Editor’s note: This Car Seat Check was written in May 2022 about the 2021 Ford Escape PHEV; little of substance has changed with this year’s model. See what’s new for 2022 or check out a side-by-side comparison of the two model years.
The verdict: Ford’s Escape compact SUV is also available in plug-in hybrid form as the Escape PHEV, which was added to the Escape roster for 2020. The plug-in variant joins both gas and hybrid versions in the lineup. Because of its battery placement, there’s slightly less legroom in the backseat of the PHEV, but that didn’t hold it back from getting straight A grades in our Car Seat Check thanks to easy-access anchors and ample legroom for two car seats.
Does it fit three car seats? No.
Take a look at how the Latch system and each car seat scored below in our Car Seat Check of the 2022 Ford Escape PHEV.
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A Grade
- Latch: The two sets of lower anchors are exposed for easy access and connection. The Escape PHEV has three top tether anchors on the rear seatbacks that are also exposed for good clearance and easy connection.
- Infant: Installing the infant seat was easy, and our 5-foot-6-inch front passenger had a comfortable amount of legroom. Thin front seats and big cutouts in the front seatbacks help maximize backseat space and make it roomier than it looks.
- Rear-facing convertible: This seat was also easy to install and again, our front passenger had no legroom issues.
- Forward-facing convertible: After removing the head restraint, the convertible car seat fit well in its forward-facing position. Easy-access lower and upper anchors made installation trouble-
- Booster: We again removed the head restraint to situate the booster flush against the seatback. The outboard buckles are on stable stalks, which should make them easy for kids to grasp and use independently. The middle buckle is floppy.
B Grade
- None
C Grade
- None
Grading Scale
A: Plenty of room for the car seat and the child; doesn’t impact driver or front-passenger legroom. Easy to find and connect to Latch and tether anchors. No fit issues involving head restraint or seat contouring. Easy access to the third row.
B: One room, fit or connection issue. Some problems accessing the third row when available.
C: Marginal room plus one fit or connection issue. Difficult to access the third row when available.
D: Insufficient room, plus multiple fit or connection issues.
F: Does not fit or is unsafe.
About Cars.com’s Car Seat Checks
Editors Jennifer Geiger and Jennifer Newman are certified child safety seat installation technicians.
For the Car Seat Check, we use a Chicco KeyFit 30 infant-safety seat, a Graco Contender 65 convertible seat and Graco TurboBooster seat. The front seats are adjusted for a 6-foot driver and a shorter passenger. The three child seats are installed in the second row. The booster seat sits behind the driver’s seat, and the infant and convertible seats are installed behind the front passenger seat.
We also install the forward-facing convertible in the second row’s middle seat with the booster and infant seat in the outboard seats to see if three car seats will fit; a child sitting in the booster seat must be able to reach the seat belt buckle. If there’s a third row, we install the booster seat and a forward-facing convertible. Learn more about how we conduct our Car Seat Checks.
Parents should also remember that they can use the Latch system or a seat belt to install a car seat, and that Latch anchors have a weight limit of 65 pounds, including the weight of the child and the weight of the seat itself.
2021 Ford Escape PHEV | Cars.com photo by Jennifer Geiger
Keyword: How Do Car Seats Fit in a 2022 Ford Escape PHEV?