The best pet car seats in New Zealand — booster seats, harnesses, crates, and barriers compared. Find the safest option for your dog's size and NZ pricing.
Last updated
By Jess Aldridge 
Māui’s first car trip without a restraint ended with him in my lap at a set of traffic lights on the Porirua motorway. He’d started in the boot, migrated to the back seat, then decided the best view was from my legs while I was doing 80. That was the last time.
An unrestrained dog in the car is a distraction at best and a projectile at worst. At 50km/h, a 25kg dog hits with roughly 750kg of force. That’s enough to kill the dog and seriously injure anyone in the car. NZ doesn’t legally require dogs to be restrained — but physics doesn’t care about legislation.
For a broader look at safe car travel — covering rest stops, anxiety management, temperature safety, and longer road trips — see our complete guide on travelling with your dog in the car in NZ.
Here’s what’s actually worth buying in NZ, from budget booster seats to proper crash-tested harnesses.
Best booster seat: EzyDog Drive Booster Seat — premium, well-designed, suits dogs up to 12kg
Best budget booster: Kmart Dog Car Booster Seat — $25 and genuinely decent
Best seatbelt harness: EzyDog Drive Car Harness — crash-tested, fits most dogs
Best budget harness: Yours Droolly 2-in-1 Car Harness — solid value from Petstock
Best for large dogs: Solvit Tubular Car Barrier — keeps big dogs in the boot where they belong
Best for cats: Any secure carrier + seatbelt through the handle
Before picking a product, know what type suits your pet:
Booster seats — Raised platforms that let small dogs see out the window (reduces anxiety and motion sickness). Suit dogs under 10-12kg. Comfortable but limited crash protection.
Seatbelt harnesses — Chest-plate harnesses that clip into your car’s seatbelt system. Best for medium dogs (10-30kg). The right pick for most dog owners.
Car crates/carriers — Enclosed boxes secured in the boot or back seat. Safest option overall. Best for dogs who are crate-trained or anxious travellers.
Cargo barriers — Metal or mesh barriers between the boot and back seat. Ideal for large dogs in SUVs, estates, or utes. Doesn’t restrain the dog but contains them.
Seat covers with harness attachment — Back-seat hammock covers that protect upholstery and include a tether point. Comfort-focused, minimal crash protection. For a detailed comparison of the best options, see our dog car seat covers and hammocks guide for NZ.
EzyDog is an Australian brand with a strong NZ presence, and the Drive Booster is their flagship car product. It’s well-made — padded edges, proper seatbelt loop-through system, and a tether that clips to your dog’s harness so they can’t launch themselves out.
The elevation is the key feature. Small dogs that can see out the window are calmer dogs. Less anxiety means less motion sickness, less whining, and a more pleasant drive for everyone. The washable liner is a practical touch — because small dogs in elevated seats have been known to express their feelings about roundabouts.
Who it’s for: Small dog owners who drive regularly. If your Cavoodle, Jack Russell, or Shih Tzu is a frequent passenger, the $200 is worth it.
Downside: Expensive. If your dog only rides in the car for vet visits twice a year, the Kmart option below does the job.
At $25, this is a genuine bargain. It’s a basic padded booster with a seatbelt strap and an internal tether. Build quality is what you’d expect at this price — it’s not going to last five years of daily use — but for occasional car trips or as a first booster to see if your dog takes to it, you can’t argue with the price.
The padding is thin compared to the EzyDog, and there are no storage pockets or fancy features. But it elevates your dog, keeps them in one spot, and costs less than a decent coffee and cake.
Who it’s for: Budget-conscious owners, first-time buyers wanting to test the concept, or small dogs who only ride occasionally.
This is the one I use for Māui now. The chest plate distributes crash forces across the strongest part of the dog’s body rather than concentrating them on the neck or spine. It’s crash-tested — which is more than most pet harnesses can claim.
Installation is simple: harness on the dog, seatbelt through the restraint loop, click. Māui can sit up, lie down, and look out the window, but he can’t climb into the front seat or end up as a 28kg missile. The EzyDog seatbelt attachment ($30 at Animates) works with any EzyDog harness if you already own one.
Who it’s for: Dogs 10-35kg. This is the right answer for most medium and large dog owners who want genuine safety without crating.
Yours Droolly is one of those brands that quietly does a decent job without the premium pricing. The 2-in-1 works as both a car harness and a walking harness — clip the seatbelt through the loop for travel, attach a lead to the D-rings for walks. One harness, two jobs.
It’s not crash-tested to the same standard as the EzyDog, and the padding is thinner. But the construction is solid — double-stitched nylon webbing with dual D-rings for security. For a dog that rides in the car a few times a week, it’s a sensible buy.
Who it’s for: Owners who want a combined walking/car harness without spending $100+.
If you’ve got a Labrador, German Shepherd, or any dog over 30kg, a cargo barrier is usually the most practical solution. The Solvit is a solid tubular steel barrier that wedges between the boot and back seat, keeping your large dog contained without requiring them to wear anything.
It’s adjustable to fit most vehicles — measure your boot opening before buying. Installation takes about five minutes and it’s semi-permanent (stays in place between trips).
Who it’s for: Large dog owners with SUVs, estates, or station wagons. The boot becomes the dog’s zone. Pair with a boot liner to protect the carpet.
Alternative: Kurgo Cargo Cape ($80-100 at Animates) if you just want boot protection without a rigid barrier. It’s a cover, not a restraint — your dog can still climb over the seats.
Cats don’t need car seats — they need a carrier that doesn’t move. The safest setup is a hard-shell carrier on the back seat with the seatbelt threaded through the handle. Pōhu travels in a basic carrier from Animates ($45) secured exactly like this, and she’s gone from howling the entire trip to merely expressing quiet displeasure.
Soft carriers work too but offer less protection in a crash. Whichever you use, never let a cat loose in the car. A panicked cat under the brake pedal is genuinely dangerous.
Carrier tips:
If you’re shopping for a carrier, see the best cat carriers in NZ guide for picks across hard-shell, soft-sided, and backpack formats.
Window guards/barriers that clip to half-open windows. They restrict airflow without actually restraining your dog, and a determined dog can push past them.
Cheap universal seatbelt clips with no harness. A clip attached to a collar will strangle your dog in a sudden stop. Always use a chest harness.
Inflatable car beds with no tether point. Comfortable, but your dog slides off the moment you brake. Comfort without restraint isn’t safety.
For small dogs, get a booster seat — the Kmart one at $25 is fine to start, upgrade to the EzyDog Drive if your dog rides daily.
For medium and large dogs, get a seatbelt harness. The EzyDog Drive Car Harness is the best on the NZ market. The Yours Droolly 2-in-1 is a solid budget alternative.
For large dogs in SUVs, a cargo barrier is the most practical solution.
For cats, a secure carrier with a seatbelt through the handle. Done.
The gear isn’t expensive relative to a vet bill — or the alternative. Restrain your pets. It’s not a legal requirement in NZ, but it should be.
More car safety reading:
Prices are approximate NZ retail as of March 2026 and vary by retailer and size. Last reviewed March 2026.
There's no specific law requiring dogs to be restrained in vehicles in NZ. However, a loose dog that distracts the driver can result in a careless driving charge. More importantly, an unrestrained 25kg dog in a 50km/h crash becomes a 750kg projectile. Restraint is about safety, not compliance.
A crash-tested crate or carrier secured in the boot or back seat is the safest option. For dogs that won't tolerate a crate, a crash-tested seatbelt harness attached to the car's seatbelt system is the next best choice. Booster seats are comfortable but offer less crash protection.
Technically yes, but it's not recommended. Airbags can seriously injure or kill a dog in a collision. The back seat is always safer. If you must use the front seat, disable the passenger airbag and use a proper restraint.
Booster seats suit dogs under 10-12kg — think Chihuahuas, small terriers, and Cavoodles. Dogs 10-25kg do best with a seatbelt harness. Dogs over 25kg should use a cargo barrier, car crate, or heavy-duty harness. Weigh your dog and measure your car's back seat before buying.
Most accidents happen within 8km of home. A short trip to the vet or the beach carries the same crash physics as a long road trip. If you wouldn't drive without a seatbelt yourself, your dog deserves the same consideration.
You can, but a regular walking harness isn't designed for crash forces. In an impact, the stress points are wrong and the harness can fail or injure your dog. Purpose-built car harnesses like the EzyDog Drive or Yours Droolly 2-in-1 distribute force across the chest. If you're going to bother restraining your dog, use the right gear.
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