Best Car Seats for Front Seat Legroom | Ask A CPST
Help! I’m squished in the front seat! My toddler’s car seat is cramping my legroom, what can I do? First of all, you can explore our list of car seats that could be a good option for maximizing front seat leg room!
Hi, I’m Sam! Like Kelly the Car Mom, I’m a Child Passenger Safety Tech (CPST) and a mom of three. Kelly and I are here to familiarize you with car seat safety, car seat use, and car seat selection so that you can make the decisions that feel right (and safe) for your family.
I’ll cover how much space does the car seat really need in the second row and how much space do I need to safely drive or ride up front, along with the top 3 car seats for optimizing leg room.
Is there a solution to keep my toddler rear-facing without sacrificing my space up front?
There may be countless car seat options to choose from, but not all car seats are designed with front passenger space in mind. If you need to accommodate taller front seat passengers and/or have a more compact vehicle, there's five car seats I’d consider for maximum legroom.
Cancel 1
Best Car Seat for Front Seat Leg Room:
Graco Extend2Fit
The Graco Extend2Fit is one of the most compact seats (front to back) on the market. It comes in several similar models, but be sure you’re either purchasing the 3-in-1 or 2-in-1 model without the anti-rebound bar. While the ARB is a nice advanced safety feature to have, it takes up a lot of space. The downside to this seat is that it’s wide side to side, so if you need to fit adjacent car seats, skip this seat!
Britax Poplar
The Britax Poplar has proven to be an extremely compact seat to gain valuable front seat space. This car seat checks off both the narrow and the compact boxes, measuring in at only 17” wide. If you need to accommodate adjacent car seats and front seat space, opt for the Poplar (or Poplar S.) These two seats are twin sisters, the Poplar S comes with an anti-rebound bar and more plush padding.
In addition to their small footprint, this seat is an absolute dream to install. It couldn’t be easier!
Honorable Britax Mention: Britax Marathon Clicktight
Nuna Rava
The Nuna Rava is a super compact option to maximize your front seat comfort. What’s unique about the Rava is that it has numbered recline options versus a bubble indicator or level line. Any of the (blue) rear facing reclines are acceptable to use, so long as baby’s head isn’t falling forward, and that allows for a super-upright (read: compact) installation. This seat also is one of the easiest to install. A downside is that like most of the other seats, it’s also wide.
Which is the most compact?
If I could rank these seats 1-5 I would! Ultimately, exactly how compact one seat is compared to another depends on the slope of your vehicle's seat. The shape of the car seat base and shell will simply take up air-space differently from one vehicle to another. I’d start with a car seat in your budget and take it from there. Each of these seats fit pretty squarely in the $, $$, or $$$ categories!
How close can my front seat be to the car seat?
Many car seats allow light touching of the car seat and the front vehicle seat. That means neither is creating an indent on the other or compressing the other in any way - that would be bracing and it’s not permitted. Some car seats, namely infant seats, require a specified amount of space between the car seat and the front seat.
The rules vary from seat to seat, so be sure to refer to your car seat’s manual. It’s also important to double-check your vehicle manual because many vehicles' air bag sensors can be affected by pressure on the back of the vehicle seat (caused by a car seat.) Your owner’s manual will tell you if any touching is allowed or if it needs space.
How close is too close to the steering wheel?
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) recommends a 10 inch minimum between you and the steering wheel (or 10 inches between a front passenger and the dashboard.) Any closer to the wheel and there’s an increased risk of an airbag related injury. We know that airbags and seat belts work in tandem to greatly improve survival and reduce injuries in a crash. Let’s give them proper space to function!
Compact car seats are not for newborns or infants
These recommended seats are compact when they’re in their most upright, allowable recline settings. Those upright settings are not permitted for newborns or young infants without head control. If you’re tight on space and have a baby without head control, stick to an infant car seat. They take up less space than a convertible seat at a newborn-safe recline.
If an infant car seat and base is a tight squeeze, consider a baseless installation or an infant car seat that is designed to install without a base like the Clek Liingo or the Nuna PIPA urbn car seat.
Any questions still on compact car seats? Let me know below! And to keep up with the latest CPST tips, check out my recent posts:
