What Are the Cars That Fit 3 Car Seats?

By Jennifer Newman
September 25, 2019
img1476019724 1539706130258 jpg 2018 Audi Q7 | Cars.com photo by Angela Conners

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 back seat. In our Car Seat Checks, we’ve found the answer that parents and caretakers need.

Related: More Car Seat Checks

In the more than eight years that Cars.com editors have been installing car seats into vehicles to test both fit and room, we’ve come across cars, SUVs, vans and pickup trucks that can comfortably and safely hold three car seats across the vehicle’s backseat. The newest models on the list are repeats from prior model years that return for 2019: the Jeep Grand Cherokee two-row SUV, Honda Ridgeline pickup truck and Toyota 4Runner three-row SUV.

Related: That’s Not How Any of This Works! We Call B.S. on Car Seat Safety Myths

As we come across more cars, trucks, vans and SUVs 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

Coupes

SUVs

Trucks

Vans

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 Graco high-back booster seat, Britax convertible car seat and Graco rear-facing infant-safety seat — are installed in the second row. We install the car seats using the Latch anchors, or with a seat belt if we can’t use Latch because of difficulty or unavailability.

The booster seat sits behind the driver’s seat, and the infant and convertible seats (in forward and rear form) 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 and all three seats need to be at proper angles for safety — no wedging them in. In some cases, our three car seats almost fit and narrower car seats would likely fit better. If there’s a third row, we install the booster seat and a forward-facing convertible.

Editors Jennifer Geiger, Jennifer Newman and Matt Schmitz are certified child safety seat installation technicians. To learn more about how we conduct our Car Seat Checks, go here. And for more on common car-seat mistakes to avoid, check out the video below.

Editor’s note: This story was updated on Sept. 25, 2019.

Cars.com’s Editorial department is your source for automotive news and reviews. In line with Cars.com’s long-standing ethics policy, editors and reviewers don’t accept gifts or free trips from automakers. The Editorial department is independent of Cars.com’s advertising, sales and sponsored content departments.
Editor-in-Chief
Jennifer Newman

Editor-in-Chief Jennifer Newman is a journalist with more than 25 years of experience, including 15 years as an automotive journalist at Cars.com. Jennifer leads the Editorial team in its mission of helping car shoppers find the vehicle that best fits their life. A mom of two, she’s graduated from kids in car seats to teens behind the steering wheel. She’s also a certified car-seat technician with more than 12 years of experience, as well as member of the World Car Jury, Automotive Press Association and Midwest Automotive Media Association. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennilnewman/ Instagram: @jennilnewman

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