Best Car Seats for Small Cars

Every seat sold in the US must pass the same crash test (FMVSS 213). Pricier seats add steel frames, more side-impact foam, load legs and anti-rebound bars, which lab tests suggest help; the biggest safety factor is a correct, tight installation and the right seat for the child's size. A $200 seat installed correctly is safer than a $500 seat installed loosely.

As long as the seat allows — the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends rear-facing until the child reaches the seat's rear-facing height or weight limit, which is 40–50 lb on the seats here, typically age 3–5. Seats with a 50 lb rear-facing limit (Graco Extend2Fit, Clek Foonf) make that easiest.

Both are equally safe when done right. LATCH has a weight limit (usually child + seat = 65 lb), after which you must switch to the belt. In our tests the belt-tensioning seats (Britax ClickTight, Chicco) were as fast with the belt as with LATCH.

A certified CPST installs each seat rear- and forward-facing in a Honda Civic, a Toyota RAV4 and a Honda Odyssey with LATCH and with the belt, timing each and checking for less than one inch of movement at the belt path. We fit a newborn doll, a 1-year-old and a 3-year-old, check harness range, and record NHTSA ease-of-use ratings and expiry.