The Best Dog Car Seats: Ranked and Reviewed

The best dog car seats make car rides more enjoyable and keeps your dog safe, too. These seats, combined with dog car seat covers, make your dog comfy, help protect your seats from damage and excess dog hair, and are one of the safest ways to bring your furry friend along in the car.

Dog car seats also keep the driver and passenger safer, too, by restraining your dog so it’s not underfoot or vying for attention.

However, whether you need a small dog car seat or a large dog car seat, there are some essential things to consider. A dog booster car seat requires some getting used to for most dogs. Versions made for the back seat of the car options are often easy for dogs to get used to. A high-back seat helps satisfy your dog’s curiosity by giving her a clear view of everything going on. Many choose a bucket seat because it’s easy to keep your dog safe, and there is also a model available that has been crash-tested.

We’ve selected a list of the five best dog car seats to make it easier for you to choose.

Top Picks for the Best Dog Car Seats: Ranked and Rated

#1 Best Overall: K&H Pet Products Bucket Booster Pet Seat

The K&H Pet Products Bucket Booster Pet Seat is the best overall dog car seat available. It is a bucket-style seat that exceeds our expectations for ease of installation, simple design, elevated size for safety, and easy to use tethers. We like this seat because it’s perfect for the back seat of the car.

We liked that the elevated design gives dogs a clearer view of everything going on outside. Security tethers were easily attached to our seat belts, so there were no worries about dogs getting loose. This seat is easy to clean with a removable fleece cover, which we also enjoyed, offering similar benefits to many waterproof seats.

The only complaint we had with this seat during reviewing was that it could only be air or line-dried. Putting this bed into the dryer on a low-heat cycle would have been very convenient. Aside from this minor issue, we found it best among car seat and dog car seat covers that were available.

Pros and Cons of the K&H Pet Products Bucket Booster Pet Seat

Best Overall Dog Car Seat

K&H Pet Products Bucket Booster

• Elevated design is safest of the options we reviewed
• Large enough to fit two small pups
• Easy and intuitive tether system makes installation quick and easy

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2. Best Dog Car Seat for Small Dogs: Snoozer Pet Products Lookout II Dog & Cat Car Seat

A Snoozer Pet Products Lookout II Dog & Cat Car Seat is one of the best small dog car seat options that we reviewed, with comfortable fleece material that helps calm anxious dogs and pockets for storing treats. We also liked how this seat was safety-tested in a way similar to crash-tested models, showing the ability to keep dogs safe during sudden stops.

It’s available in an astounding array of 33 colors/patterns and in three sizes: small, medium, and large.

A few of reviewers found that their anxious dogs did not calm down. Also, because the seat attaches to a harness instead of a collar, you will need to make sure your dog has one that fits properly.

Pros and Cons of the Snoozer Pet Products Lookout II Dog & Cat Car Seat

Best for Small Dogs

Snoozer Pet Products Lookout II Car Seat

• Comfortable fleece interior
• Size is ideal for smaller sedans with narrow back seats
• Attaches to harness instead of collar, which is safer in a crash

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3. Best for Large Dogs: BOCHAO Dog Car Seat Pet

The BOCHAO Dog Car Seat Pet is easy to clean, allowing you to disassemble it for machine-washing. This seat is also close to waterproof, chewing-resistant, and easy to load into your car. Unlike other designs, the BOCHAO is easier to use in the front, or rear seats.

It’s available in four colors and is designed for dogs 40 pounds and under.

Some reviewers had problems with dogs releasing the safety belt during unloading.

Pros and Cons of the BOCHAO Dog Car Seat Pet

Best for Large Dogs

BOCHAO Dog Car Seat

• Booster and car seat in one
• Detachable, and easy to wash
• Easy to install in the front, or rear seats

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4. Best Safety-Tested Dog Car Seat: PupSaver Booster Car Seat for Dogs Up to 30 Pounds

The PupSaver Booster Car Seat for Dogs Up to 30 pounds has been crash-tested, something that gave reviewers maximum reassurance. The seat’s safety hooks connect to the child safety seat anchors for greater crash protection, and the ballistic nylon material is a lot more flexible than the seats that feature foam pieces.

A few reviewers had concerns about the back of the seat curving down after long-term usage, which could diminish its ability to protect a dog during an accident. Another concern that some reviewers expressed was that the seat is too cumbersome to take in and out of the car.

While this is a crash tested design, we do not recommend it for dogs greater than 30 pounds due to the low front and weight limit. The flip side, is that for smaller dogs, the low front makes it much easier to enter and exit.

Pros and Cons of the PupSaver Booster Car Seat for Dogs Up to 30 Pounds

Safest Car Seat for Small Dogs

PupSaver Original Dog Car Seat

• Crash tested design
• Low front makes it easier for dogs to enter and exit the carrier
• Note: Suitable for up to 30lbs. Not for larger dogs
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5. Best Dog Car Seat for Two Dogs: Pet Gear Booster Seat for Dogs/Cats

The Pet Gear Booster Seat for Dogs/Cats is a dog booster car seat that easily accommodates two smaller dogs while giving them a view of everything outside. The design comes in two widths, 17″ and 22″. If you don’t need as much room the 17″ option is a great choice for just a single dog. Tethers that attach to harnesses, a removable pillow, and one of the most easy-care dog car seat covers available are excellent features.

This seat is a extremely simple design to install. It is very straight forward and uses the existing belt tucked under the bottom to secure the seat. However, this is hard to get as tight as some reviewers would like, so we suggest relying on the anchors and really tightening those as much as possible to keep your dog safe.

Pros and Cons of the Pet Gear Booster Seat for Dogs/Cats

How to Choose the Right Dog Car Seat

Whether you need a small dog car seat or a large dog car seat is one of several considerations. Style matters when picking a seat. For example, a high-back seat is often the most comfortable for dogs of various sizes.

The material is also important, including whether it is waterproof or easy to clean. Durability also matters, especially for dogs who like to chew. The longer your seat lasts, the better.

How to Use One Car Seat for Two Dogs

The safest option for using a single seat for two dogs is to use a seat designed for two. Such seats have appropriate restraints and keep the dogs from crowding each other.

How to Make a Dog Car Seat More Comfortable

A large dog car seat, like a smaller seat, will often easily accommodate a blanket. There are also covers that you can get for these seats.

Our Criteria and Experience: How We Chose the Best

• When looking for the best dog car seat, we wanted to find a seat that keeps your dog safely in one place during a car ride. Additionally and most importantly, we wanted your dog to stay secured if you came to a sudden stop or were involved in a car accident. What we found from our research is that those dog car seats that went though crash tests and safety tests provided more peace of mind for reviewers. However, pay close attention to weight limits.
• We discovered that the best dog car seats for small breeds were elevated to allow your furry friends to see out of the windows. According to reviewers, the elevated positioning dramatically improved their dogs’ view, increasing their enjoyment during car rides. Elevated seats can help alleviate car sickness, too.
• We know that a daily used item can be nearly impossible to keep clean. For this reason, we searched for dog car seats with clear cleaning instructions. We especially liked seats with zipped liners that could be removed easily and machine washed and dried.

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