JSwain: Which Cars Fit Three Car Seats?

Friday, August 21, 2015

Which Cars Fit Three Car Seats?

UPDATED AUG. 20, 2015: Parents are often searching for the automotive holy grail: a car that's not a minivan and can fit three child-safety seats across the backseat. It's a short list.

More Car Seat Checks

In the more than five years that Cars.com editors have been installing car seats into test vehicles, we've come across several vehicles that can hold three car seats across a backseat. Volvo has its first entry on our list with its redesigned 2016 XC90. This three-row SUV also offers an integrated booster seat, which means parents always have this important car seat on hand for carpooling. The 2015 Honda Odyssey joins our list too. This minivan gets a lot of things right, including plenty of lower Latch anchors.

As we come across more cars that fit three child-safety seats, we'll add to this list. For now, here are the cars from our Car Seat Checks that can fit three car seats in the second row:

Minivans

Sedans

SUVs

Trucks

About Cars.com's Car Seat Checks

For Car Seat Checks, the front seats are adjusted to a comfortable position for a 6-foot driver and a 5-foot-8 passenger. The three child seats — a high-back booster seat, convertible car seat and rear-facing infant-safety seat — are installed in the second row. The booster seat sits behind the driver's seat, and the infant and convertible seats are installed behind the passenger seat. We also install the infant seat in the second row's middle seat with the booster and convertible in the outboard seats to see if three car seats will fit; a child sitting in the booster seat must be able to reach the seat belt buckle. If there's a third row, we install the booster seat and a forward-facing convertible.

Editors Jennifer Geiger and Jennifer Newman are certified child safety seat installation technicians. To learn more about how we conduct our Car Seat Checks, go here.

JSwain