Volvo Can Help You End the “Booster Battle”

child in volvo built-in booster seat

Did you know that most children need a booster seat to ride safely in a car until they are between 10 and 12 years old? Well, they do—but try convincing your 10-year-old to ride in one. “I’ll look like a baby!” they’ll say. “My friends might see it and call me a dork!”

Lucky for both of you, Volvo has an invention that could help. Their wagon and SUV models come with optional built-in, two-stage child booster seats. The seats flip down from the back of the vehicle’s rear seats and provide a convenient way to raise the child up to a height where the adult seat belt can fit them safely. There are two settings, so you can adjust the height of the booster depending on the size of the child. Not only are they easier to manage than traditional boosters, they blend in seamlessly with the vehicle seats, so your child won't feel so self-conscious about needing to use them.

There are several benefits to using the built-in booster seats. "There will be better fitment of our three-point seat belt, a wider age and weight range, and better attitude for the child who can now easily see outside with the added benefit of reducing driver distraction. Hopefully we will hear less often:  'Are we there yet?'" explains Thomas Broberg, Volvo’s Senior Safety Advisor.

Volvo has long been ahead of the game in terms of safety. Its home country of Sweden is also a leader when it comes to child passenger safety: children there have been riding rear-facing until age 4 for decades now, while the rest of the world is just starting to accept that rear-facing is best for young children. Innovative safety features like these boosters set them apart from other manufacturers when it comes to keeping kids--and adults--safe on the road.

The upper setting of the built-in booster is designed for children measuring 37 and 47 inches tall and weighing between 33 and 55 pounds, while the lower setting is intended for children between 45 and 55 inches in height and weighing between 48 and 80 pounds (keep in mind that regardless of height and weight, children should remain in a five-point harness until at least age 5 before moving on to belt-positioning boosters like these). The integrated booster seats are currently available as optional equipment on the Volvo V60, XC60, XC70, and XC90.