If you are looking for a used five-seat car or SUV for your family and you need it to fit three child seats across the back row, this is a must-read. As I have found in my testing, not all five-seaters with three top tether anchor points will be able to fit three child seats across; in fact many won't!
The main reasons I find are either the car simply isn't wide enough, the rear seat bases aren't wide enough or the seat bases and/or backrests are too sculpted for three child seats to fit.
- Looking for seven-seaters that will take three child seats across?
- Which 5 Seat cars will fit 3 child seats across the back row?
Here is a list of all the used five-seat cars in Australia that I have reviewed and found would fit three child seats across with the child seats used in BabyDrive testing:
Tesla Model S
In the rear of the Tesla Model S 100D there is no hump in the footwell which gives great legroom, the seats are very comfortable and I could fit three child seats across the back. The doorways are low so you have to post the child seats in carefully but once they are in it is lovely and spacious and legroom is fantastic, easily fitting a 182cm tall passenger in front of a rear-facing child seat.
Ford Endura
The Ford Endura was only sold in Australia for a short time, but we managed to squeeze one in for BabyDrive testing and it'd make a good-value used five seat car! The rear seats will easily fit three child seats across, this is a really spacious family SUV with great connectivity and boot space. See the top three family-friendly features of the Ford Endura here.
Renault Kadjar
I found the Renault Kadjar (another car that sold here for only a short while) 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.
Ford Focus Active
I really liked the Ford Focus Active so it was a shame when Ford discontinued it. I found it fitted three child seats in the back seats and still felt quite spacious for its size, with good legroom. In front of the rear-facing child seat, we could fit a 180cm driver. See the top three family-friendly features of the Ford Focus Active here.
Lexus LX 450D
The Lexus LX450D is an ENORMOUS luxury SUV. The five-seater model has great interior space and plenty of legroom for the first and second row even with rear-facing child seats installed. Three child seats easily fitted across the second-row seats using the ISOFix in the two outer seats, a seatbelt in the central seat and top tether anchorages on the back of all three seatbacks. Or I could comfortably sit between two child seats.
Lexus NX300
I was very surprised that, at a squeeze, I could fit three child seats across the back row of the previous-generation Lexus NX300! It was a very tight squeeze and was made even more difficult because the central seatbelt is a two-buckle system with one halfway underneath the outer child seat, making it really difficult to connect to. There are ISOFix points in each of the outer seats, and top tether anchorages for all three seats. The outer two seats have top tethers in their seatbacks and the central seats' top tether anchor is in the ceiling along with the central seatbelt. I struggled with the central seatbelt as the first buckle for it is halfway underneath the outer seat base, which made installing the seats really tricky.
Suzuki Grand Vitara
The Suzuki Grand Vitara‘s second-row seats are basic in nature which worked in our favour and I could fit three child seats across! I was very surprised in a small car like this. It is a squeeze and you do need to test your child seats will fit if you want three. There are ISOFix points in the two outer rear seats and top tether anchorages on the back of all three rear seats. Full review here.
Subaru Forester (Fourth Generation)
The Subaru Forester fitted three child seats easily in the back seats, making it a great used five-seat car. There are three top tether anchorages in the seatbacks that are easily accessible through the boot and within clearly labelled, plastic guides. The ISOFix points are in the two outer rear seats, and although they are not within plastic guides and are concealed behind flaps of seat fabric, 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 184cm driver could still sit in front of them.
Mazda3 (third generation)
Although space inside the Mazda3 is cramped and legroom was a serious problem for us as a family, I managed to install two rear-facing child seats in the two outer seats (which I couldn't in the latest generation version). The rear seat base is quite shaped and I found this prevented me from fitting a third, forward-facing, seat in the middle of them. I did find, however, that if I only installed an infant capsule 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 164cm, and anyone taller would really have trouble! There are ISOFix points in both the two outer seats, between the seat base and backrest, and although they are not within plastic guides their white colour made them really easy to find which was great! The top tethers are across all three rear seatbacks and are easily accessible through the boot. They are not labelled but they are easy to connect to.
GWM Haval H2
The GWM Haval H2 is the cheapest five-seater I've tested that fits three child seats, costing from only $19,000 when it was brand new so it makes a great used five seat car! I found it best fits three child 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.
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