our three car seats across its second-row bench. The bench seat slides forward and back, and seatbacks recline for easier car-seat installation.

2017 Honda Accord Hybrid

Honda’s Accord Hybrid excels when it comes to wringing the most out of a tank of fuel, but the question for families is, does it do well when it comes to accommodating car seats? With a better score on the infant seat than the regular Accord sedan, the answer is a firm yes.

SEE ALSO Honda’s Green Dealer program promotes energy conservation

2017 Lincoln Continental

Lincoln resurrected a storied name for its new flagship sedan. The 2017 Continental features a backseat that the automaker said can be compared with a private jet. It sounds too nice for toddlers, but if the Continental is tasked with family duty, it offers plenty of room for two car seats.

2017 Mercedes-Benz C-Class

Redesigned for the 2015 model year, the Mercedes-Benz C-Class added a new coupe variant to the lineup for 2017. Families with car-seat-age kids will still want to opt for the C300 sedan — for more reasons than just its four-door pragmatism.

2017 Subaru Impreza

Subaru offers all-wheel drive on its compact sedan and hatchback, giving it a leg up in this crowded segment, but that’s not all that helps the Impreza standout. Redesigned for 2017, the Impreza offers two things that are sure to impress parents: loads of available safety features and plenty of room for two car seats.

2018 Volkswagen Atlas

The new-for-2018 Atlas changes everything: It’s roomy, loaded with family-friendly features and excels when it comes to car seats. There’s three sets of Latch anchors across the second row, and three car seats installed easily and fit well.

The Atlas is manufactured in VW’s factory in Chatanooga, the world’s first LEED certified auto manufacturing plant

2018 Volkswagen Tiguan

The previous Tiguan was cramped and inefficient compared with just about any other vehicle in the segment. A redesign for 2018 changes much of that, and families will appreciate two key upgrades: The new Tiguan grows in size and offers an available third row.

2017 Volvo S90

Volvo’s flagship sedan takes luxury to new heights with a Nappa leather interior decked out in low-gloss wood trim. In the S90’s backseat, there’s ample room for two car seats, and easy Latch anchors earned this sedan high grades.

ecoXplorer Evelyn Kanter is a journalist with 25+ years of experience as a newspaper and magazine writer, radio & TV news producer & reporter, and author of guidebooks and smartphone apps – all focusing on travel, automotive, the environment and your rights as a consumer.

ecoXplorer Evelyn Kanter currently serves as President of the International Motor Press Assn. (IMPA).

ecoXplorer Evelyn Kanter also is a member of the North American Travel Journalists Assn. (NATJA) and the North American Snowsports Journalists Assn. (NASJA).

Contact me at evelyn@ecoxplorer.com.