There are many five-seater cars battling for attention in the under $40,000 price bracket and most of them boast having three top tethers but as we parents know that does not mean they will all fit three child seats across the back row! Lets face it we don't all want to drag our child seats to the dealership to see if they will fit in every car we are considering for our next family car.
- Looking for seven-seaters that will take three child seats across?
- Which five-seater cars cost $40,000 – $60,000?
To make your life easier here is a list of all the five-seater cars, costing under $40,000, that I have reviewed and found would fit three child seats across the second-row seats:
Toyota RAV4
The New Toyota RAV4 has a price range of $32,000 to $49,000. For that you get great interior space which fits three child seats and good boot space too. Three child seats fit nicely in the back and legroom inside was good enough for a 180cm driver to sit in front of a rear-facing child seat which is fab! See the full review here.
Hyundai Tucson
The Hyundai Tucson is a very practical five-seater SUV for families and ranges in price between $35,000 and $52,000. I fitted three Infasecure child seats in the back seats with a squeeze and found I could just fit between or beside two child seats. There are ISOFix points in the two outer seats and top tether anchorages across all three seatbacks. A 184cm driver could fit in front of a forward-facing child seat and a 184cm passenger could travel in front of a rear-facing child seat with good legroom. See the top three family-friendly features of the Hyundai Tucson here.
2019 Haval H2
The 2019 Haval H2 costs a tiny $19,000 and $27,000. I found it fitted three child seats in the back seats when using a combination of forward and rear-facing child seats or two forward-facing child seats fit in the outer seats but I could not sit between them. See the top three family-friendly features of the Haval H2 here.
Nissan Qashqai
The Nissan Qashqai ranges in price from $27,000 to $36,000. I found could (just) fit three child seats across the back row of the Nissan Qashqai. Two full-size seats and a slim booster in the central seat. Three full-size seats would not fit though. Legroom in the Nissan Qashqai isn't too bad, with a rear-facing child seat installed a 170cm driver could sit in front of it, or with a forward-facing child seat installed a 182cm driver could sit in front of it. See the full review here.
Renault Koleos
The price ranges from $32,000 to $46,000 with the Renault Koleos and for that you get quite a lot of car for your money. Three child seats fit across the rear seats of the Renault Koleos using the three top tether anchorages and two ISOFix points. There is a good amount of interior space throughout the car and legroom is very practical for families. Legroom is a key feature of the Koleos with rear-facing child seats installed we could put the driver's seat in it's furthest back position and fit a 186cm driver in the front which is very rare! You can see the top three family-friendly features of the Renault Koleos here.
Kia Sportage
The Kia Sportage is a fantastic SUV for families and ranges in price between $31,000 and $46,000. I fitted three child seats in the back seats with a squeeze and found I could just fit between two child seats. There are ISOFix points in the two outer seats and top tether anchorages across all three seatbacks. Legroom is pretty good in the cabin, with a forward-facing child seat, we found a 184cm driver could fit in front or with a rear-facing child seat installed a 170cm driver could fit in front. See the top three family-friendly features of the Kia Sportage here.
Renault Kadjar
Priced between $29,000 and $38,000 the Kadjar is an affordable family five-seater car. I found the Renault Kadjar JUST fits three child seats in the back, two child seats and a slim booster seat. Legroom is quite tight, with rear-facing child seats a 162cm driver can sit in front. Whereas with a forward-facing child seat we found a 182cm driver could sit in front. See the top three family-friendly features of the Renault Kadjar here.
2019 Kia Seltos
The 2019 Kia Seltos costs between $25,000 and $41,000. I found it fitted three child seats in the back seats with a combination of forward and rear-facing child seats. Legroom was a little tight and in front of the rear-facing child seat, we could fit a 170cm driver. See the top three family-friendly features of the Kia Seltos here.
2019 Ford Focus Active
The 2019 Ford Focus Active costs between $26,000 and $35,000. I found it fitted three child seats in the back seats really nicely with good legroom. In front of the rear-facing child seat, we could fit a 180cm driver.
2019 Subaru Forester (5th Generation)
The All New 2019 Subaru Forester costs between $34,000 and $42,000, it fitted three child seats easily across the back seats. There are three top tethers in the seatbacks that are easily accessible through the boot and within clearly labelled, plastic guides. The ISOFix are in the two outer rear seats, and although they are not within plastic guides I still found them easy to connect to. With rear-facing child seats installed, the legroom was still really good in the front and a 182cm passenger could still sit in front of them.
Mazda 6 GT Turbo
The Mazda 6 GT Turbo ranges between $33,000 and $50,000. I was very surprised to find I could fit three child seats in the back, I wasn't expecting them to fit looking at the seat space. There are three top tethers across the fixed parcel shelf in the back but I found because of their position, as well as the ceiling and the back window being so low, they are REALLY tricky to access and connect to. They are even harder to disconnect. There are ISOFix points in the two outer rear seats. With a rear-facing child seat in the back, I had a good amount of legroom in the front passenger seat too (I'm 162cm). The main difficulty is posting bub into their seats, as the low roofline is just hard work; I hit my head and my daughter's head on it many times!
Mazda 3 Neo
The Mazda 3 Neo is between $21,000 and $36,000 space is cramped and legroom was a serious problem for us as a small family of three. Although I found with two rear-facing child seats I could not fit a third in between them, I did find, however, that if I only installed one rear-facing, I could fit two forward-facing child seats alongside it. With a rear-facing child seat installed behind the driver's seat, I found I could sit in the driver's seat but I am only 162cm, and anyone taller would really struggle for legroom.
Toyota Corolla
The Toyota Corolla is one of the cheaper options costing $20,000 to $32,000. It has a lot of legroom and I managed to install three child seats, two rear-facing in the outer seats and a booster seat in the middle seat with enough legroom in front for a 184cm driver.
Mazda CX-5
Costing $29,000 to $50,000, I was surprised to find I could fit three child seats across the back row of the Mazda CX-5! I didn’t think it would be big enough but I got a rear-facing capsule on either side with a booster seat in the central seat. The CX-5 has three top tether points in the back of the seatbacks and ISO Fix in the two outer seats.
Subaru Forester (Fourth Generation)
The Subaru Forester costs between $34,000 and $42,000. It fitted three child seats easily across the back seats. With rear-facing child seats installed, the legroom was still really good in the front and a 184cm driver could still sit in front of them.
Honda CR-V
Costing $31,000 to $45,000, the top tether anchorages are in the ceiling of the Honda CR-V and the central seatbelt comes from the ceiling too so visibility out of the back would be difficult for the driver. There is so much legroom in this car! I think any size driver or passenger could sit in front of the rear facing child seat without any problems!
Suzuki Vitara
The Suzuki Vitara's ranges between $30,000 and $35,000. The rear seats are generously sized and flat, which meant they surprisingly held three child seats at a squeeze! I could install two rear-facing capsules and a forward facing child seat in the central seat. With rear-facing child seats installed, the legroom in the front is also surprisingly good and enough to fit a 182cm driver.
Suzuki Grand Vitara
The Suzuki Grand Vitara costs between $28,000 and $34,000. Rear seats are comfortable and although there is some shaping to the seatbacks and bases, their basic nature worked in my favour and I could fit three child seats across the rear row! I was very surprised in a small car like this, I could fit two rear facing and a forward facing child seat. It was a squeeze and you do need to level out the two outer seats to make the passengers comfortable.
Suzuki S-Cross
I was very surprised by the little Suzuki S-Cross, ranging in price between $23,000 and $33,000. I managed to squeeze three child seats across the back row. I did this with two rear facing child seats in the outer seats and a forward facing in the central seat. You would definitely need to check your three child seats fit before buying them if you need this functionality. Two child seats fitted really nicely with more comfortable interior space in the S-Cross rear outer seats using the ISO Fix and top tethers.
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