On the plus side, both vehicle and child seat manufacturers may become more attuned to issues that hinder secure child seat installations and find more reasons to make design changes.
The best thing for a consumer to do is to check what models are recommended by the manufacturers as a starting point, then research Consumer Reports ratings, government ease-of-use results and other sources to find the best model for you. A model that rates well from multiple sources is likely a better choice. But keep in mind that there may be other models not recommended by manufacturers that may still do well in your car and that may be worth considering and equally important is how the seat fits your child.
Related Articles
We continue to recommend that if you’re looking for a new car, bring in your car seat and try installing it before you buy. If you have an existing car and want to check fit, many stores will allow you to take a floor model out to the parking lot to check the fit in your vehicle. Be sure to ask a salesperson. If they won’t allow you to take the car seat out of the store, check the return policy to see if you can bring it back if it doesn’t fit properly.
Consumer Reports installs several car seats in every vehicle we test. We advise subscribers on whether it is easy or difficult and which seat types have the most secure fit. Go to the model overview page of any vehicle tested, then click on the vehicle road test tab and check out our “Driving with kids” section.
—Subscribe to ConsumerReports.org or check out Consumer Reports’ Babies & Kids advice.
- 1
- 2
