How Do Car Seats Fit in a 2024 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid?
The verdict: Hyundai’s mid-size hybrid sedan was updated for the 2024 model year; the Sonata Hybrid gets new styling on the outside and some updated technology on the inside. In our Car Seat Check, we had ample room for two car seats, but we struggled with the sedan’s access to the lower anchors.
Does it fit three car seats? No.
Take a look at how the Latch system and each car seat scored below in our Car Seat Check of the 2024 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid.
Related: Search Car Seat Checks
Latch: Grade B
The two sets of lower anchors sit under hinged covers, but the anchors themselves are deeply set within the seat bight, where the back and bottom cushions meet. The anchors are easy to access with car seats that have rigid Latch connectors, such as our infant seat, but are difficult to access with car seats that have skinnier, hooklike connectors, like our convertible. The set of the anchors makes the Latch connectors even tougher to unhook.
Infant Seat: Grade A
This seat was easy to install since it has long rigid connectors that found the deeply set Latch anchors without issue. The 5-foot-6-inch front passenger had ample legroom in front of the seat.
Rear-Facing Convertible: Grade B
Installing this seat was trickier than installing the infant seat. We struggled to connect to the sedan’s anchors with the convertible’s skinny Latch connectors, and it was even tougher to remove the car seat because there’s not a lot of finger room to maneuver and the anchors themselves are deeply set. As with the infant seat, the convertible in rear-facing form fit well, and the front passenger had enough legroom in front of it.
Forward-Facing Convertible: Grade B
We raised the Sonata Hybrid’s head restraint to situate the convertible flush against the seatback. Again, though, we struggled to access the sedan’s lower anchors and struggled even more to disconnect them when removing the car seat. We had no trouble connecting to the sedan’s top tether anchor on the rear shelf.
Booster Seat: Grade B
After raising the head restraint, the booster fit well. The Sonata Hybrid’s short, stubby buckles sink into the seat upholstery, which could make them tough for kids to grasp and use independently.
About Cars.com’s Car Seat Checks
Editors Jennifer Geiger and Jennifer Newman are certified child safety seat installation technicians.
For the Car Seat Check, we use a Chicco KeyFit 30 infant-safety seat, a Graco Contender 65 convertible seat and Graco TurboBooster seat. The front seats are adjusted for a 6-foot driver and a shorter passenger. The three child seats are installed in the second row. The booster seat sits behind the driver’s seat, and the infant and convertible seats are installed behind the front passenger seat.
We also install the forward-facing convertible in the second row’s middle seat with the booster and infant seat in the outboard seats to see if three car seats will fit; a child sitting in the booster seat must be able to reach the seat belt buckle. If there’s a third row, we install the booster seat and a forward-facing convertible. Learn more about how we conduct our Car Seat Checks.
Parents should also remember that they can use the Latch system or a seat belt to install a car seat, and that Latch anchors have a weight limit of 65 pounds, including the weight of the child and the weight of the seat itself.
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