We’re expecting our first baby soon, so we have been doing a lot of research, trying to find the right car seat for our Tesla Model Y. The Model Y is a great car for small families, and in the video above, we show how the Diono Radian 3QXT and the Graco Extend2Fit 3-in-1 car seats fit inside the car and highlight their features.
**All opinions are TESBROS. We were not paid by either of these car seat companies to make this video. We chose these car seats based on recommendations from family and friends, as well as online safety ratings.
Car Seat Overview
We are skipping the infant car seat to save space and money, so we need a convertible car seat that’s compatible from birth to booster. Most importantly, we wanted the safest seat possible! These two we chose are convertible with 3 modes of use and have steel reinforcements. They also are used rear facing up to 50 lbs.
Here are some top features that make each seat unique:
Diono Radian 3QXT (Has the most features/upgrades of all the current Diono models)
- Fits 3 car seats across the backseat due to narrow frame
- Suitable for 4 – 120 lbs
- Anti-rebound bar
- Extra safe and comfy newborn insert protection
- Steel frame
- Folds to compact size for travel
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Graco Extend2fit 3-in-1 (Not to be confused with the regular extend2fit or 4ever models)
- Suitable for 4-100 lbs
- Latch can be used rear-facing up to 45 lbs, which is the highest I’ve seen
- Highest independent crash test rating by BabyGearLab
- Extendable leg room for child for more comfortable extended rear facing
Install Comparison Overview
- Graco Rear Facing:
- Comfortable room in the front seat for passengers
- Latch buckle is already threaded through so that makes it easer to latch in place.
- The buckles are easy to move out of the way for the baby to be buckled in.
- Graco Forward Facing:
- Not a lot of room to move around the car seat if you had another child climbing over to sit in the back seat.
- It would be easy to fit two car seats in the back, but not another child in the middle of the two.
- Large enough opening to fit hand through for buckle
- Diono Rear Facing
- It’s narrow so you can fit three car seats across the back or two and a third child in the middle.
- There’s barely any room to move the passenger and driver seats back. It would be very uncomfortable on long trips.
- You do need to thread the buckle through a fairly small opening.
- Diono Forward Facing
- Plenty of room to move around the seat to get to the middle seat.
- You could fit three across, or a third child in the middle. However, probably not an adult.
What’s best for you?
If you have several small children and you need 3 car seats, the Diono is perfect because you can fit three seats across or two on either side of a small child in the middle. It’s much better for forward facing children as opposed to rear facing. With rear facing, the Diono only leaves a couple inches of room for the front passengers to move their seat back.
The Graco would be better for small families with only one or two children. Also, with rear facing, there’s a significant amount more room for the front passengers than the Diono. The Graco was also much more compact and lightweight than the Diono. The Diono is 32 lbs and the Graco is 20.61 lb.
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