Best Slim Car Seat to Fit in Your Small Car

Best Slim Car Seat

Several cars, SUVs, and minivans fit 3 car seats across.

What if you don’t have any of these cars?

Would you buy a new car? Probably not!

Can you ship the best slim car seat to fit 3 across in your small car? Oh yes!

The list of narrow car seats is just for you.

Here are the 3 types of car seats: infant, convertible, and booster car seats that parents find the perfect fit for 3 across.

Want to check them out? Keep going…

Diono Radian 3RXT- Best Slim Car Seat

Are you looking forward to investing in a long-term slim car seat? Diono Radian 3RXT is your best bet as it fits in multiple small cars 3 across due to its 17 inches width and will stay in the family for almost 10 years.

Use it for your newborn from his 5 pounds till he turns 50 pounds in the rear-facing. Compared to other car seats, it offers 4 years of rear-facing mode or until your baby touches 44 inches in height.

It has a high wedge that gives your baby’s back additional comfort. This wedge is removable once your baby is past the newborn stage. One of the best parts that makes it reliable is the steel frame that soaks the impact and protects your baby in case of an accident.

If you still want to add a layer of protection to the safety system of your baby, you can buy Diono Ultra Mat Pack. The car seat is so easy to install and remove. However, you can take the help of videos online to figure out the process.

What sets it apart from Radian 3R are the head positions and cup holder. The car seat has to offer 12 adjustable headrest positions so the little one rest peacefully. In contrast, the cup holder holds your baby’s drink to prevent spills.

After 50 pounds of your baby, you can face the car seat forward. Its 12 inches, shoulder, and hip width are sufficient to nestle your growing baby. The depth of 16 inches and breathable fabric is also why babies nap in this car seat for long hours.

On its downside are the weight of the car seat and armrest. To keep the width less than others, Radian 3RXT lacks an armrest. At 28.1 pounds, it is the heaviest unit, so moving it from one car to another can be challenging.

Pros
  • Fits 3 across
  • Adjustable headrest
  • Includes cup holder
  • Rear-facing for long years
  • Easy to install
  • Usable for a long time
Cons
  • Heavy car seat
  • Lacks armrest

Chicco KeyFit 30 Slim Infant Car Seat

If you are planning to get a car seat for your infant, Chicco KeyFit30 is what you should get. This is an infant car seat, meaning you can detach the car seat from the base and install it in your stroller without waking up your baby.

There are a lot of strollers it is made to fit for. Chicco, Joovy, and Bob are just to name a few. Installing this car seat is a breeze, and the best part is that it has two levels of bubble indicators that guide you if the car seat is installed correctly or not.

Equipped with a LATCH system, it is so simple to snug fit on the base. While the base is plastic, and the housing is rated great for safety. It has side impact protection and a head and body insert to ensure your infant stays sound during a crash.

It is 17 inches in width, so that goes without saying, it fits in a small car, leaving space for two more car seats to fit adjacent.

Made for babies from 4 to 30 pounds or 30 inches in height, it limits car seat usage. However, that’s not a big deal if you are planning to have a convertible or booster car seat in the near future.

At 16.6 pounds, the car seat is easy to shift between cars. So, it’ll be easy for you to get it fastened in your husband’s car. And, let us mention that it weighs just 9 pounds without the base.

Two of its incredible features are the removable canopy and seat padding. The seat padding is machine washable, minimizing your house chores that multiply with a baby to feed.

Just as it’s comfortable for the baby to nap inside thanks to the EPS energy-absorbing foam, it’s easy to carry around for the parent. It has a two-position carry handle that allows you to transport it conveniently.

Pros
  • Compatible with a lot of strollers
  • Soft and breathable material
  • Head and body support
  • Higher safety ratings
  • Machine washable seat
Cons
  • Low height limit comparatively

Britax Grow with You Narrow Car Seat

Britax Grow with You is one of its reliable units out there. It is a car seat that nestles your child from his 25 pounds to his 120 pounds. That said, you can buy an infant car seat and this one next for your small car.

Although it has a width of 19 inches, it fits 3 across in a lot of vehicles. We find it well inside a Volvo SUV with Maxi Cosi and Graco infant Click Connect on either side. So, compare it with your car seat’s dimension to confirm its accommodation.

Unlike other car seats, it has a simple 3 step installation process. The ClickTight installation mechanism takes less than a minute to connect your car seat, while the two-side impact protection absorbs the crash energy in case of accidents.

The Britax car seat is pretty heavy to switch between the cars at 25 pounds but still less heavy than the Diono Radian 3RXT car seat. Additionally, it comes with a cup holder and snack storage so your baby can enjoy toys and drinks during the trip.

What’s more, in the safety column is the steel frame. It is sturdy enough, keeps the car seats in position, and is proven to stand accidents without getting your baby hurt. It has nice plush on the seat with the fabric breathable so your baby can nap just like at home.

Besides being comfortable, it has beautiful accents and a catalog of colors you can choose from. However, it falls on the expensive side. So, make sure you check out its price.

Pros
  • Easy to install
  • Steel frame and side-impact protection
  • Fits 3 car seats in a row
  • Cup holder and snack storage
  • Armrest integrated
Cons
  • Falls on the expensive side

Conclusion

These were the best slim car seat available out there. We included here ones with a small footprint of 17 inches in width. The list is also made keeping in mind the car seat’s safety features and ratings. Your child will be comfortable enough inside each.

Diono Radian 3RXT is the winner for us. It is the slimmest design of all, growing with your baby. So, you can use it for 10 long years from your baby’s newborn stage. It’s stylish, comfortable, and rated great for safety.

Check out the price now to order this car seat before it goes out of the sale.

About Author

I've done bachelor and landed straight in this writing field. Every day, I'm trying to explore more and provide my readers more. Besides being a writer, I've also worked as an Editor and Proofreader.