3 Cars With Built-In Car Seats

Car seats are an essential piece of baby gear, but they’re definitely not an easy tool to use! It’s important that installation and day-to-day buckling is performed correctly to maintain your child’s safety. Because of this, added convenience features like no-rethread straps, rotating bases, and machine washable covers make everyday use just a little easier. 

But, what if your car seat could be integrated into your vehicle’s seat? Believe it or not, a handful of new vehicles offer built-in booster seats. Today, we’re going to discuss those options! 

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3 Cars With Built-In Car Seats 

Built-in car seats are not common on the vehicle market, which means parents like you have a lot of questions! We hope to answer a lot of those questions today and help you find the right vehicle for your family! If you want something that’s the right blend of safety and convenience, these cars may be a good choice for you.  

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Are Built-In Car Seats Legal?

Yes! Currently, there are only a few vehicle models that have built-in car seats and they’re all integrated backless booster seats. These booster seats follow the same safety and crash testing as any other car seats on the market, making them both safe and legal as long as your child is the appropriate age, size, and maturity to be in a backless booster seat. Below, we’ll share some more details about how to safely use a built-in car seat:

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When is it Safe to Use a Built-In Booster Seat?

• Your child has maxed out the weight or height limits of their high back booster seat. 
• Your child is mature enough to stay sitting upright. 
• Your child will not mess with the seatbelt. 
• The vehicle has headrests that extend at least slightly over your child’s ears. 

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What Cars Have Built-In Car Seats?

Currently the only vehicles that offer built-in car seats are a few recent Volvo models! Each one has the option for you to add built-in booster seats that are suitable up to 80 lbs. However, these booster seats are backless, and as of now, no other car seat options are available.

The boosters in these Volvos are for children between 40-80 lbs and between 38-54 inches tall. The boosters are integrated into the vehicle’s seat cushion and in seconds pop out into an instant booster seat. These seats have two height adjustment options that allow you to get a good seat belt fit for all sizes of booster-ready children. As a reminder, that seat belt should fit across the chest and rest securely on the shoulder, and the lap belt should sit flat and snug across the upper thighs. 

If you’re interested in Volvo’s boosters, understand that they don’t come standard in the vehicles. These boosters are an optional feature and can be added for $500 each. Each car can fit up to two of these stow ‘n’ go seats and are integrated into the second row rear seats. 

As a bonus, if you’re concerned about your furry friends, Volvo also offers a pet harness as an optional accessory! In the event of a crash, even your pets are at risk, of course. Plus, in terms of child safety (and the safety of your whole family) any unrestrained heavy object, including a pet or human passenger, can become a dangerous projectile in a collision. Keeping everyone (and everything) strapped down will decrease everyone’s risk of injury. For more on this, here’s what you need to know about how to safely ride with your pet. 

Here are the vehicles with the option to at add the integrated booster: 

Volvo XC90

The Volvo XC90 is a full-size SUV that seats up to 7! It’s got a spacious cabin and the second row can easily fit car seats in a 3-across situation. There’s not a ton of cargo space with all seven seats up, but it is the largest option if you want the integrated booster seat. Other things you may like about the Volvo XC90 include the various crash prevention and driving assistance features, as well as the included air purifier and heated massage seats! 

This vehicle also comes in two variations. The “mild-hybrid” gets 26 mpg and doesn’t require any charging. However, if you want a more electric option, you can also get the Volvo XC90 in the plug-in hybrid selection. Both versions allow you to add a single booster seat or double booster seats!

Volvo XC60

The XC60 is essentially just a smaller version of the XC90. It’s a 5-passenger vehicle that’s still good for 3-across car seat installation and you can add the two backless boosters, of course! It has all the same features as the XC90, including the fact that it comes in both a mild-hybrid option and a plug-in hybrid option. If you don’t need seven seats and would rather have more cargo space, the XC60 may be the better way to go!

Volvo V90 Cross Country

The V90 is similar to the other two versions, but it sits up higher and offers more cargo space than the Volvo XC60. It gets 25 mpg, seats 5 people, and features plenty of hip space in the back seat for car seat installation or integrated booster seats. 

It has the same attractive features of the other two options, but it also has “quiet cabin” technology that helps you maintain a smooth and almost noiseless ride. This can be great for those riding with young children! Again, the Volvo V90 is available in the mild-hybrid option or the plug-in hybrid option. 

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Built-in car seats are safe and legal when used and fitted correctly. 

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Integrated car seats will likely never become widespread, and that’s okay! There are a lot of factors to consider when finding the right child safety seat, whether an infant car seat, convertible car seat, or a booster seat of some type! A built-in car seat will be a sort of “one-size-fits-all” approach, which isn’t ideal for child passenger safety. 

Instead, we recommend taking the car seat quiz and finding a seat that fits your child, budget, and lifestyle perfectly. An integrated booster seat is not worth the $500 price tag! Browse our list of the best family vehicles and then let us help you shop for the right booster seat. You can have all the convenience, without the price tag and potential fit issues. As always, Safe in the Seat is here to help!