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2025 Nissan Sentra ReviewBest Used SUVs for Children’s Car Seats
Looking for a great SUV that can fit a few car seats for your kiddos? We rounded up a list of some of the best used SUVs for your child to grow up with.
The Challenge of Installing Children’s Car Seats
The joys of driving your kids around are unending – yelling, throwing food, complaining, and the best one of all – getting them into their seat. Which is why we’ve assembled this rundown of the best used SUVs for car seats.
Wrestling with car seats – and their occupants – is challenging enough and anyone who has enjoyed this activity at least deserves an SUV that helps ease the associated mayhem. This list of the best used SUVs for car seats has a self-imposed price cap of $30,000 and focuses on the features, technology, and amenities that make them a worthwhile choice for parents doing all the things, all the time.
2022 Acura MDX
The Acura MDX is a great used SUV option for car seats as it has room for up to 7 and can be found with a high level of creature comforts for less than $30,000. Like this Advance trim line example that comes with family-friendly content including a cabin intercom system, a hands-free liftgate, and roof rails.
The reclining and sliding second-row seats come in handy when configuring car seats and the 38” of legroom back there will be appreciated as the kids grow. Safety systems include forward collision mitigation and blind-spot monitoring, while niceties that parents will appreciate range from climatized front seats to a panoramic moonroof.
2023 Buick Enclave
Like the Acura MDX, a lightly used Buick Enclave brings a touch of luxury to the grind of car seats. This 2023 Enclave Essence, with only 16,000 miles, costs about $28,000 and comes with AWD to ease parent concerns when driving in foul weather. A 310-horse naturally aspirated V6 means fully-loaded family road trips can be handled with ease and 24 cubic feet of cargo space behind the third row is on the large side.
These Essence trim lines come with conveniences like passive entry and a hands-free liftgate along with helpful tech like wireless smartphone mirroring – nothing worse than fumbling around for cables while managing kids in car seats. Buick’s trick Safety Alert Seat is another boon to harried parents as it vibrates to indicate potential safety issues, so you can focus on keeping everyone happy.
2022 Dodge Durango
For those looking to enjoy the drive after the kid’s car seats are installed, check out the Dodge Durango R/T. This 2022 example, with about 46,000 miles, can be yours for $30,000. Along with three rows of seating and ample second-row legroom, the R/T variant comes with a potent 5.7L V8 tuned to 360 horsepower and 390 lb-ft of torque.
The hot rod of this group, the Durango also acquits itself well in the family-friendly arena with remote engine start for warming the cabin on chilly days, full roof rails and cross bars for when the 17 feet or rear cargo space isn’t enough, and triple-zone automatic climate control for keeping parents and kids at their coziest.
2021 Ford Expedition MAX
The Ford Expedition is always a good choice for fitting children’s car seats thanks to its cavernous cabin – there is 41” of legroom in the second row for example. But it’s hard to beat the MAX variant, with its extended length and 34 cubic feet of cargo space in the wayback, for families.
There are seats for up to 8 and in Limited trim, like this rear-wheel drive example, helpful features include power-operated running boards, rain-sensing wipers, a Wi-Fi hotspot, and built-in navigation. Plus, the 375-horse twin-turbo V6 makes easy work of a fully loaded cabin.
2020 Chevrolet Tahoe
Chevy’s Tahoe is another option that’s main selling point for those in the car seat years is a massive interior. The only SUV here that can seat up to 9 passengers, the Tahoe LT like this lightly used example, comes with niceties like a power-operated liftgate, roof rails, tri-zone climate control, and power-adjustable front seats.
39 inches of second-row legroom helps when it comes to the job of installing car seats, while safety tech like automatic high beams, rear parking sensors, forward collision mitigation, and a lane-keeping system instill confidence when driving around with such precious cargo.
2023 Honda Pilot
The Honda Pilot, with its three rows of seats and strong naturally aspirated V6 powertrain, is the original family-friendly SUV. Car seat installation is aided by 41” of legroom for the second row and the climate system controls back there, like on this used Sport model, means the kiddos can set the temperature on their own.
The rear cargo hold is spacious at 19 cubic feet and all-wheel drive models are widely available. Factor in available options like parking sensors and a surround-view monitor for a truly kid seat-friendly SUV.
2022 Hyundai Palisade
For just about $30,000, you can get into a used Hyundai Palisade Limited, like this example. When it comes to that car seat life, this SUV is one to look for thanks to features like a panoramic moonroof, a cabin PA system, and a blind-spot monitoring system that activates a live feed of those blind spots when the turn signal is flicked on.
The Palisade also seats up to 8 and boasts a segment-leading 42” of second-row legroom to go with 18 cubic feet of space behind the third row. Add in the partially transferrable Hyundai powertrain warranty for an all-around solid SUV.
2023 Jeep Grand Cherokee L
The standard Jeep Grand Cherokee is an excellent choice for parents with kids in car seats who spend a fair amount of time in the wilderness, but the L variant is even better. Along with an extra row of seats, these longer Grand Cherokees offer more maximum cargo space and a bit more backseat legroom.
Considering there are Limited examples on the market with nice touches like sliding second-row seats, a power-operated liftgate, and heated rear seats, it’s worth keeping Jeep in mind when shopping the used SUV marketplace.
2024 Mazda CX-90
Mazda’s relatively new CX-90 SUV is an excellent family vehicle that also manages to deliver a dose of luxury thanks to its premium leanings. That includes the unusual, for this segment, inline-6 powertrain and its inherently smooth power delivery.
Even with 280 horsepower, the AWD models deliver a relatively impressive 25 mpg combined, though these hybrid family cars perform even better. Luxuries like a head-up display and a hands-free liftgate are nice, like on this 3.3 Turbo Premium model, but the CX-90 also delivers 39” of rear legroom and an 18 cubic foot cargo hold.
2023 Subaru Ascent
Every option on this list of the best used SUVs for car seats at least offers AWD, but Subaru has earned a reputation for building one of the best AWD systems in the industry. A system that comes standard on its Ascent SUV, one of our favorite three-row SUVs for families.
In Limited spec, like this used example, the big Subie boasts adaptive LED headlights, second-row sunshades, a cabin intercom system, and rear automatic braking. Seating for up to 8 is on hand and the 39” of second-row legroom will be appreciated by kiddos and parentals alike.
