How Do Car Seats Fit in the GMC Sierra 1500?

In the last few decades, pickup trucks have left the farm and workplace and have increasingly become the family car. The trend began even before GMC and other truck manufacturers focused on four-door cabs with room for everyone in an average-sized household. If those families are young, then car seats become part of life. Life can be far easier if the car seats are easy to install, particularly if they are regularly transferred between family vehicles. 

Cars.com has become the industry expert in car seat compatibility and convenience, with a regularly occurring feature that tests how well car seats fit in various models. Recently, it turned its attention to the Sierra 1500, and GMC of Rochester brings you the findings. 

The car seat tests are conducted by Cars.com editors Jennifer Geiger and Jennifer Newman, who are both moms and certified child safety seat installation technicians. In all their tests, the front seats are set for a six-foot-tall driver and a shorter front passenger. They can’t test every single car seat on the market, so they select seats that reasonably represent their respective categories. 

These seats are: 

• Chicco KeyFit 30 infant-safety seat 
• Graco Contender 65 convertible seat 
• Graco TurboBooster seat

Because it is significantly safer, child seats are always tested in the second row for two-row vehicles. Infant and convertible seats are positioned behind the front passenger, while the booster seat is positioned behind the driver. They also test the convertible seat in its forward-facing configuration in the middle of the second row to check if the vehicle can accommodate three child seats simultaneously, as there are families with such needs. The accessibility of the child seat latches is also scored.  

Each test results in a schooltime grade from A to F, which are defined as follows: 

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: Some 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. 

The specific Sierra 1500 they tested is the Denali Ultimate Crew Cab, although the test reasonably applies to all Sierra Crew Cab models. GMC of Rochester is happy to report that the Sierra 1500 scored quite well in all the tests.   

Here are the specific results:  

Latch: Grade A 

The two sets of lower anchors are exposed for easy access and connection. Three top tether loops sit behind the head restraints; they’re not very intuitive to use, however, and we recommend learning about them in the truck’s owner’s manual. 

Infant Seat: Grade A 

This seat was easy to install via the exposed lower anchors, and our 5-foot-6-inch front passenger had ample legroom. 

Rear-Facing Convertible: Grade A 

As with the infant seat, the rear-facing convertible went in without a problem, and front-passenger legroom was not impacted. 

Forward-Facing Convertible: Grade B 

After removing the head restraint, the forward-facing convertible fit well. We had no issue using the lower anchors for installation, but we needed to check the owner’s manual to figure out the truck’s setup for top tether anchors. The Denali Ultimate versions have three tether straps, one behind each head restraint; to connect, the car seat’s tether strap must be routed through the tether anchor loop closest to the car seat and then connected to the tether anchor loop for the seating position next to it. This wasn’t complicated to do once we read about it in the owner’s manual, but caregivers installing car seats are unlikely to figure this out on their own, as the loops hidden behind the head restraints are unlabeled. 

Booster: Grade A 

The booster fit well once we removed the head restraint. The driver-side buckle is floppy, but the other two are on rigid stalks that should be easy for kids to grasp and use independently. 

Three-child seat accommodation? 

Yes 

Overall, installation was easy for all seats. The Sierra’s only weakness was with the forward-facing convertible seat because the built-in tether straps weren’t immediately intuitive, although a look at the owner’s manual explained everything. So, with a little reading, the Sierra 1500 gets top marks across the board for all three types of child seats.  

Should you have this need for your Sierra 1500 or any of the models in the GMC of Rochester inventory, you are welcome to bring your child seat(s) and try the installation yourself during your test drive.