The bench seat was the traditional seat installed in American automobiles. This seat featured a continuous pad running the full width of the cabin. The second row of most sedans is usually a bench, unless a console is installed in a luxury model such as the Chrysler Pacifica, as is the third row of most SUVs and minivans, which may be forward, or rear facing.

The front bench typically allowed three people to sit abreast, or six passengers to car, nearly the same passenger load as a three-row SUV or minivan, though with less comfort. The bucket seat arrangement leaves a space between the two front seats, usually occupied by a shifter and hand brake. Originally, bucket seats were associated with imported cars in the 1950s and 1960s. The Volkswagen Bus was originally available with three rows of bench seats seating up to nine passengers, but since then most minivans have been configured to seat seven or eight with front bucket seats.

Part of the success of the Chrysler K-cars, the Dodge Aries and the Plymouth Reliant, was that by retaining front bench seating rather than adopting bucket seats usually fitted to compacts, they could still function as the six passenger cars they were designed to replace and compete against.