I dread my commute to work and driving in general. I, as a short driver and passenger, suffer from extreme discomfort and pain that gets worse the longer my ride time is. In general, vehicles have bucket-style seats that are deep and troublesome for short drivers. Here’s my set-up:
I pump my seat all the way up to see over the steering wheel.
At that point, I must lean the seat back because the head rest is hitting the roof.
Then, I need to pull the seat all the way forward to reach the pedals.
Ergonomics are completely disregarded – the back of the seat is so tall the curvature does not fit my spine. Those side bolsters that are supposed to hold you into the chair are where my shoulders land, so I end up hunching forward. My head does not reach the head rest. In my opinion, my absolute worst pain comes from the bucket-style seat. My hips tilts lower than my knees when sitting in car seats, allowing the pain to build up on the backs of my thighs and lower back.
I’ve got a 35-minute commute with good traffic one-way. Without a supportive car seat, I am in pain by the time I arrive at work.
Is this you?
Far From Tall has researched car seats that boost height and re-shapes the seat to better accommodate a short driver. Here are our top car seats for those who are Far From Tall.
The Leather Car Memory Foam Heightening Seat Cushion by Qyilay is ergonomically designed to provide back support by relieving sciatic pressure on the hip/coccyx/tailbone. In turn, this promotes a healthy sitting posture. The Qyilay seat cushion is 18 x 17.2 x 2.8 inches (length x width x height), giving you a 2.8-inch increase in height. Although this pillow does not appear to be wedge-shaped, when you sit on it the memory foam compresses comfortably – it positions my hips higher than my thighs and removes the bucket feeling of the car seat. It is a relatively heavy seat cushion, coming in at 2.8 lbs, but is made of high-grade leather on the top, and has a non-slip bottom. The fabric is resistant to dirt and easy to clean. The Leather Car Memory Foam Heightening Seat Cushion by Qyilay comes with a built-in handle for easy transport and in a handful of colors to match your car seat.
The Extra Large Seat Cushion by Kӧlbs is the last car seat to make our Top 5 list that is not in the shape of a wedge. The Extra Large Seat Cushion boasts dimensions of 19 x 17 x 3 inches, providing 3 inches of added height to drivers. Make sure to measure the dimensions of your car seat to double check the large 19 x 17 inch dimensions will work for your vehicle. It has 2 layers of memory foam, the outer layer is plush memory foam for pressure prevention, and the inner layer is a high-density core to support the upper layer. The car seat cover is plush velvet that is machine washable but comes in black only. The seat cover also has handles to carry it, and a non-skid bottom so it won’t slide in your seat. The Kӧlbs Extra Large Seat Cushion is 1.78 lbs and is 1 lbs lighter than the Qyilay car seat.
The Car Coccyx Seat Cushion pad for Sciatica Tailbone Pain Relief, Heightening Wedge Booster Seat Cushion by CarQiWireless Store is a 18 x 8 x 5 inch wedge style cushion. Memory foam is 2.9 inches of the 5 inch depth and can raise the seat height of the rider a maximum of 2.9 inches. Although the CarQiWireless Store car seat is slightly smaller than the Qyilay, it advantageously features non-slip backing and a fixing belt to hold the seat in place. The mesh fabric is breathable and dustproof, can easily be removed, and is machine washable but not dryable. Since the seat cover is fabric instead of leather, this car seat is much lighter (1.72 lbs). I don’t like that this seat was only available in a grey/black color palette, but the shape of this car seat does a good job at fixing the lack of ergonomics of bucket-seats.
The ComfySure Car Seat Cushion by the ComfySure Store is another excellent wedge car seat cushion option. If you don’t like the basketball short style mesh fabric of the Car Coccyx Seat Cushion pad by CarQiWireless Store, look at the ComfySure Car Seat. The Comfysure Car Seat is 13.8 x 15.8 x 3.1 inches, providing 3.1 inches of increased seat heat to the reader. The car seat cushion is constructed entirely of high density memory foam, similar to an airplane donut pillow so it’s very light (1.4 lbs). The cushion is covered with velour that comes in grey or navy colors and is machine washable. The ComfySure Car Seat Cushion does not have a fixing belt to hold the cushion in place but does have a non-slip bottom. You don’t have to worry about it sliding in your seat as you get into your vehicle.
The Gel Car Seat Cushions for Driving – Memory Foam Wedge Tailbone Seat Cushion with Cooling Gel – Enhanced Therapeutic Grade Car Cushion for Truckers and Vehicle by The Desk Jockey Store is 14 x 13 x 3 inches, providing a driver height increase of 3-inches. This is a wedge style car seat with a removable plush velvet cover that is machine washable and dryable. What sets this car seat apart from others is its incorporation of a gel insert with the memory foam to allow the fabric to breathe and improve your posture. The Gel Car Seat Cushion is 3 lbs due to the addition of the gel and unfortunately does not have a non-slip backing or fixing belt.