The verdict: Minivans are purpose-built family haulers designed to carry your people and stuff in comfort. The updated-for-2021 Honda Odyssey excels when it comes to accommodating car seats thanks to easy-access anchors and plenty of room.
Does it fit three car seats? Yes, when the middle seat is installed in the second row.
Take a look at how the Latch system and each car seat scored below in our Car Seat Check of the 2021 Honda Odyssey.
Related: Search Car Seat Checks
A Grade
- Latch: We tested a model with a removable middle seat. When it’s in place, there are three sets of Latch anchors and they’re all exposed for easy access and connection. The three top tether anchors are also well labeled and easy to see and use.
- Infant: Installation was easy, and our 5-foot, 6-inch-tall front passenger had loads of legroom.
- Rear-facing convertible: Again, installation was easy and legroom for the front passenger was ample.
- Forward-facing convertible: The seat was easy to install and after raising the head restraint, the convertible fit well. The outboard seats slide and recline for even more flexibility.
- Latch, third-row: There are two sets of anchors in the third row; they’re exposed for easy connection. There are three top tether anchors on the seatbacks; only the middle one is clearly marked, but they’re all easy to find and use.
- Forward-facing convertible, third row: This was another easy install, and the seat fit well after we removed the head restraint. We had to fold the seat down a bit to remove the head restraint because it’s so large; this was an easy maneuver.
B Grade
- Booster: After raising the head restraint, the booster fit well in the second row. However, the Odyssey’s floppy buckles could be tough for kids to grasp and use independently. Also, the middle seat’s buckle and belt come down from the ceiling. When in use, it blocks the driver’s view, so the middle spot is not a good choice for a booster.
- Third-row entry: The Odyssey’s easy slide button works well to open a passageway to the third row, but not with the car seat installed. The step-in may be tall for smaller kids. In my model, I removed the second-row middle seat to create a pass-through to the third row; it was heavy and cumbersome to get it out. Removing the second row’s center seat leaves two captain’s chairs and enables the Magic Slide system, which allows the captain’s chairs to slide both forward and back as well as side to side.
- Booster, third row: After raising the head restraint, the booster fit well. The middle buckle comes down from the ceiling and blocks the driver’s view when in use, so that’s not a good spot for the booster. Floppy buckles could be tough for kids to use independently.
C Grade
- None
Grading Scale
A: Plenty of room for the car seat and the child; doesn’t impact driver or front passenger legroom. Easy to find and connect to Latch and tether anchors. No fit issues involving head restraint or seat contouring. Easy access to the third row.
B: One room, fit or connection issue. Some problems accessing the third row when available.
C: Marginal room plus one fit or connection issue. Difficult to access the third row when available.
D: Insufficient room, plus multiple fit or connection issues.
F: Does not fit or is unsafe.
About Cars.com’s Car Seat Checks
Editors Jennifer Geiger, Jennifer Newman and Matt Schmitz 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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