How Do Car Seats Fit in a 2018 Toyota 4Runner?

How Do Car Seats Fit in a 2018 Toyota 4Runner?
2018 Toyota 4Runner; photo by Evan Sears; graphic by Paul Dolan

Toyota's rugged 4Runner SUV can handle just about anything — on and off-road — and it turns out that its backseat is just as capable when it comes to pulling family duty. The 4Runner has standard seating for five (an optional third row increases capacity to seven) and it easily fit three car seats across its second row. We tested the two-row version, and it earned high marks across the board for its roominess and accessible Latch system.

How many car seats fit in the second row? Three

Related: More Car Seat Checks

Solid

  • Latch, grade A: Two sets of lower anchors sit in slits in the leather and are accessible; the seat reclines for even better access. Three top tether anchors sit near the top of the seatbacks; they're clearly marked and easy to use. 
  • Infant, grade A: This seat was easy to install and our 5-foot-6-inch front passenger had ample legroom.
  • Rear-facing convertible, grade A: Again, this seat was easy to install and our 5-foot-6-inch front passenger had abundant legroom.
  • Forward-facing convertible, grade A: Installation was easy, and the seat fit well and had ample room after we removed the head restraint.
  • Booster, grade A: After removing the head restraint, this seat also fit well. The buckles are on stable bases, which should make them easier for kids to grasp and use independently.

So-So 

  • None

Skip It 

  • None

Grading Scale

Solid indicates an A grade for optimum ease of use and fit. So-So indicates B or C grades for one to two ease-of-use or fit issues. Skip It indicates D or F grades.

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 third row when available.

C: Marginal room plus one fit or connection issue. Difficult to access third row when available.

D: Insufficient room, plus multiple fit or connection issues.

F: Does not fit or is unsafe.

About '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 Graco SnugRide Classic Connect 30 infant-safety seat, a Britax Marathon 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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