Car Seats

Best Car Seats

Overall Score

Graco Head Wise 65

Convertible Car Seats

We expect this model to perform similarly to the tested Graco Size4Me 65 although it may differ in price and features.

One of multiple convertible seats offered by Graco.

CR Expert Take

How did it perform in our expert lab testing?

Overall Score

The Overall Score for this model is derived from our expert lab test results.

Current Range of Tested Convertible Car Seats

What goes into the Overall Score?

EXPERT LAB TESTS

Ease of use

4 / 5

Rear LATCH

5 / 5

Rear belt

4 / 5

Forward LATCH

4 / 5

Forward belt

3 / 5

Crash protection

BEST

Pros

Crash Protection
Push-on LATCH connectors
No-rethread harness
Separate rear and forward-facing LATCH straps
Rear-facing installation

Cons

Wide base

CR's Take

This seat which is similar to the Size4Me 65 is exclusively sold at retailer Target. Originally sold as the Head Wise 70 with a 70lb forward-facing harness capacity, the capacity and the name have both been reduced to 65 but the seat remains the same otherwise. While we were impressed with the very good rear-facing installation, lack of access to the belt path can make forward-facing installation more difficult.

Detailed Test Results

Consumer Reports’ car seat crash test, developed in 2014, provides comparative performance information on which car seats could provide an additional margin of safety. All child seats sold in the United States are required to meet government safety standards, and Consumer Reports’ tests are not designed to test compliance with those standards. Rather, we evaluate the seats’ performance under conditions designed by our experts to simulate certain crash scenarios, and rate them on a scale ranging from “basic” to “best.” The test conditions have been carefully designed to simulate the interior environment and forces encountered during a crash in contemporary vehicles. For more information on our crash test protocol, please click here.

About

The Graco Head Wise 65 is part of the Car Seats test program at Consumer Reports. In our lab tests, Convertible Car Seats models like the Head Wise 65 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 from rear facing to forward facing and installation features such as LATCH connections and top tethers.

Rear LATCH: Rear-facing installation using the LATCH system. A rating of how compatible, easy and secure a child car seat can be correctly installed in certain test vehicles. This rating is based on a rear-facing installation using the LATCH system.

Rear belt: Rear-facing installation using vehicle seat belts. A rating of how compatible, easy and secure a child car seat can be correctly installed in certain test vehicles. This rating is based on a rear-facing installation using the vehicle belts.

Features & Specs

Features

LATCH connectors

Push-On

Harness adjustment

External

Recline level indicator type

Ball

Recline level indicator position

One Side

Multiple recline positions

Yes

Spanish language instructions

Included

Specs

Rear facing weight range (lbs.)

4-40

Forward facing weight range (lbs.)

20-65

Height range (in.)

50 or less

Seat weight (lbs.)

Base width (in.)

Overall width (in.)

Shell height (in.)

Overall height (in.)

Price & Shop

Graco Head Wise 65

Price

Description

CR Expert Take

Overall Score

What goes into the Overall Score?

EXPERT LAB TESTS

CR's Take

Detailed Test Results

About

Features & Specs

Features & Specs

Features

Specs

Price & Shop

Price & Shop

More From Consumer Reports