How Well Do Car Seats Fit in the GMC Acadia?

As a three-row crossover, the 2025 Acadia is the perfect family vehicle with plenty of space for people and their things. And it isn’t just for big families, either. Those three rows are also handy for smaller families when the grandparents visit or when the kids invite their friends along. But for young and growing families, even the roomiest vehicle can be problematic if the child car seats do not fit or are difficult to install.  

Fortunately, the automotive website Cars.com has a regularly occurring feature in which the editors select a vehicle and test how easily car seats are to install and how easy the latch mechanisms are to find and use. Just before Christmas, the website did a child seat evaluation on the recently redesigned and enlarged Acadia, and GMC of Rochester gives you their findings.  

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

These seats are: 

• Chicco KeyFit 30 infant-safety seat 
• Graco Contender 65 convertible seat (front-facing and rear-facing) 
• Graco TurboBooster seat 

Because of the front airbags, the second row is always recommended for car seat installation for two-row vehicles. The 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. Most parents will have the child seats in the second row for three-row vehicles as well, just to keep the child accessible. Also, placing rear-facing seats in the third row is not recommended. So, the two Jennifers test the forward-facing convertible and booster seats in the third row and rate the ease of access. 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: 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. 

The test was conducted on an Acadia with the top seven-passenger Denali trim. Overall, they found a lot to like about the second row. However, they did find some issues with the fixed head restraints in the third row. 

Second-Row Ratings 

Latch: Grade A 

“In the second row, the two sets of lower anchors are exposed for easy connection. Two top tether anchors sit on the seatback and are clearly marked and easy to use.” 

Infant Seat: Grade A 

“This seat was easy to install, and the 5-foot-6-inch front passenger had plenty of legroom in front of it.” 

Rear-Facing Convertible: Grade A 

“Again, this seat went in easily and did not impact our front passenger’s legroom.” 

Forward-Facing Convertible: Grade A 

“After raising the head restraint to situate the convertible flush against the seatback, it fit well. We had no problems connecting to the lower anchors or top tether anchor.” 

Booster: Grade A 

“The booster fit well once we raised the head restraint. The Acadia Denali’s buckles sit on tall, solid stalks, so they should be easy for kids to grasp and use independently.” 

Three-child seat accommodation? 

No, because the second row features captain’s chairs, there is no third position. Of course, placing a child seat in the third row is an option.  

Third-Row Ratings 

Third-Row Access: Grade A 

“In the Denali, the second-row seats lift and slide forward with the touch of a button, opening up a large passageway to the third row. There’s also a space between the captain’s chairs that allows access to the third row.” 

Third-Row Forward-Facing Convertible: Grade C 

“Since there are no lower anchors in the third row, we installed this car seat with a seatbelt and had no trouble accessing and connecting to the top tether anchor on the seatback. We installed the convertible in the middle seat, however, because that’s the only seat with an adjustable head restraint. The outboard seats have fixed head restraints that push the convertible off of the seatback. The middle seat’s buckle setup is problematic, though; it’s in two pieces and blocks the driver’s view when in use since it’s mounted to the ceiling.” 

Third-Row Booster: Grade C 

“Here again, the third row’s fixed head restraints caused issues since the booster didn’t sit flush against the seatback. Also, the third row’s floppy buckles will likely be tough for kids to grasp and use on their own.” 

The Acadia has excellent child seat ratings for the second row. Although not mentioned in the report, the high roof and the vertical C-pillar (by the second-row seatbacks) allow good access for working with the seats or the children in them. The third row appears to be an option primarily for the middle position.  

The Acadia meets the needs of plenty of families and has now passed this test. You can see and test drive the Acadia at GMC of Rochester, and don’t hesitate to bring your child seats.