Best Travel Car Seats 2023

May 20, 2023

A car seat is essential to keeping your child safe while you’re on the road, but lugging most conventional car seats through the airport and fastening it in an unfamiliar rental car can be a nightmarish experience. That’s where travel car seats come in. The best travel car seats make it easy to take safety on the go while offering much of the same comfort and features you enjoy in your primary car seat at home. Our top choice is the Evenflo Sonus 65 Convertible Car Seat for its easy adjustability and moderate price tag.

Travel car seats keep kids safe while making air travel and swapping cars easier.

Travel car seats are meant to be lightweight, compact and easy to install, making life on the road less of a hassle. “There are quite a few lightweight options available that are easier to carry around,” says Michelle Pratt, certified child passenger safety technician and founder of Safe in the Seat. But it’s important that your child fits within the height and weight limits of the seat you’re considering, says car seat safety expert Benjamin Hoffman, M.D., F.A.A.P., a professor of pediatrics in the Oregon Health and Science University School of Medicine. “You also need to feel comfortable installing the seat,” he points out, which is why he recommends practicing installation before you hit the road. Beyond that, a lot of what makes the right travel car seat is features that fit the individual needs of you and your child.

What follows are the best travel car seat options out there today.

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The Evenflo Sonus is packed with features that make a great car seat—travel or not—with a price tag many families can feel good about. The harness is adjusted from the front, so you can get your little one comfortable without having to complicated acrobatics. Six shoulder harness positions give your child plenty of room to grow (and get that just-right fit), while dual cup holders keep drinks and snacks within easy reach on the go. The weight recommendations stretch from 5 to 65 pounds, allowing for some solid mileage out of this seat. The cover is removable and machine washable for easy cleaning when you get home—another nice perk. At just a little over 11 pounds, the seat is a reasonable weight to carry across an airport terminal and get in and out of ride shares.

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Cosco’s Mighty Fit 65 DX has an impressively low price tag for its high quality. This seat has two modes: A rear-facing mode for infants and toddlers up to 40 pounds, and a front-facing mode for kids between 40 and 65 pounds. Its compact design can fit in an airplane seat and through the aisle. A five-point harness keeps even wriggly kids secure while three buckle locations allow for plenty of adjustment potential. Worth noting: You can fit three of the Might Fit 65 DXes in the back seat of most cars, giving you options with a rental car. The seat has padding to keep your child comfortable on longer trips, and a removable, machine-washable cover for when travel time is done. At nearly 13 pounds, it’s heavier than our top pick—but nothing most parents can’t handle.

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The Doona features a built-in stroller, allowing you to convert from car seat to stroller in one motion. If you’re lucky and your baby has fallen asleep in car, this smoother and easier transition may help them stay asleep. A five-point harness and three-layer side impact protection help keep your baby secure, and the car seat is FAA Aircraft Approved. Materials like soft bamboo fabric and memory foam help keep your little one comfortable, whether they’re strapped into an airplane seat or strolling through the terminal. Keep in mind that this seat only works for babies between 4 and 35 pounds, so you won’t be able to get as many years of use out of it as other options. Still, the built-in stroller is pretty clutch when you’re already frazzled from a day of travel.

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The Nuna Rava is more expensive than some other travel car seats, but it’s packed with features that make it worth considering. The seat accommodates children from 5 to 65 pounds, allowing for quite a few years of use. It’s also aircraft certified and easy to install, so you can get your child settled and secure quickly, whether you’re on a plane or in a car. The seat is designed to have up to two extra inches of legroom when it’s rear facing—meaning, you won’t have to jam it the plane seat in to make it fit. Cupholders on each side flip out when you have the space, and back in when you need to conserve the area around the seat. Ten recline positions make it simple to find an angle that works for your little one. One more thing to note: The seat is Greenguard Gold certified and made without flame retardants.

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The Graco Turbobooster is effortless to use. Simply plunk it on the seat, secure your child in it using the car’s shoulder belt and go about your travels. Hideaway cup holders give you extra space for drinks and snacks when there’s room to spare, and quickly tuck away when seating is tight. Padded armrests and a plush seat cushion ensure your child feels comfortable, even on longer trips. At just one pound, it’s easy to strap to top of your suitcase as you roll through the airport. The booster is designed for kids between 40 to 100 pounds, so your child can safely use it for a number of years after they’ve outgrown a five-point car seat.

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The Graco Contender Slim is specially designed to have a smaller footprint, saving room whether you’re traveling by plane or car. The seat can fit kids who weight between 5 to 65 pounds. The seat itself is 16 pounds, so it’s lightweight enough to carry from place to place. It’s certified for aircraft use, so you can fly with it with no issues. Included latches and level indicators help you get the seat installed quickly and efficiently. The included cupholder is removable for tight spaces, and can even be tossed in the dishwasher. A no re-thread harness allows for fast seating adjustments.

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For those times when you really want to travel with minimal baggage, consider the Hiccapop booster. It’s inflatable and simple to blow up in 20 seconds or less while you’re waiting to board or for a car service to arrive. The booster has a non-skid base to keep it secure on leather or cloth seats, and it won’t hog the back seat—you can fit three of these across the rear row of most cars. Positioning clips help your child get a good fit with the seatbelt. The seat comes with its own travel bag for easy toting—just deflate and roll it up, then put it in your carry-on or bag. It’s that easy.

To choose the best travel car seats, we consulted car seat safety experts for the important features to look for in these safety devices. We then spoke to parents for their recommendations and surveyed the top travel car seats on the market for must-have elements like easy installation, lightweight materials and a compact size. We also analyzed reviews from real parents to get a better idea of how these seats perform on the road, and hold up over time.

There’s no reason you can’t travel with your usual car seat, booster seat or car seat stroller combination says car seat safety expert Dr. Benjamin Hoffman. However, he points out, your primary seat may be too cumbersome or big to tote through an airport with the rest of your luggage. Some conventional car seats don’t even fit through the a narrow airplane aisle.

That’s where a travel car seat shines. While primary car seats can weigh 20 to 30 pounds, whereas a travel seat can weigh under 10 pounds.

Safety experts emphasize the importance of making sure your child fits within the height and weight guidelines set by the car seat manufacturer.

If your child is under the age of 2 and you plan to buy them their own airplane seat, they will need a car seat that’s approved by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Most car seats are FAA approved, but it’s wise to check before you buy.