The 15 Best Dog Car Seats Because They’re Travel Game-Changers

Flying on an airplane these days can be pricey and stressful—let alone with a dog in tow. Plus, if you’re the proud owner of a large breed, you know car rides are sometimes the only way to bring your pet along for the, well, ride. This is why many pet owners prefer road trips to flights. For long road trips with pets, car seats are game changers. They make everyone safer which means more fun for the whole family (even if family is just you and Bridger). Here are some of the best dog car seats you can buy, whether you need a crate for a large breed, a pet carrier for dogs that like to roam or something for anxious pups. Time to get packing!

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• Dr. Linda Simon, is a veterinarian at Senior Tail Waggers and has a decade of experience as a vet. She specializes in veterinary surgery and senior animals.
• Nicole Ellis is a Certified Professional Dog Trainer and Pet Lifestyle Expert with Rover. She has more than 15 years of experience training all types of animals and wrote Working Like A Dog, a book all about the lives of professional canines.

When selecting the best car seats for canines, we first consulted to experts in the field to get their advice for what to look for in these products. After taking their professional advice into consideration, we then pored over hundreds of user reviews, asked around to our own dog-owner editors and looked at editor- and reader-preferred retailers to compile our list. We also made sure to include a range of budgets and specific needs in our roundup (a larger dog breed needs a different type of car seat compared to a smaller breed, for example). The end result is a comprehensive list of dog car seats for every type of four-legged traveler.

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Dog car seats are the answer to your concerns about safe doggy driving practices! Equipment designed to keep canines from flying around in the event of an accident or sudden stop is a wise investment. When buying a dog car seat, you’ll come across three primary styles: harnesses, seats and crates. Harnesses go on your dog, your dog goes in seats and crates.

• Safety: Dr. Simon says, “When purchasing a harness or car seat, opt for one that's been safety tested and approved.” Ellis agrees, encouraging pet parents to look for products that have been third-party tested. “It’s an unregulated industry and anyone can say their product is crash-tested, yet many of these products actually fail third party crash testing,” Ellis says. Be wary of car seats that only provide safety leashes or tethers. Look for sturdier options, many of which will be crates with straps securing them to your vehicle. “Look for a seat that fixes securely to the car and doesn't wobble too much,” Dr. Simon says. The Center for Pet Safety says products tend to fall into one of two categories: distraction prevention or crash protection. Both are good, but crash protection is ideal. CPS encourages pet parents to look for their official safety seal on products. Harnesses, crates and seats must go through a rigorous testing process to receive this CPS certification and the organization posts crash-testing videos on their site for transparency.
• Your dog’s size and weight: “For larger dogs and those who dislike staying in car seats, [harnesses] can be a better option, as they allow the dog to feel freer while still restricting their movement,” says Dr. Simon. There are some harnesses ill-suited for breeds with large chest cavities like Greyhounds or Borzois, so be sure to double check all warnings and labels. “Dogs over 18 pounds should be in a crash-tested harness or crate, while dogs under 18 pounds should be in a crash-tested carrier that buckles in using your car's seat belt,” advises Ellis.
• Frequency of use: Are daily car trips in your dog’s future or is a car ride a very special, rare treat? A harness you can slide a seatbelt through is a quick option, whereas buckling a crate or seat in (perhaps after installing a waterproof seat cover) might take about 15 minutes. Decide what you’ll realistically be able to do every time your dog gets into the car.
• Materials: Ideally, your dog's car seat will be easy to clean. Though your pup may not have many accidents, paws get muddy, drool is common and hair goes everywhere. If you can’t wipe it down or toss it in the wash, we say hard pass.