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Boosted Safe vs Console Vault · checked Nov 1, 2026
Console Vault builds steel safes to fit inside a specific vehicle’s factory console. Boosted Safe clips to the rear lower anchors (LATCH, called ISOFIX outside the US) and looks like a booster seat. We make the Boosted Safe, so weigh our view with that in mind. Below: what Console Vault publishes, where it is the better buy, and what we filmed.
Console Vault builds each safe for a specific vehicle, so sizes vary by model. The Tacoma figures below are one example from its site, with links to the pages we read. We make the Boosted Safe, so read this knowing that.
| Spec | Boosted Safe Elite | Golden Gate Elite | Console Vault (Tacoma example) |
|---|---|---|---|
| How it stays in the car | Clips to the anchors. Two steel latches clip to the rear lower anchors. The release is inside the locked safe. | Clips to the anchors. Two steel latches clip to the rear lower anchors. The release is inside the locked safe. | Sits inside the factory console, with factory bolts and hardware.Some models use self-tapping screws into the console sides |
| Where it sits | On the back seat. Takes one outer rear seat while installed. | On the back seat. Takes one outer rear seat while installed. | In the center console. Takes no seat. |
| Install | No drilling, no tools. | No drilling, no tools. | No cutting or drilling, per the maker.Household tools, 10 to 15 minutes on the Tacoma |
| Moves to your next car | Yes, between cars with lower anchors. | Yes, between cars with lower anchors. | Built for a specific make, model and year.Its Transporter is a separate portable model |
| Body | 16-gauge steel | 12-gauge steel37 lb | 12-gauge steel, per the maker |
| Inside (L × W × H) | 15.1 × 13.6 × 4.25 in | 15.1 × 13.6 × 4.25 in | 12.5 × 7.7 × 6.4 inLid opening 8 × 4.7 in |
| What it holds | A 16-inch MacBook Pro, or handguns (unloaded) | Handguns (unloaded)Certified for firearms | Valuables and firearms, per the makerMeasure against the lid opening |
| Opens with | Fingerprint, keypad, backup keyUSB-C for emergency power | Fingerprint, keypad, backup keyUSB-C for emergency power | Barrel key, 3-digit or 4-digit combination, or Elite electronic lockChoose one when you order |
| Looks like | A booster seat | A booster seat | A closed factory console |
| Fits | A back seat with lower anchorsUS vehicles from model year 2003 are required to have them, except trucks over 8,500 lb GVWR, so check | Same as the Elite | As of Nov 2026, their site lists 17 makes and “130+ fits”A few sedan models, no RV-specific models. Not the Tacoma hybrid. |
| Warranty and guarantee | If a thief beats it, we send a new safe, free. | If a thief beats it, we send a new safe, free. | Lifetime warranty on defects in workmanship and materials |
| Source | Elite | Golden Gate Elite | Tacoma, FAQ, vehicle finder, warranty |
Console Vault figures are from consolevault.com, checked November 1, 2026. Sizes change by vehicle, so check the page for yours. The Golden Gate Elite is on the California DOJ roster. We did not check Console Vault models against that roster. Prices change, so they are on each maker’s product page.
Fair is fair
If one of these is the job, buy the Console Vault. We would rather you owned the right safe.
Where we win
If you change cars, or carry more than fits under an armrest, these matter more.
The tests
A screwdriver pried the Basic open at 2 minutes 20 seconds. The Elite stayed shut through hand tools and hammers for five minutes and was damaged. The Golden Gate Elite opened after the five-minute clock ran out. With enough time and tools, nothing is secure. We did not test Console Vault on film.
Cable-held boxes and our own safes. Console Vault was not in this test.
See the full results
Setup, tools and what fits. Our safe, uncut.
Read the transcript
Break-in replacement guaranteeA thief damages it or beats it, we send a whole new safe.FREE
Lifetime warrantyDefects covered for as long as you own it, plus parts and support for life.FREE · $149
Steel security cableIncluded with every safe. Loop it through a seat frame for a second tether.FREE · $20
Three-layer foam insertPick-and-pluck, egg-crate and a base layer. Shape it around your pistol, camera or laptop.FREE · $20
Faraday bagWith every EliteFREE · $25
Black booster-seat coverWith every full-size safeFREE · $25On the BoostedSafe Elite$1,066
$399$339.15 $399
Buying more than one? 25% off 2 to 9 new safes, 30% off 10 or more.
Fits a 16-inch MacBook Pro
Fingerprint, keypad and key
$399$339.15 $399 15% off
or 4 interest-free payments of $99.75$84.79
Fits a 16-inch MacBook Pro
Code and key · no batteries
$299$254.15 $299 15% off
or 4 interest-free payments of $74.75$63.54
Smallest footprint
Opens with your fingerprint
$264$224.40 $264 15% off
or 4 interest-free payments of $66.00$56.10
Smallest footprint, best disguise
Code and key · no batteries
$199$169.15 $199 15% off
or 4 interest-free payments of $49.75$42.29
12-gauge steel · 37 lb
Fingerprint · CDOJ certified gun safe
$464$394.40 $464 15% off
or 4 interest-free payments of $116.00$98.60
12-gauge steel · 34 lb
Code and key · no batteries
$399$339.15 $399 15% off
or 4 interest-free payments of $99.75$84.79
Elite
Inspected, tested on every lock, re-certified. May show light cosmetic wear.
$329$279.65 $329 15% off
or 4 interest-free payments of $82.25$69.91
Where it sits and how it is held. A Console Vault sits inside the factory console, built for a specific vehicle, with factory bolts and hardware. Boosted Safe clips to the rear lower anchors on the back seat with two steel latches, and its release is inside the locked safe. A Console Vault leaves the seats free. A Boosted Safe takes one outer rear seat and moves between cars. We make the Boosted Safe, so weigh our view with that in mind.
Console Vault says no cutting or drilling is required, that safes use factory bolts and hardware, and that some use self-tapping screws into the console sides. It says most go in with household tools in as little as 10 minutes (FAQ).
It depends on your exact make, model, year and console. As of Nov 2026, their site lists 17 makes and “130+ fits”, says it has a few sedan models and no RV-specific models, and does not list Mazda, BMW, Audi or Mercedes-Benz. Trim matters too: its Tacoma safe is not compatible with the Tacoma hybrid. Use its vehicle finder.
Check your model. Console Vault lists its Tacoma safe at 12.5 × 7.7 × 6.4 in inside, with a lid opening of 8 × 4.7 in (Tacoma page). The Boosted Safe Elite is 15.1 × 13.6 × 4.25 in inside and fits a 16-inch MacBook Pro.
Console Vault says all its safes are 12-gauge steel. Our Golden Gate Elite is also 12-gauge and weighs 37 lb. Our Elite is 16-gauge, which is thinner.
Yes. It describes the Transporter as a universal portable gun safe with a 27-inch locking cable, 11 × 1.75 × 7 in inside (Transporter page). Its console safes are built for specific vehicles.
No. We did not test Console Vault on film, so we make no claim about how one holds. We make the Boosted Safe, so weigh our view with that in mind. See what we did test.
Yes. With enough time and tools, nothing is secure. On film, a screwdriver pried the Basic open at 2 minutes 20 seconds. The Elite stayed shut through hand tools and hammers for five minutes and was damaged. The Golden Gate Elite opened after the five-minute clock ran out. We did not test Console Vault on film. If a thief does beat a Boosted Safe, we send you a new safe, free. See the full results.
Yes, handguns, stored unloaded. The Golden Gate Elite is the one certified for firearms: 12-gauge steel, 37 lb, on the California DOJ roster (see the listing). Laws differ by state: see where it is legal to keep a gun in a car. This is not legal advice.
If the back seat has lower anchors, it fits. US vehicles from model year 2003 are required to have them, except trucks over 8,500 lb GVWR, so check your vehicle. It takes one outer rear seat while installed.
Start with the Elite: fingerprint, keypad, backup key and USB-C for emergency power. The Basic opens with a code and key. The Mini is a certified booster seat (FMVSS 213) with a locked compartment and the smallest footprint. The Golden Gate Elite is the one certified for firearms.
30-day money back. Lifetime warranty. Break-in replacement guarantee: if a thief beats it, we send a new safe, free. See the terms.
Boosted Safe clips to the rear lower anchors your car already has. 10,000+ orders in all 50 states.
