Dual Cab Ute Comparison: Which Dual Cab Utes Fit 3 Child Seats Across?

Why the central rear seat matters for families

Everyone pretends dual-cab utes are just work vehicles, but we all know they're not. They may be work vehicles Monday to Friday, after you've dropped your kids off at kindy or school and before you pick them up again. And at the weekend, they are definitely for throwing the camping gear or bikes in the tray and making great family memories.

There are many reasons we need to be able to put a child seat in the central rear seat. Here are the seven I come back to over and over.

1. The central rear seat is regarded as the safest seating position in the vehicle, especially in side impacts. That alone is reason enough for a lot of families.
2. If your child gets motion sick, then in the central seat they can see out of the front window. That forward view reduces motion sickness.
3. If you're on holiday or on off-road family adventures, in the middle seat they can see out at what you're looking at too and join in with your conversation. They feel included rather than tucked off to the side.
4. Young kids can also be less distressed in the central seat because they feel closer to the parents in the front, which is brilliant for nervous travellers or for that overtired post-playdate run home.
5. On a practical level, you can often get more legroom for the front passengers if you put your child seat in the central seat. This helps overcome the fact many dual-cab utes are legroom compromised.
6. Positioning two child seats next to each other with a passenger in the seat beside them, rather than the passenger wedged between two child seats, is so much more comfortable for that adult. It is also much easier for adults to access a single side seat than to climb in between two child seats.
7. The seventh one is flexibility. You may only have two children most of the time, but what do you do when they want a friend from school over for a play date, or you need to pick up their cousin, or you have step kids at the weekend? In all these cases, if you can't install a child seat in the central seat, the flexibility just is not there.

Out of all 19 dual cab utes we tested at Lang Lang, only six could fit three child seats across in the back row. Adding the bonus Toyota Tundra makes seven in total. Let's go through each one.

KGM Musso: affordable, but with a major safety catch

First up, the most affordable winner: the KGM Musso. And as you will see, it actually is not that straightforward.

The Musso feels like a good crossover between being a weekday school run ute and a work ute. With a 3.5-tonne braked towing capacity, it can tow your caravan or camper trailer at the weekend for family adventures.

On safety, the Musso does not have an ANCAP safety rating. It has six airbags as standard, including side curtain airbags that extend to the second row.

Child seats: the lap-belt problem

This is where the Musso both wins and loses. In the back of the Musso, there are ISOFIX in the two outer rear seats, not within plastic guides, but easy enough to connect to.

The Musso has top tether anchors for all three rear seats. The rear seat back comes forward as one single piece. You release it with a handle on the back of the seat, and you can see the three top tether anchor points on the cab chassis. One small thing to watch is that they're not clearly labelled, so make sure you check you're connecting to those and not to the metal hoops that connect the seat back into place.

I could fit three child seats in here, which is fantastic news. Like many utes that have the anchors here, it's also awkward having to wrestle with the whole backrest while attaching top tether straps and the child seats are getting in the way. It was incredibly difficult to install all three with the one single backrest, but it can be done.

Here is the catch. The central seat only has a lap belt, not the lap-sash belt we are all used to these days. That means only full-harnessed child seats can go in there. As your children grow up, they will move into a booster seat, and you cannot put a booster seat in the central seat of the Musso with that lap belt.

Combined with the lack of ANCAP testing, this is a significant safety consideration for families.

Once Bub is harnessed in I just want to get going! So having two seats with ISOFIX is fantastic, but the third seat using just a lap belt feels like a step backwards to the 1980s. I have not seen one of these in a family car for a really long time, and it does limit your options for the years ahead.

Rear comfort

Legroom in the back is a little tricky. A 178cm driver can fit with rear-facing child seats installed, but it's cramped.

A 186cm driver fits in front with forward-facing child seats in the back.

The rear footwell is almost flat with just a slight raised hump in the central footwell, which makes it nice and easy for kids and adults to get across.

Headroom is good in the back. I can sit in between or beside two child seats and it feels nice and spacious.

There are air vents to keep rear passengers at the right temperature, grab handles for toys, and a ceiling light to see when popping kids in and out at night.

Front comfort and storage

The seats are nice and comfortable in the front. The dash is very minimal with hard surfaces and nothing fancy going on, but there are lit vanity mirrors in both front visors, four air vents across the dash, and cup holders down in the central console. The glove box is a good size, and the central console box is a good size too.

It's much more minimal in terms of buttons and dials than other utes in this group. There's a second touchscreen below the main one where most of your aircon controls live.

Media system

The media system is on a pretty basic screen up front and there is not much to it. You can change things about the sound, which is really good for families. I should be transparent that I could not get the Apple CarPlay to work on the day of testing.

When I put the car into reverse, the camera image fills the whole screen and is nice and clear, and you can turn the parking sensors off easily.

Tray

The tailgate of the Musso is quite deep, so reaching across that into the tray is a consideration if you're my height (163cm). As with all these utes, the tailgate is at child head height, so always be aware of that. There are tie-down points in the tray, but no plug sockets, which sometimes make life much easier on camping trips.

My verdict on the Musso

The Musso can fit three child seats across in the back, which is fantastic news, and there's a lot of family practicality in there at this price point. But as your children grow up and move into booster seats, you cannot put a booster in the central seat with that lap belt. Combined with no ANCAP rating, you'd have to REALLY like the price.

The Serious Off-Roaders

For families with a different budget who are more into their heavy-duty off-roaders, our second and third winners will suit you.

Ineos Grenadier Quartermaster: the heavy-duty off-roader

The Grenadier feels like it would be much happier crawling up the side of a mountain than crawling along in school zone traffic.

The Grenadier has a 3.5-tonne braked towing capacity, so you can feel confident towing your caravan or camper on or off-road.

Safety

The Grenadier Quartermaster has an NB1 truck classification. That makes it exempt from certain mandatory passenger vehicle safety features and testing common in most other family vehicles. So it has no ANCAP crash testing, and features common in most other family vehicles like autonomous emergency braking (AEB) and lane keep assist are not there.

The Grenadier has six airbags as standard: twin front, front side, and curtain airbags.

Child seats

There are ISOFIX for the two outer rear seats in the Ineos Grenadier Quartermaster, they're within plastic guides and really nice and easy to connect to.

The Grenadier has a 60/40 split rear seat backrest with top tether anchorages on the back for all three rear seats.

You can fit three child seats across the back here really easily. With three forward-facing child seats, you could fit a 180cm-plus tall driver or passenger in the front. The split backrest makes it a bit easier to attach the top tether straps.

With rear-facing child seat installed in the back, space gets tight for taller drivers. I'm 163cm, and I could just sit in front of a rear-facing child seat. There's a large hump in the central seat footwell, I could fit an adult passenger in between or beside two child seats.

The rear interior features are practical: rear air vents in the central console, a ceiling light, and grab handles above the rear doors.

Front comfort

The front of the Grenadier feels like the cockpit of an aeroplane, which is another love of mine, so it feels pretty exciting in here. It's comfy up front, with all the switches and dials, and none of this stuff has been put in the media screen.

There is one catch. I'm only 163cm tall, and I have nowhere for my left foot to go. The huge footrest beneath the left foot eats into space.

Media system

The media system is on a small landscape screen on the central dash. You have buttons and controls for everything, so a lot of the stuff that would be in the screen on other utes is actually a button or a dial in the Grenadier. Your heated seating is on physical controls, and all your climate control is along the front as dials and buttons rather than in the screen. There's also a cute small rotating clock with the compass below the infotainment screen, which looks pretty cool.

When I put it into reverse, the camera image is small on the screen and a little pixelated. That's a consideration, but you can really easily see for hitching up your tow ball.

Tray

The tailgate of the Grenadier Quartermaster comes down at children's head height, so do be careful of that. My little mate (the stuffed toy dog) fits nicely in the tray as a height reference. There are not any sockets in the tray, but there are some tie-down points and grooves behind the wheel arches on both sides, which might be pretty handy for storing your kids' wet trainers when you're taking them home from their sports.

The rack up on top of the tray houses the spare tyre and could be a useful place to tie things down when you're camping if they do not fit in the tray below.

My verdict on the Grenadier

It does make a very fun and cool family ute, although it's expensive! You can fit three child seats across in the back, which is fantastic news as you cannot in many dual cab utes anymore. Legroom and space is a bit of a consideration, but with forward-facing child seats there's plenty of space inside.

The NB1 classification, lack of ANCAP testing, and missing safety tech like AEB and lane-keep are the things to weigh up against the off-road capability and the unique cockpit feel.

Jeep Gladiator: the fun off-roader

You will look very cool doing the school run in the Jeep Gladiator. Built as a rugged off-roader, it has some great features for fun family adventures.

The Gladiator has a 2.721-tonne braked towing capacity, the lowest of all the utes that fit three child seats, but enough for towing your camper trailer.

Safety

Jeep Gladiators built from January 2026 onwards are unrated as yet by ANCAP. Gladiators built before January 2026 have a three-star ANCAP safety rating, scoring 80% for child occupant protection and 60% for adult occupant protection.

Only models sold in Australia built during 2025 have side head curtain airbags in the second row seats. Those built before that have no rear airbags.

Child seats

In the back of the Jeep Gladiator there are ISOFIX in the two outer rear seats. They are within plastic guides and nice and easy to connect to.

The Gladiator rear seatback is split 60:40, there are clearly labelled top-tether anchors for all three rear seats, behind the rear seat back.

Fitting three child seats across the back seat is doable, which is fantastic.

Like in all utes, it's a little tricky to tighten the top tether strap once you've got the seat back into place. Headroom is really good in the back, which is fantastic for adult passengers or your lanky teenagers.

Front cabin and storage

In the front of the Gladiator, storage is good. There are two cup holders in the central console: they'll hold a reusable or disposable coffee cup or a water bottle, and there's a little slot between them to store your phone. The central console box is not a bad size, and there's a tray in the top of it too which is good for storing your sunglasses or your phone. The glove box is small in here (it will just hold my wallet with the manual), and the door bins in the front are nets that will hold a wallet or an iPad or stretch out to hold a water bottle. There are also storage wells in the door handles.

Drive

The Jeep Gladiator is fantastic to drive. It's great fun around town because it's so quirky, and you sit so high up that visibility is fantastic. The ride is not bumpy at all, and it's really capable off-road. It does not really make my kids travel sick, which is great news. School drop-offs, supermarket car parks, manoeuvring, it's all really nice and easy. And you can take the roof off!

Media system

The media system in the Jeep Gladiator has Apple CarPlay and is really lovely and simple to use. Using the buttons along the bottom of the screen, you can control the settings of most things in the car. You've also got sat nav in there, and the screen allows you to control your heated seats and steering wheel and your climate through the screen as well. When you put it in reverse, the camera image is really lovely and big and clear, and you can turn the parking sensors off easily with a button in the central dash.

Rear storage and comfort

Storage in the back of the Gladiator is good. There are two bottle or cup holders in the central footwell, great for fitting a disposable or reusable coffee cup, and a water bottle fits well in there too. There are net pockets on the back of both front seats; they'll hold but obviously not conceal an iPad. There are also bag hooks on the back of both front seats, fantastic for hanging a kid's school or kindy bag while you're travelling along. There's a fold-down in the central seat back with two cup holders, and the door bins are also nets that will hold an iPad or a wallet or a water bottle.

There are rear air vents in the Jeep Gladiator, which is fantastic for keeping little passengers in the back nice and cool while you're driving along.

Tray

The tailgate of the Jeep Gladiator drops down nicely, like all utes it is at child heat height but it's not too heavy compared to some tailgates. The tray has spray-lined grippy flooring.

My verdict on the Gladiator

It does make a very cool family ute. It's so capable off-road that you can go on any camping trip with it. You can fit those three child seats in the back using the three top tether anchorages, which is fantastic.

Legroom is not that great, but if you've got forward-facing kids, you will be okay. The cameras and media system are good, the drive is fantastic, and being able to take the roof off also makes it a lot of fun for the family.

For the full BabyDrive family review, head to the 2023 Jeep Gladiator Rubicon review.

The American pickup trucks

You need a big budget and an equally big place to park these last three winners (plus the bonus Tundra). They are all extremely comfortable and so spacious I could move in permanently!

On safety, all four American pickup trucks are not put through normal ANCAP safety crash testing. For these large utilities, ANCAP has a different testing system around collision avoidance, with each ute given a percentage and a grading.

Chevrolet Silverado 1500: comfy as a lounge suite

The super plush and comfy Chevrolet Silverado 1500 is has a 3.5-tonne braked towing capacity, going up to 4.5 tonnes depending on the specific model you buy.

Safety

The Silverado 1500 scored an ANCAP collision avoidance rating of bronze and 27%. It has six airbags as standard, including dual front airbags, front side airbags and head curtain airbags for front and rear outer seating positions.

Child seats

In the back of the Silverado 1500, there are ISOFIX in the two outer rear seats. They're not within plastic guides, but they're really easy to connect to.

There are top tether anchors for all three of the rear seats, which use a woven loop system behind each headrest.

You post your top tether strap through the woven loop behing the headrest and across to the metal achor behind the headrest of the seat beside it.

You can easily put three child seats in the back, it's really spacious.

Legroom is fantastic in the Chevrolet Silverado. With a rear-facing child seat behind the driver, we could fit a 186cm driver in there really comfortably. The doors are really lovely and wide, which is good entry for child seats and for passengers.

Front interior and storage

The interior of the Silverado 1500 feels lovely and comfortable and modern. Storage is generous everywhere you look. Behind the front cup holders is an enormous central console box with a big shelf in the top that you can remove, and a huge storage area underneath. The door bins are really large in the front, and they will hold two refillable water bottles and an iPad, with a wallet fitting in too. The vanity mirrors are lit and extendable.

There's also wireless phone charging in front of the console box, and two glove boxes (upper and lower) with iPad capacity. The interior layout is modern and clean.

Drive

The Silverado is so enormous that all passengers have fantastic personal space, which is something you really want with families. It does not have that agricultural feel that a lot of utes have; it's actually quite nice and quiet inside the cabin. Being so big and heavy, it feels really solid and connected to the road. The cabin is cocooned and the forward visibility is excellent.

One thing I have noticed since being a mum is I hate it when I reach a destination or get home from being out and the kids have either done really well in the car or she is screaming her head off and I have done really well to keep it together for the entire journey (usually the latter!!) and it takes 10 minutes to park the car! It can be really stressful.

Media system

The media system in the Silverado 1500 is really lovely and simple and easy to navigate. You've got your climate controls in there, and you can go in and customise the settings for the car, especially the sounds, which I know is handy for a lot of families.

There's a feature that lowers all four windows at once really quickly, which is fantastic when you get into a hot car. The hitch-assist camera angle is super useful for trailer attachment, and the kids love the camera that looks into the tray. Apple CarPlay is included too.

Rear cabin comfort

Storage in the back of the Silverado 1500 is fantastic. Underneath all of the seat bases, you can lift those up and there's enormous hidden storage areas. The cup holders will hold a reusable or disposable coffee cup, and a kid's drink cup fits in there too.

There is hidden storage behind the seat backs too!

There are air vents in the back of the central console box, ceiling reading lights above the rear seats, USB and USB-C charging ports on the rear of the console, and grab-handle hooks positioned above each rear door frame. I can fit really comfortably in the back of the Silverado 1500 between two child seats.

Tray

Perhaps my favourite feature on the Silverado 1500 is the electric tailgate. You just press the button twice on your key fob and down it comes. It's fantastic when you come out to the car and you've got your hands full of kids and all their stuff. Just like the boot of a normal car, you can get it to come down automatically and load it up with all your things. The Silverado I tested also has a retractable roller cover for the tray, operated by a separate fob button.

My verdict on the Silverado

The Chevrolet Silverado makes a fantastic large dual cab ute for families. The electric tailgate is one of my favourite features of the vehicle. The drive is fantastic, the media system and cameras are great, and it's a really good vehicle for towing.

For the full BabyDrive family review, head to the 2024 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 review.

RAM 1500 Rebel: luxury for the family

The RAM 1500 has a beautifully decked-out interior and a 4.5-tonne braked towing capacity.

Safety

The RAM 1500 scored an ANCAP collision avoidance rating of gold and 70%. It has six airbags as standard, including dual front airbags, front side airbags, and head curtain airbags for front and rear outer seating positions.

Child seats

This is where the RAM stands out. There are ISOFIX for ALL THREE rear seats, which is fantastic!

The top tether anchorages are loops behind the rear headrests use the metal-ring and woven-loop system.

You post your top tether strap through the metal ring behind the headrest…

… and across to clip onto the metal ring behind the headrest of the nextdoor seat.

I could easily get three child seats across in the back, it is very spacious. With forward-facing child seats, a 190cm driver should easily fit in front, or a bit taller.

With rear-facing child seats, about a 186cm or taller driver can fit in front.

The footwell is flat in the back, the legroom is generous, and there are interior ceiling lights, rear air vents and charging sockets in the centre console for rear passengers.

Front comfort and storage

It's really nice and comfortable in the front of the RAM 1500. It's really spacious in here, which is a fantastic thing with families. Everybody has their own personal space, which is something you don't get a lot of when you've got little kids.

The two-tone black and deep red leather interior with RAM logo embossing on the seat backs gives the cabin a premium feel. There's a large touchscreen infotainment display and chrome climate controls. There are multiple cup holders, vanity mirrors, more centre-console charging sockets than I've ever seen in a single vehicle before, and door storage bins.

Media system

The media system in the RAM does have Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, so you can access your phone's navigation, messaging, music and podcast apps while you are driving. You can change your camera view so you can see easily to hitch up to your tow ball, and if you've got something on the back then you can see that nice and easily.

You've also got your driver assistance systems in there, so you can customise that exactly how you like it. The Comfort menu displays heated seat controls for all four positions and heated steering wheel settings. Parking sensor toggles are at the bottom of the Comfort screen.

Tray

The RAM 1500 does have an electric tailgate, which is always a lovely feature, although you always have to be careful of it because it is at child head height. The tray has a grippy surface, there are some tie-downs, and there are also movable upper tie-downs as well. There'd be ample space in this tray for all your camping gear and things like that with your family.

My verdict on the RAM 1500

The RAM 1500 is a really great, spacious ute to drive a family in. You can fit three child seats in the back really nice and easily, with really tall drivers in the front, even when your kids are little and in rear-facing child seats. There's really good leg room and kick room, and loads of personal space, which is something families are always after. The seats are really comfortable, and there's all the luxuries inside the cabin you would hope of a big family ute like this.

Ford F-150: the long-time best seller

The Ford F-150 has so much space and storage there is even a place for your G-clamp. It has a 4.5-tonne braked towing capacity.

Safety

The Ford F-150 tops all three pickups tested at Lang Lang, scoring an ANCAP collision avoidance rating of platinum and 81%. It has six airbags as standard, including dual front airbags, front side airbags and head curtain airbags for front and rear outer seating positions.

Child seats

Installing child seats in the back of the F-150 is easy thanks to the sheer amount of space. There are ISOFIX in the two outer rear seats, they're not within plastic guides but are easy to connect to.

The top tether system uses metal-ring woven loops behind each of the three rear headrests, like in the RAM 1500. I do prefer this to just the fabric loops that are in a lot of utes, because at least that metal ring allows the clip to attach to metal so it's not wearing away on the fabric loop.

I could install three forward-facing child seats in the back, easily fitting a 190cm driver in front.

With a rear-facing child seat, you can easily fit a 186cm driver in front or taller.

There is plenty of space for an adult to sit between or beside two child seats in the back.

Rear footwell has a clever family feature

A great feature in the back of the F-150: if you only need to use two rear seats, you can leave the seat behind the driver empty and pull on a tab on the side of the seat and that single seat folds up, leaving you this enormous storage space that is great for popping your pram or suitcase or something like that in.

I also found it really good when we had a beach day, or it was raining and my kids were wet and I needed to get them changed. This actually makes a fantastic changing room.

Front interior and storage

The interior of the F-150 is lovely. It's really nice and comfortable and simple, and it just makes it a really relaxed place to be.

There is a fantastic fold-out desk in the lid of the central console. It's really good to use, especially when you're doing last-minute emails while waiting for school pick-up. There's an armrest with dual cup holders and a storage shelf, side storage pockets on both sides of the central console (iPad, wallet, phone fit), and dash-mounted USB, USB-C and 12V charging ports.

Rear storage and comfort

The storage in the back of the F-150 is really good. The doors open really nice and wide, so it's easy access for passengers and for getting child seats in and out too. Rear comfort is good too, with air vents in the back of the central console box, so rear passengers can be kept nice and comfortable at the right temperature while you're driving along.

My favourite are the rear door cup holders, which are super easy for little kids in child seats to reach.

Drive

The F-150 is a fantastic vehicle to drive. I absolutely love it. It is enormous, but it makes it really spacious inside, it does not feel like an overly big vehicle to drive. Super comfortable, almost like you're in a really relaxed armchair.

It reminds me of a big ship, when the engine is really far away, so you don't hear the sound from it. It does have a 4.5-tonne towing capacity, so it would be fantastic for towing caravans, horse floats etc.

Media system

The media system in the Ford F-150 has been updated since I reviewed this one with my family (and there wasn't time to test it at Lang Lang with so many utes to go through in one day and lots of rain). I tried the previous media system which was really lovely and easy to navigate and to use. You've got your towing screen, which is really handy, and all your driver assistance settings, so you can customise and turn things on and off exactly how you like it and Apple CarPlay is there.

The hitch alignment camera lets you zoom right in for hitching up to your tow ball really easily.

Tray

My favourite feature on the F-150 has to be the tailgate. You drop the tailgate down, you put your G-clamp on and your wood, then use this as a workbench.

The best thing has got to be the built in step and handrail.

My verdict on the F-150

I can see why it has been a best seller in the US for 47 years in a row. This is a fantastic vehicle. It's extremely comfortable and extremely spacious and just lovely to drive. You can easily fit three child seats in the back with loads of leg room for front and rear passengers. The tray space is enormous.

For the full BabyDrive family review, head to the 2024 Ford F-150 XLT review.

Bonus: Toyota Tundra

And here is the bonus. There is one other pickup that was not there on the day at Lang Lang, but can fit three child seats across in the back. I have tested this previously with my family, and that is the Toyota Tundra.

The Toyota Tundra, like the previous three pickup trucks, is as expensive as it is large and spacious. If it's in your budget and your driveway is big enough, you will not have had this much personal space since your first baby was born.

The Tundra has a 4.5-tonne braked towing capacity.

Safety

The Toyota Tundra scores an ANCAP collision avoidance rating of silver and 50%. It has eight airbags as standard, including dual front airbags, front side airbags and head curtain airbags for front and rear outer seating positions. Side curtain airbags extend to the second row.

Child seats

There are ISOFIX anchor points for the outer rear seats only, they are not within plastic guides but are easily accessible.

There are top-tether anchorages for all three rear seating positions. The 60/40 split seat back folds forward to reveal the anchors.

I could fit three child seats across in the back here, which is great. There's lots of room. It's a really spacious rear seat in this cab, so you can easily fit three child seats across.

When you've got a rear-facing infant capsule installed, we could easily fit a 186cm driver in front. With forward-facing child seats, we could fit 186cm and taller drivers in front.

The central footwell has a transmission hump, but the cabin is wide and the doors swing wide for passenger access.

Front interior and storage

The interior of the front of the Tundra is really nice and comfy, exactly how you would expect a modern big ute like this. The seats are really nice and armchair-like, very comfortable, and everything is large in here. You've got lots of space. There are four air vents (one either side of the media screen and one at each end of the dash), so you can keep yourself the right temperature.

Storage in the front is generous. Although it's big, it's quite minimal: easy wipe-clean, which is perfect for family life. The door bins are enormous in the front; they'll hold two water bottles and an iPad or wallet or book.

The central console has a wireless phone charging pad, USB-C sockets, sliding storage trays, an enormous console box, and a glasses case in the ceiling. There are lit vanity visors in both front visors.

Drive

The Tundra is a really nice big ute to drive. The turning circle is really big in here, so you've got to be good at manoeuvring and parking. The steering is really nice and light, so it's completely fine.

You can put your cameras on when you're at low speed, which does make manoeuvring and parking really nice and easy. I can see out of the back, even with three child seats in the back, which is really good.

Being a hybrid does cut fuel consumption a little although Toyota says the battery is there for more power rather than efficiency. It does have a 4.5-tonne towing capacity, so that would be ample for everybody's caravan and camping needs or towing boats.

Media system

The media system in the Toyota Tundra has wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, so you can access your phone and apps easily while driving.

You can turn the camera on and off with a button on the dash, which I really like when I'm just manoeuvring around. Being big, it means I can just see that there's no one else around.

With a vehicle of this size, you really need a decent camera system! Handily in the Tundra you've also got a camera that goes down into the tray as well, so you can really see what you're doing.

Rear cabin — comfort, safety, and the window blinds

Passengers are kept nice and comfortable in the back of the Toyota Tundra. There are air vents in the back of the central console box, so you can keep your little passengers in the back at the right temperature while you're driving along.

There are heated and cooled vents for the rear outer seats, a genuinely premium touch. There are hooks above both of the rear doors (not handles), so you can hang a child's toy there to keep them entertained while driving along.

The window blinds are a brilliant feature you don't see much on utes. They keep little passengers in the back shielded from the sun while you're driving along. I also like to leave them up when we're not in the car, so it just keeps the interior a bit cooler when you've parked it in the sun.

I have found our daughter does not like travelling in the dark in the car so if it gets dark whilst travelling then I reach back and turn the interior light on for her. So it's really important for me that I can reach the rear ceiling light. The window blinds in the back of the Tundra work the other way, keeping her shielded from the sun on a long drive without having to mess around with a sunshade that always falls off the window.

Rear storage

Storage in the back of the Tundra is very good. In the back of the central console box, there are two cup holders that can be reached from the front to the back. They can hold a child sippy cup, or a reusable water bottle, or a reusable or disposable coffee cup.

There are map pockets on the back of both front seats that are really nice and big, which easily fit an iPad and conceal it as well. The door bins are really big in the back. They'll hold one or two refillable water bottles, and an iPad or wallet fits in there as well.

Tray

The tailgate of the Tundra opens and closes electronically. It opens really nice and slowly, being such a big, heavy tailgate, that's fantastic news. Obviously all these tailgates are at little kid head height, so it's something to be mindful of.

One thing I love about the tray of the Tundra is how big it is. I can fit our whole family's bikes in the back here. We don't need a bike rack. Everything we need for a family bike ride or day out fits in here, which is really practical.

My verdict on the Tundra

The Toyota Tundra makes a fantastic BabyDrive. It's so spacious inside that you can really comfortably fit a family of five in there. The tray is enormous; you can fit your bikes, your camping gear, everything in there. The towing capacity is good, so you can tow your caravan or camper trailer really nice and easily. And I love that electric tailgate.

So which dual cab ute should you buy?

The honest answer is that there are no real winners here.

The big American pickups: Chevrolet Silverado, RAM 1500, Ford F-150, and the bonus Toyota Tundra, are very comfortable and super spacious, with enormous trays for your bikes and camping gear, and they can tow your caravan and camper trailer. They fit three child seats across, but they may be too big and too expensive for a lot of regular working Aussie families. Most of us do not have driveways, garages or budgets built for these.

The Ineos Grenadier Quartermaster and Jeep Gladiator both have very cool and rugged designs and are great for serious off-roading.

They're expensive too, and although they fit three child seats across, their rear cabins are compromised in interior space, particularly for taller drivers when rear-facing child seats are installed.

The only one in regular Aussie price range is the KGM Musso, which, as you've seen, has its own major problem. It has not been ANCAP crash tested, and the central rear seat has a lap belt you probably haven't seen in a car since the 1980s. That lap belt cannot be used for installing booster-style child seats, meaning as your children grow up, you lose three-across capability.

If you need three child seats across in a dual cab ute, your shortlist is small, and every option comes with a trade-off: price, size, safety, or interior space. My honest advice is to work out whether your family can live without a ute and go for an SUV instead. Or buy a second-hand VW Amarok, Isuzu D-Max or, my fave affordable three-across ute: Holden Colorado.

Compare these dual cab utes on BabyDrive

For the full family reviews of the dual cab utes I have tested individually with my kids, prams, and gear on board:

• 2023 Jeep Gladiator Rubicon
• 2024 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
• 2024 Ford F-150 XLT

For more on dual cab utes for families, see our companion articles:

• Which ute is the easiest to fit child seats?
• What are the safest dual cab utes for families as rated by ANCAP?
• Inadequate child restraint anchorages in utes: The horrifying truth
• Law governing ute top tether anchorages

If you have not found the right fit in a dual cab ute, you may also want to consider a seven-seat SUV with three-across capability. Have a look at Which 7 seat SUVs will fit 3 child seats? for more options.