Cars that can carry 3 car seats side by side: A comprehensive overview

Families with three children often face the challenge of finding a car that can fit three child seats. That’s why the Central Automobile Club of the Czech Republic (Ústřední automobilový klub – ÚAMK) published the results of an interesting test a few years ago, which aimed to determine which cars can provide sufficient space in the back seat for three child seats. This addressed a common concern among large families with three children looking for a suitable vehicle for their kids. So, which cars are best suited to transport three child seats?

A comprehensive test of 121 selected car models clearly showed that not every vehicle is suitable for this task. While most cars on the market technically have three seats in the back row, that doesn’t necessarily mean three car seats can fit side by side. In fact, even some larger cars—be it SUVs or MPVs, which are usually marketed as family vehicles—struggled to meet the requirement. Among such examples are the first generation of the large luxury SUV Audi Q7 and the MPV Ford Grand C-Max.

Overview: These cars can accommodate three child seats side by side

Methodology of the test

The test involved using an infant seat (weight group 0–10 kg), a child seat (0–25 kg), and a booster seat (15–36 kg). These were selected to reflect the typical age range of children in a family—covering an infant, a toddler or preschooler, and a primary school-aged child.

Testers then attempted to install the car seats in the back row of each vehicle to see how they fit. The resulting evaluation considered how many seats the car had, how easily the child seats could be installed, and whether three child seats could fit side by side. For this assessment, ÚAMK established three rating categories: suitable, tight, and unsuitable.

The test revealed that only 39 of the 121 models tested could comfortably accommodate three child seats. Another 39 models had a tight fit, and 43 models could not accommodate three seats at all.