Mercedes-Benz GLS580 and Volkswagen Tiguan are the only vehicles to earn straight A's for car seat fit and installation, as 10 more vehicles land on the Top Finishers list ahead of back-to-school driving season

CHICAGO, July 29, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Car-shopping marketplace Cars.com™ (NYSE:CARS) today released its 2026 Best Cars for Car Seats report, compiled by certified child passenger safety technicians and based on 12 months of hands-on testing. Out of 56 vehicles tested, only the 2025 Mercedes-Benz GLS580 and the 2026 Volkswagen Tiguan received straight A's across every car seat category. Ten additional vehicles were named Top Finishers, each earning A's in every category but one.

The complete list of vehicles tested can be found at Cars.com/News/Car-Seat-Check.

"Back-to-school season means more time in the car with kids than almost any other point in the year for many families," said Jennifer Geiger, Cars.com news editor and certified child passenger safety technician. "A vehicle that makes car seat installation difficult creates more than daily frustration: it can affect how securely a child is restrained. Cars.com's report is designed to help parents identify that risk before they buy a vehicle, not after."

Inside the 2026 Report

Cars.com evaluated 56 model-year 2025 and 2026 vehicles across pickup trucks, minivans, sedans, SUVs, hybrids and EVs. For each vehicle, a certified child passenger safety technician installed three types of car seats — infant, convertible and high-back booster — and rated how well each fit and how easy the vehicle's Latch system was to use.

To earn an A in a category, a car seat must fit well in the seat without compromising legroom for the front seat occupants, the Latch system must be easy to find and use, and seat belt buckles should be easy for kids to grasp and use independently.

Straight-A Finishers

Top Finishers

What It Means for Families

No single vehicle fits every family. Cars.com evaluates vehicles across a range of car-seat-specific criteria so shoppers can weigh the factors that matter most to them, whether that is third-row accessibility for a growing family, Latch system ease of use for a first-time parent, or fitting three car seats across one back seat.

"A family vehicle is a major financial investment, and it's also an investment in a family's safety and peace of mind," added Geiger. "The last thing we want is for someone to make that purchase and then discover the car seat doesn't fit properly. That's why our technicians test every vehicle by hand, the same way a parent would."

The full results for all 56 vehicles are searchable at Cars.com/News/Car-Seat-Check, letting shoppers check a specific vehicle before they buy or as they prepare to install a car seat in a vehicle they already own.

Methodology

The Cars.com Best Cars for Car Seats report compiles 12 months of Car Seat Checks, conducted from July to July, across 56 model-year 2025 and 2026 vehicles. Each Car Seat Check is performed by a Cars. com-certified child passenger safety technician, who installs an infant seat, a convertible seat and a high-back booster seat in the vehicle and evaluates the vehicle's Latch system alongside how well it accommodates each seat type. Cars.com tests vehicles as automakers make them available.

Parents can look up how a car seat is likely to fit in their current vehicle, or one they are considering buying, at cars.com/news/car-seat-check.

About Cars.com®

Cars.com Inc. (NYSE:CARS) is a trusted audience-powered and data-driven technology platform that simplifies buying and selling cars. The flagship Cars.com marketplace connects millions of consumers to dealerships across the U.S., powering the car buying experience with artificial intelligence ("AI") shopping tools and comprehensive vehicle reviews and content. Our interconnected ecosystem of products enables dealers and OEMs to sell more cars by efficiently leveraging our marketplace, dealer websites, trade and appraisal tools, and proprietary in-market media solutions.

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SOURCE Cars.com Inc.