Graco Trio Grow SnugLock

The Graco TrioGrow SnugLock all-in-one car seat accommodates children weighing 5 to 100 lbs., and transitions from rear-facing harnessed mode all the way to front-facing highback booster mode as your child grows. This all-in-one car seat also performs very well in CR’s  ease-of-use and vehicle installation tests. But it’s worth noting that the external side-impact features may limit its compatibility in certain vehicle seats, depending on whether there are deep vehicle seatback bolsters. They may also impact the comfort of adjacent passengers if seated next to the car seat.

It’s also important to note that, the Graco TrioGrow SnugLock’s performance in CR’s independent crash testing limits its overall score in our ratings. Based on CR’s crash test results and the seat’s rear-facing lower anchor weight limit, CR recommends installing the TrioGrow with the lower LATCH anchors (as opposed to a seat belt installation) when in the rear-facing position. Our recommendation is not to use the seat belt for installation until you’re ready to turn the car seat around to the forward-facing position at 40 lbs. 

This seat may be a good choice for: 

• Families who want to purchase an all-in-one car seat (as opposed to using an infant seat for the first year and then switching to a convertible seat)
• Anyone who needs a simple and straightforward installation process, thanks to the easy-to-use SnugLock tensioner
• Families who need a seat that’s easy to move between multiple cars
• Cars with a small back seat
   

Ease of use: Overall, the Graco TrioGrow SnugLock all-in-one car seat is a very easy-to-use seat that scored high in CR’s ease of use tests. The seat has an easily adjustable harness and head rest, and an easy-to-open chest clip with an icon for best placement at the child’s armpit level, but our testers found that the crotch buckle was a little finicky to use. Additionally, it can be difficult to close the SnugLock when the belt is in tension in the rear-facing belt path. Fit-to-vehicle LATCH: Installing the seat forward-facing and rear-facing with LATCH is fairly intuitive, and the labels and manual offer diagrams and explanations for the process. There’s also a LATCH tensioner feature for both forward-facing and rear-facing installations to ensure a secure fit.

Fit-to-vehicle belt: The tensioner feature makes installing the car seat forward- and rear-facing with the seat belt easier, though it must be rotated to be used in either direction, and the belt path is somewhat convoluted, our testers found.

Booster fit: Overall, this seat’s ability to correctly position the lap and shoulder belts is very good, but in some vehicles, you may need to remove the back seat head restraints to get the best booster fit.

Crash protection: As part of Consumer Reports’ car seat evaluation program, CR conducts its own simulated frontal crash tests. In 2 of 2 rear-facing tests with the Hybrid III 3YO crash test dummy, installed with the lap and shoulder belt, the SnugLock arm had significant cracking and breakage, with debris jamming the harness adjuster A-lock. Based on these results and the rear-facing lower anchor weight limit, CR recommends installing the TrioGrow with the lower anchors when rear-facing and not using the seat belt for installation until forward-facing. 

Additional Information

Good to know: All child car seats sold in the United States are required to meet government safety standards. 

About our testing: Consumer Reports’ child car seat tests are not designed to test compliance with federal standards. Rather, we evaluate car seat performance under conditions designed by our experts that go beyond the required federal safety standards. Consumer Reports’ independent car seat crash test program has been carefully designed to simulate the forces encountered during a crash, while replicating some of the real-world factors that might impact a car seat’s performance. Our testing aims to determine which car seats could provide an extra level of safety when compared to other models in the same category. 

Basic, Better, or Best: CR rates the child car seats we crash test on a scale of Basic, Better, and Best, based on the additional margin of safety they may provide. Read about how we test car seats to learn more about our crash test protocol.

The Graco Trio Grow SnugLock is part of the Car Seats test program at Consumer Reports. In our lab tests, Harnessed Car Seats models like the Trio Grow SnugLock are rated on multiple criteria, such as those listed below.

Ease of use: Our judgment of how easy each seat is to use including the clarity of labels and instructions, adjustments of clips and buckles, the transition of the seat between modes and installation features such as LATCH connections, belt paths, top tethers and booster guides.

Forward facing fit-to-vehicle: A rating of how compatible, easy and secure a child car seat can be correctly installed in the forward-facing direction. This rating is a combination of the LATCH system and belt ratings that are available individually on the model page.

Rear facing fit-to-vehicle: A rating of how compatible, easy and secure a child car seat can be correctly installed in the rear-facing direction. This rating is a combination of LATCH system and belt ratings that are available individually on the model page.