Many people today prefer driving a smaller vehicle, rather than a large SUV or minivan. Small cars are great to get around in, fuel efficient, and perfect for tight driveways. All this is fantastic, until you have to fit a bulky car seat inside. Many car seats aren’t made for tighter vehicles, driving parents to search endlessly for one that actually fits their car.
To save you time and effort, we’ve compiled a list of the best car seats for compact cars! These seats are safe and comfortable, making sure that you and your baby have a great car ride!
Maxi-Cosi Pria 70 Convertible Car Seat
Our first choice for a compact car!
Best Feature: FlexTech and Air Protect crash energy management for a safer ride
The Maxi-Cosi Pria 70 seats children 9-40 pounds rear facing, and children 22-70 pounds front facing in your car. With its compact design, this car seat’s best feature is strong safety. With FlexTech and Air Protect energy management, your child is safe from multiple directions, and has side impact protection. This seat also has great padding, and is made from self-wicking fabric. This fabric keeps liquid off the skin, to keep your child comfortable for the entire car ride. This product also has an adjustable headrest, to grow with your child. To find a great position for your baby and car, this car seat comes with three different recline positions. With a five-point harness, you can also keep your child comfortable and safe as they grow. This product also has easy installation with LATCH features, making it the top choice on our list!
Pros:
- 3 Recline positions
- Machine washable seat pad and harness covers
Cons:
- Expensive
Cosco Mighty Fit 65 DX Convertible Car Seat
Our second choice for a compact car!
Best Feature: Designed for more space when rear-facing
The Cosco Mighty Fit 65 DX is another wonderful car seat for smaller vehicles. This car seat’s best feature is its ergonomic design. This gives you more legroom in the front seat when the car seat is rear facing. This product also comes with five-point harness adjustments, and five heights, to fit your child as they grow. Seating children from 5 to 65 pounds, this seat is made with plush foam padding to keep your baby comfortable. This product also comes with a LATCH system, and these seats can fit three across in most cars. For added safety, side impact protection is built into the sides of this seat. This makes it an excellent option for a tight vehicle!
Pros:
- Affordable
- Machine washable and dryable
Cons:
- Can be difficult to install
Baby Trend EZ Flex Loc Infant Car Seat
Our third favorite choice!
Best Feature: Easy installation with the EZ Flex Loc base
The Baby Trend EZ Flex Loc infant car seat is another great choice for a small vehicle! This car seat fits infants up to 30 pounds and 30 inches. The best feature of this seat by far is the stay in car base. This base makes taking your baby in and out of the car much faster. The base also has flexible latch straps that help you reinstall the car seat quickly. This car seat also comes with a smooth carrying handle, and an adjustable safety harness with 5 separate points. The Baby Trend EZ Flex Loc is also safe, with energy absorbing foam for head and side protection. The interior of this car seat is also soft, allowing your baby to sit comfortably. This product enhances comfort with great head support, too. All this combined makes this option a great choice!
Pros:
- Adjustable base with 4 positions
- Seat is releasable with one hand
Cons:
- A little expensive
Clek Fllo Convertible Car Seat
Another great option!
Best Feature: Fits children from 6 months all the way to 6 years old
The Clek Fllo Convertible car seat is a great option for saving space, and works for many years, too! This seat fits children all the way until they reach six years old. This makes buying a new car seat every few years a distant worry. This car seat is also incredibly safe, with a reinforced steel substructure to absorb accident energy. Honeycomb structures inside the seat also absorb shock from an accident, for added protection. Don’t worry though, this steel is covered with layers of foam to keep your baby comfy. This seat also fits three across in the backseat comfortably and is easy to install. This makes it a great choice for smaller vehicles!
Pros:
- Adjustable headrest
- Added safety features
Cons:
- Expensive
Diono Radian RXT All-in-One Convertible Car Seat
Last but not least!
Best Feature: Allows your baby to sit rear-facing for much longer
The Diono Radian RXT All-in-One convertible car seat is our final choice for a small vehicle. This car seat can fit three across in most vehicles’ backseats and has a sleek overall design. This seat fits children 5-45 pounds rear-facing. This seat also fits children 20-65 pounds front facing, and can convert to a booster for children 50 – 120 pounds. This extends your use out with this car seat, making it last for years. With body support cushions and a steel interior frame, your child is also very secure in this seat. Since it folds and can travel easily, it’s also aircraft certified for your plane trips. With a LATCH system incorporated, installation is painless as well. All this makes the Diono Radian RXT a wonderful option for your child and your car!
Pros:
- Easy installation
- Machine washable
Cons:
- Expensive
In Conclusion
Finding a car seat that fits into your tight vehicle can be hard, but it doesn’t have to be! We found the best fitting car seats for your compact car that span a large age group of children. You can stress less about your baby’s safety, now that you know which models are good options. Not only are these seats compact, they are also comfortable and convenient, too! Your child will adore their new car seat, and you’ll love the safety the seat brings! We hope that you found something that works for you and your child on our list!
Guest Author Bio:
Keren Simanova is a busy mommy by day and a passionate writer by night. While spending countless hours researching car seats for her children, she created an educational car seat blog, CarSeatsMom.com to educate other mothers about the importance of car seats. Further, along the way, the blog became an invaluable source for research of a variety of car seat brands, unique features, and mommies’ reviews.
