Car for 3 under 4-Skoda Octavia?

[Beatrixpotty]

Pregnant again and will have 3 under 4 when DC3 arrives.Looking at cars where I can definitely get 3 car seats in the back(or maybe 2 and a booster as DC1 is quite tall).Considering Skoda Octavia?any one got one with this type of family age/size?Any other suggestions?I'm not a great driver so don't want a massive people carrier kind of car but realise anything will have to be quite big.

[lorisparkle]

We decided on the Ford Galaxy. Although it is a massive car it is also the easiest car I have ever driven! It took me a little bit of time getting used to the size and I try and only park in parent and child spaces or away from anyone else but it is great. We had 3 under 4 as well and needed room to take extended family with us on days out etc. so needed the two proper seats in the very back. You also have to think about what kind of pushchair you are putting in the boot.

I would avoid booster seats at any age. 'Which?' (I think) is trying to get them banned because they do not offer any real protection for children especially if the oldest is under 4.

Good luck with DC3 - I love having 3 DC and found it much easier than 2 and hundred times easier than 1!

[NightLark]

We had to get rid of our Octavia in the same circs. Couldn't get 3 car seats across. Got a Scenic. DH still sad.

[3monkeys3]

I've to a sharan. My neighbour has a Skoda estate - I think it is the octavia - she only has 2dc, but they did get 3 across when she took her friend's dd to school. This was a stage 1 seat, a stage 2 seat and a normal booster with no back though - and it was a squeeze. MPVs are your best bet by far - discovered this very quickly when we were considering the same thing!

[3monkeys3]

*I've got a sharan

[Beatrixpotty]

Thanks for the replies..I went to the show room yesterday but only had my 2 stage 2-3 seats(maxi cosi tobi & nania trio) and we got them in the side & middle seat(did not strap in though) so looked like there was a whole other seat left for rear facing baby seat on isofix.Maybe not though looking at these replies?Is it just tight or totally impossible?Thought I had the car thing sorted!Will go back with all 3 seats & also reluctantly revisit the "minibus" option..

[pimmsgalore]

We can get 3 car seats across the back of the skoda superb, it wider than the octavia. Otherwise we used to get 3 across the back of audi a8 and also vauxhall opel (although they are old and hard to get hold of a decent one now)

You can squeeze them across a octavia (depending on seats) but wont be able to unclip rapidly in an emergency which is why we went with the superb.

[pimmsgalore]

another thought, it is easier with 1 rearward facing and 2 forward so you may be buying a car that you can't get 3 forward facing in in a years time IYSWIM. Can you borrow another forward facing to try 3 forward facing ones?

The only other car I can think of, that we looked at was a volvo V70, you get the booster seats built in which although not desirable may be worthwhile thinking about for when your eldest is ready for a booster

[Beatrixpotty]

Thanks for replies..having gone back with my car seats can squeeze in 3 seats in Octavia but very tight and just not comfortable for them.Can also get 3 in BMW X1(tiny boot though),BMW X3, Ford Mondeo,Seat Alhambra, Hyundai Santa Fe but have decided to go for Ford S-max, seems by far the best fit,economical and seems easy to drive despite being big.Thought I'd put this info as I have spent ages trawling sites to see what might fit and might save someone else the hassle!

[ExhaustTed]

My dad has a skoda octavia, and I have three under 4 and he can't fit them all across the back seat. I had to change my car (a toyota) to a vw touran, which I quite like. Massive boot, just chuck things in, and I can carry the grandfolks in there too (in seats, I don't throw them in the boot).

[tostaky]

I have a BMW x3 and we can't fit 3 car seats in the back...
We are in the process of buying a s-max

[LadyMetroland]

Thanks for the info. S-Max does seem to be a great option for 3-under-4. I also have the same issue (will have newborn, toddler and a 3yr old by next spring) and so have also done a lot of research into this, and it appears MPVs are the only option.

I'd wanted an estate, but even the Mondeo and the big Volvo estate won't fit three proper car seats in them. I'm sure if you compromise your childrens' safety and use boosters without a headrest etc then you might just about squeeze them in, but why on earth would you take a chance with your child's life?

We haven't bought our new car yet but it will be S-Max, Citroen Grand Picasso or Renault Grand Scenic, all of which fit three big seats across the back.

While I'm here having a rant, I also have no idea why car companies that market their cars at families don't bother to put detailed info in about precisely which car seats will fit. I have spent literally hours online trying to find out quite basic info. Even Ford s-max website doesn't clearly explain what seats fit where.

Oh, another thing to be careful of is that most MPVs have under-floor storage (WHY WHY WHY???) which means you can't transfer any seat that uses a leg, as it's unsafe. So we will have to buy three new car seats for which ever one we go for.

The whole car seat thing is a nightmare and it's no wonder most people go round with unsafe or incorrectly fitted seats as it is so difficult to find out the correct info.

[MummyPig24]

We have a skoda octavia vrs and cannot fit 3 seats in the back because the seats tip back and up at the sides. I don't know what its like in the normal version.

[Aethelfleda]

If you want 3 seats across in a Skoda you'll need the wider Skoda Superb BUT unless you are wealthy enough to afford a new one you may have trouble: they are very hard to find second hand as people just hold onto them. We tried to get one last year and there just weren't any Superbs in the ads for our budget. Ended up with a new style (post 2006) Ford Galaxy (which I love: get one with parking sensors if you can as it REALLY helps to park it in tight spaces. The boot is huuuge with the back two seats folded and it's great to have space for three seats across )

[Aethelfleda]

Oh and Ford S maxs are very little size difference to the Galaxy BUt they are about 3 k more expensive like for like if you're getting secondhand. For whatever budget, The equivalent Galaxy will have less miles on the clock or be a year younger than the S max. Seriously consider doing a test drive of both to compare.

[TexaninNewcastle]

We are hoping to rent a Skoda Octavia 1.6 soon and have 3 children. Would 2 highback boosters (5 & 7 year olds) and 1 childseat (2 year old) fit in the back??

[kalistra]

We had old Volvo s80...we had maxi cosi tobi 2x for twins and maxi cosi rodifix for older one. This didn't fit in new Octavia. But considering that twins are 3,5 now...we bought besafe izi flex and is perfect. I am sharing this info beacuse i did a lot of research and try a lot of combinations with dear girl from the shop.

[Linguaphile]

We had three under 2.5. Our smax was a godsend. Super safe, not as enormous as the galaxy/sharan/etc, a little bit fun to drive, and the three full size independently reclining chairs in the middle, all with isofix. The two boot seats are great for when grandparents visit and still big enough for a buggy to go in the back. Boot is enormous when they’re not in use. Retain their value better than some people carriers as well. The kids are now 5 (twins) and 3, and we still love it.

[Linguaphile]

Random, but have you considered a Prius plus? Those will seat 4 across the middle with 2 boot seats and are sort of future proof with the fuel situation. Look like a big car vs a people carrier, which is nice. Worth a test drive? They look quite trendy I think.

[Starsandthemoonx]

in the same position we have went for the kia carens which has 3 independent middle seats across the back which move individual and spare 2 in the back! don't think alot of people know about it however I didn't want to drive a massive car so this seemed best option for us!

[PaulHollywoodsSexGut]

Hey @Starsandthemoonx

What’s the boot space like on it? All the pics on Auto Trader are only showing it with the rearmost seats hidden so the boot looks massive

[Starsandthemoonx]

boot space seems pretty big when we went to view it! I collect it on Monday so will take pictures of the boot and send it when it arrives