Are Dog Car Booster Seats Safe? What the Crash Tests Show

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A dog car booster seat lifts a small dog up so they can see out of the window, and most come with a short strap that clips to the dog. Owners want to know if one will also protect their dog in a crash. This page looks at the only independent crash test of booster seats we could find, explains what it showed, and covers the restraints that have passed independent testing instead.

The short answer: a booster seat can help keep a small dog settled and out of the driver’s way, but do not count on it for crash protection. When the nonprofit Center for Pet Safety crash tested four popular pet travel seats in 2015, none of them kept the test dog safely restrained in a way the group could recommend. For crash protection, the group points small dogs to a secured, certified carrier, and larger dogs to a certified crate or car harness.

How we wrote this: the test results come from the Center for Pet Safety’s pet travel seat pilot study page and its 2015 summary report, and the certified products from the Center for Pet Safety certified list and each product’s certification record, all checked on 1 November 2026. Travel habits come from the ASPCA. We put the findings in our own words. We did not crash test or try any of these products ourselves, and we do not show prices or ratings. If your dog has a health condition or gets very anxious in the car, ask your vet before a long trip.

What a dog booster seat is

The Center for Pet Safety (CPS) defines a pet travel seat as a portable seat, typically used in a car, that holds or raises the pet but does not fully contain it. The category covers booster seats, console booster seats that sit between the front seats, and seats sold as “crash tested”.

According to the CPS summary report, makers sell these seats on two ideas: that they cut driver distraction, which may help prevent accidents, and that a small dog travels happier when it is raised up with a view out of the car. The report also points out that there was no performance or crash testing standard for pet travel seats when it was written, so a maker’s “crash tested” claim could mean many things.

The only independent crash test: CPS, 2015

In 2015 CPS ran a pilot study of pet travel seats for small dogs, sponsored by Subaru of America. According to the report, the sled tests were done by MGA Research Corporation, an independent test lab in Manassas, Virginia that works under contract for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, with CPS staff on site. The crash conditions were based on the US federal standard for child car seats (FMVSS 213), because some of the seat makers referred to that standard themselves.

No real dogs were used. CPS used specially built, weighted and instrumented crash test dogs, a 25 lb or 30 lb terrier model, and fitted each seat the way its maker’s instructions said. CPS also notes that, as a first look at this kind of product, it had not yet set a definition of a successful result for travel seats. So the report describes what happened rather than giving grades. In brief:

• PupSaver. The seat turned on impact and rolled onto its side. A plastic buckle broke so that one anchor strap let go, and the seat tore in places. The 30 lb test dog stayed attached through its collar and the PupSaver tether. CPS notes the dog happened to sit in the best possible spot, in line with the shoulder belt; a dog off to one side or lying down would put the load on the seat’s connections and the collar instead. CPS did not recommend it, in part because the maker suggested the front seat, where a pet is exposed to the airbag.
• Snoozer Lookout I Car Seat, size Medium. The anchor strap that came with the seat broke, leaving the 25 lb test dog completely unrestrained. The seat turned while still held by the car’s seat belt, and the dog bounced off the test bench frame.
• PetSmart Top Paw Booster Seat (which CPS believes is a private label version of a Solvit pet safety seat). The seat itself stayed in place, but its wire connection hardware bent badly and the 30 lb test dog was completely unrestrained. Following the picture on the box, the test dog was clipped in by a collar.
• Kurgo Skybox Booster Seat. The test dog wore a Kurgo Tru-Fit Smart Harness and stayed attached to the seat, but the seat’s own connections to the car failed. The seat broke loose from the car and became a projectile, and its metal frame bent badly.

These were the 2015 versions of these seats. Makers may have changed their designs since, and the results apply to the models CPS tested, not to every booster seat on sale. What has not changed is the bigger picture: when we checked the CPS certified list on 1 November 2026, it covered harnesses, carriers and crates, and it listed no booster seat or console seat.

What CPS concluded

The summary report draws a few lessons from the test. In our own words:

• A travel seat may help with distraction, but CPS does not expect it to give crash protection.
• A small dog raised up in a pet seat is, in CPS’s view, more likely to be hurt or thrown in a crash than a small dog in one of its top performing carriers.
• A collar or an ordinary walking harness is not a safe way to tie a dog into any travel product. CPS warns it puts the dog at serious risk in a crash.
• Clipping a dog into a weak seat with a “crash tested” harness does not make the seat any safer for the dog or for the people in the car.

Based on all its tests from 2011 to 2015, CPS recommended that small dogs and cats travel in a top performing carrier, and that larger dogs travel in a top performing crate or a CPS certified harness.

Safer options for a small dog

1. A certified carrier, secured in the car

For most small dogs, this is what CPS points to. Carriers on the certified list include the Sleepypod Mobile Pet Bed (its record shows a 15 lb test dog), the Sleepypod Mobile Pet Bed Mini (7 lb test dog), the Sleepypod Atom (12 lb), the Sleepypod Air (18 lb), the PawsInCar Expandable Pet Carrier (12 lb), the Away Pet Carrier (18 lb) and several other PawsInCar carriers. Each record gives the test date and the weight of the test dog, so pick one tested at or above your dog’s weight, and secure it in the car exactly as the maker’s manual says. None is in our catalog, so we name them without links. The list changes, so check it before you buy.

The ASPCA gives the same general advice for any crate or carrier: it should be well ventilated, roomy enough that your pet can turn around and stretch out lying down, and secured so it will not slide or shift if you brake hard. Our best cat carrier guide covers carrier features such as size, ventilation and doors.

2. A certified car harness, in the back seat

A harness that clips into the car’s own seat belt is the other option, mostly for bigger dogs. CPS has certified three: the Sleepypod Clickit Sport, the Sleepypod Clickit Range and the Saker Bomber. For small dogs, note that the Clickit Sport record rates the Small size only up to 25 lbs, and Sleepypod itself suggests a secured crash-tested carrier for very small dogs. The Sleepypod Clickit Sport is in our catalog, and our best dog car harness guide compares all three and explains how to fit one. Use a car harness, not a walking harness: as the CPS results above show, an ordinary harness or collar is not built for crash forces.

3. A certified crate, for bigger dogs

CPS has also certified a handful of travel crates, such as the Gunner G1 Kennel, whose Small size record shows a 30 lb test dog. Our dog crate size chart shows how to measure.

If you still use a booster seat

If you keep a booster seat for short local trips, treat it as a way to keep your dog settled, not as safety equipment. Based on the CPS findings:

• Use the back seat. CPS says the front seat is not the safest place for a pet, because of the airbag and the risk of the cabin being crushed in a frontal crash. The ASPCA also says to keep a dog in the back seat if it is not in a crate.
• Never clip the tether to a collar. CPS calls a collar or walking harness unsafe as a crash connection for any travel product.
• Do not trust “crash tested” on the box. Look the product up on the CPS certified list instead. If it is not there, it has not passed CPS’s test.
• Check the straps and buckles before each trip. In the CPS test, the weak points were plastic buckles, straps and connection hardware.

Other car habits that keep a dog safe

• Start with short drives. The ASPCA suggests a series of short trips first, then longer ones, so your dog gets used to the car and to whatever restraint you choose.
• Heads inside. The ASPCA says not to let a pet ride with its head out of the window.
• Never leave your dog alone in a parked car. The ASPCA warns that a parked car can get dangerously hot on a warm day, even with the windows open, and dangerously cold in winter.

Our guide to traveling with a dog in the car covers the full routine. If your dog gets carsick or very stressed in the car, ask your vet.

FAQ

Are dog car seats safe in a crash?

We found no independent test showing that one is. In the Center for Pet Safety 2015 study, four popular pet seats were crash tested and none kept the test dog restrained in a way CPS could recommend. CPS has certified harnesses, carriers and crates, but no booster seat.

Where is the safest place for a small dog in the car?

In a secured, crash-tested carrier, out of the front passenger seat. CPS recommends a top performing carrier for small dogs and cats, the ASPCA says to secure any crate or carrier so it cannot slide, and CPS warns that the front seat exposes a pet to the airbag.

Can a small dog ride in the front seat?

It is not a good idea. CPS says the front seat exposes a pet to the airbag and to the cabin being crushed in a frontal crash, and the ASPCA advises the back seat.

Should I attach my dog’s booster seat strap to a collar or a harness?

Never a collar, and an ordinary walking harness is not a crash restraint either, according to CPS. If you use a booster seat, clip the tether to a well fitted harness and treat the seat as a way to keep your dog in place, not as crash protection.

Are “crash tested” dog car seats really crash tested?

The label usually rests on the maker’s own claim. CPS notes there was no crash testing standard for pet seats when it ran its study, and the seats it tested included models that referred to child seat standards. Check the CPS certified list for products that passed an independent test.

More on car travel: our best dog car seat cover guide, the dog travel bag checklist and the dog leash, harness and carrier buying guide.