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Many new parents agonize over their choice of car seat, looking for the best safety, the most important features, and the best price. They’re looking for the perfect car seat for their child and making the best choice among the alternatives.
However, what often happens in real life is that there isn't a single perfect car seat. Most families end up buying multiple car seats. They may have their big, heavy, premium, all-in-one in their primary car, but a different car seat in a secondary car. They may need a car seat that is designed for travel, or a simple car seat to loan to occasional caregivers or family members.
The Graco My Ride 65 strikes a balance among all of those needs, and is a solid, competitively-priced all-rounder that will last for years.
Who is the Graco My Ride 65 Most Suitable For?
The Graco My Ride 65 is a safe, affordable car seat with Graco quality and safety standards, and without a lot of bells and whistles.
In fact, the Graco My Ride 65 is a somewhat inconvenient car seat. The harness needs rethreading for cleaning and adjustment, which can be time-consuming.
While it isn't heavy, it's a big car seat for seats in its class, and the limited recline range can take up a lot of front passenger space. More upscale car seats have easier installation and adjustment features, have a larger weight range or life span, or are compact and easy to travel with, and the My Ride 65 isn't any of those.
However, it's a great choice for a safe, basic, useful car seat. For parents who want an affordable seat without compromising on quality or safety, as a backup car seat for a second car, or for family members and care givers who only occasionally need a car seat, the Graco My Ride 65 is a great choice.
It's also a great choice for kids who are bigger than average, since this car seat is on the large side. While it has the same height and weight ranges as competitor products, it has a generous interior that may be a better fit for kids who are above average in size.
Pros and Cons of Graco My Ride 65
Pros
Cons
Overview of Graco My Ride 65
The Graco My Ride 65 is a good convertible car seat, keeping children safe and comfortable from 4-65 pounds. Although it has undergone crash testing and side impact testing, it is light in weight, at just under 16 pounds. It doesn't have a lot of advanced features and bells and whistles of other car seats, but then, it doesn't have a big price tag either.
It's a large car seat, with plenty of room for larger-than-average babies and children, with roomy construction, and it's simple, functional, and comfortable.
The good lifespan and reliable quality of the Graco My Ride 65 make it a good choice as a primary car seat, but the simplicity and affordability of this model also make it a great choice as a backup car seat, occasional car seat, or emergency car seat.
Safety
What are this model’s NHTSA ratings? All car seats sold in the US must meet or exceed strict federal safety and crash test standards, so the NHTSA does not rate car seats for safety. Instead, they offer ratings and evaluations for ease of use.
According to the NHTSA, the Graco My Ride 65 has earned (for the rear-facing installation):
- Side impact protection? Yes
- Energy-absorbing base? Energy-absorbing foam
- Metal frame? No
Longevity
What is This Model’s Child Height Limit?
What is This Model’s Child Weight Limit?
Ease of Use
Ease of Installation
Comfort and Quality
Video Overview of Graco My Ride 65
Graco My Ride 65 Specs
FEATURE | DESCRIPTION |
|---|---|
Rear-facing height limit | Top of head must be at least 1 inch below the handle |
Rear-facing weight limit | 4-40 pounds |
Forward-facing height limit | 49 inches |
Forward-facing weight limit | 20-65 pounds |
Car seat weight | 15.8 pounds |
Car seat dimensions | 21.1 x 17.28 x 34.49 inches |
Car seat expiration | 7 years |
Graco My Ride 65 Features
FEATURE | DESCRIPTION |
|---|---|
Safety features | |
Ease of use | |
Longevity features | |
Quality and comfort features |
What is included with the Graco My Ride 65?
The Graco My Ride 65 comes with a removable newborn insert pillow and toddler headrest.
Graco My Ride 65 Installation
Graco has published several videos about the My Ride 65 on their YouTube channel, covering every installation mode. For rear-facing installation with LATCH, you can see the video here:
For rear-facing installation with a vehicle belt, you can see the video here:
For forward-facing installation with LATCH, the video is here:
For forward-facing installation using a seat belt, you can watch the video here:
Graco My Ride 65 Manual
The Graco My Ride 65 user's manual can be found here:
Graco My Ride 65 vs. Graco Contender 65
The Graco My Ride 65 and the Contender 65 are both convertible car seats that protect kids up to 65 pounds. With plastic and impact-absorbing foam construction, and dual cupholders, they even look fairly similar.
They both have the same safety testing, removable newborn support pillows, and a 7 year lifespan. But the Graco Contender 65 costs more than the My Ride 65. Since the reasons aren't superficial, the cost difference is in the details. Let's take a closer look at these two convertible car seats.
| Graco My Ride 65 | Graco Contender 65 |
|---|---|---|
Rear-facing height range | Top of head must be at least 1 inch below the handle | Top of head must be at least 1 inch below the handle |
Rear-facing weight range | 4-40 pounds | 5-40 pounds |
Forward-facing height range | 49 inches | 49 inches |
Forward-facing weight range | 20-65 pounds | 22-65 pounds |
Car seat weight | 15.8 pounds | 15.22 pounds |
Car seat dimensions | 21.1 x 17.28 x 34.49 | 27 x 20.75 x 26 inches |
Harness | Five-point, front-adjust non-re-threadable harness | Simply Safe Adjust harness system adjusts headrest and harness at once with no rethreading |
Headrest | Removable pillow | Eight-position headrest |
Buckle positions | 1 | 2 |
While both car seats are safe and protective for children up to 65 pounds or 7 years, the Contender 65 has a much easier harness, with a greater range of harness, headrest, and buckle positions for a more accurate fit as a child grows. Importantly, the significantly shorter height of the Contender makes it fit more easily in smaller cars, particularly in rear-facing mode.
Many parents would feel that the greater convenience and adjustability of the Contender 65 makes it worth the extra money. And many other parents feel like these features are extras that aren't worth paying for.
It's worth remembering that both of these car seats sometimes have sales and discounts offered on Amazon, and that the MSRP for both of these car seats is only s a $20 price difference. So it may be worth looking out for a good deal on the Contender 65, as a simple upgrade to the My Ride 65.
Graco My Ride 65 User Review
Conclusion
The Graco My Ride 65 may be a bit big and bulky, but it's safe, comfortable, and has great longevity, protecting children up to 65 pounds or 7 years.
Many people are surprised by the quality construction of this car seat given the price, and have a pleasant surprise with the comfort, functionality, and durability of this car seat.
It's a great choice for people who want a safe, simple car seat without a lot of extra features they don't need, that will last for up to 7 years.
Graco My Ride 65 (click image for more info)
With two kids of my own, I’m passionate about child safety! I’m a research nerd who’s on a mission to make the world a safer place for kids – starting with car seats!
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