The Chevrolet HHR, or Heritage High Roof, was a retro-themed station wagon sold by Chevrolet from model years 2006 through 2011. It shared a platform with the Chevrolet Cobalt, Saturn Ion, and Pontiac G5, and was replaced by the Chevrolet Trax in the small crossover wagon / SUV range. Reminiscent of the similarly-designed Chrysler PT Cruiser, the HHR sold well in the US but was ultimately ended by Chevrolet due to lower than expected sales. However, enough sold for me to receive a steady stream of emails from parents asking me which car seats will fit 3 across in a Chevy HHR, and I figured putting together a 3 across guide would help all of the parents who have yet to email me.

The Chevrolet HHR was definitely a compact wagon, but it was also a decent one for families with up to 3 children, and it offered more storage options than most compact sedans due to the hatchback. The flat load floor, 60/40 split bench, and fold-flat front passenger seat also helped with fitting a variety of family and child gear.

Before looking at which car seats did and didn’t fit in the HHR in 3 across setups, it’s worth reviewing a bit of car safety, in terms of which kinds of seats to use and when.

My first recommendation for all parents is to start their kids out rear-facing (it’s also the law), and to keep rear-facing long after the law requires them to. Specifically, I suggest keeping children in rear-facing infant or convertible seats as long as possible (ideally until 4!), then keeping them harnessed in forward-facing seats for several years more (ideally until 8!), and then only switching them out of booster seats when they pass the 5 step test (which typically happens between 10 and 12). The goal is to keep kids in the safest kinds of seats for as long as possible to increase their odds of surviving serious car crashes.

With that all in mind, I got to work with my seats to create what I believe to be the most detailed 3 across guide for the Chevrolet HHR on the Internet, covering every model year of the crossover / wagon ever made. If you find the list helpful when shopping for car seats, you can shop through my Amazon link below. I’ll add more seats as I test them over time, although I’ll prioritize vehicles currently manufactured over ones.

You can access the complete 3 across guide for every vehicle here and the complete list of recommended seats here. The Canadian car seat guide is here. 3 across car seat images are taken by yours truly or are courtesy of Wikipedia.

The Chevrolet HHR was a small car at just over 176 inches long and just over 69 inches wide. In fact, it’s one of the narrowest vehicles I’ve ever had the displeasure of fitting car seats into. Many folks think you can’t do 3 across in it, but you defnitely can; you need the right seats, though, and you absolutely need to use your seat belts instead of the LATCH system, which will work nicely for 2 seats but not at all when trying for 3. Remember that seat belts are as safe as LATCH, and in some cases, safer, depending on the weight limits of your car seats.

Given the length of the HHR, if you’re concerned about making things work in terms of front-to-back space, you’ll also want to check out my front-to-back comparison chart for rear-facing convertibles.

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If you find the information on car safety, recommended car seats, and car seat reviews on this car seat blog helpful, you can shop through this Amazon link for any purchases, car seat-related or not. Canadians can shop through this link for Canadian purchases.