To wonder if rearmost seats in 7 seaters are safe?

[Deaver]

I have a 7 seater MPV (Mazda 5) which has a good ncap safety rating.

I am hesitant to use the third row of seats on long journeys though.

I read that the rear seats are not tested for impact damage, whereas the front and sides are required to by law.....

I feel the same about our quashqai +2. The rear two seats are tiny and only suitable for small children, yet no car seats are compatible for these rear 3rd row seats (pointless then!)
The boot is so tiny with the third row that I would worry about any child in them, so our third child squeezes in the middle.
Are all 7 seaters like this?!

If you're looking new I think the XC90 now comes as a hybrid as well or it will do. Ours is the older model style but for it's size the mileage isn't too bad.

Got to love mumsnet for panicy bollocks threads.

Have a Zafria and no worries about using the rear row of seats as required.

But also run a fleet of Renaults and never had any "electrical" problems.

Also have had a Land Rover which has one of the worst crash tests going.

Wonder with brexit will the euro ncap tests still be law.

The thing is check is whether or not the side curtain air bags extend to the third row. I was fairly astounded to find they do not in some cars.

Our 8yo Galaxy has adult seats in the 3rd row, with some forwards/backwards adjustment. Even with the rearmost seats slid back as far as possible, there is still space in the boot for a substantial amount of gear. I think that boot is possibly bigger than some hatchbacks' boots. But the car surrounding it is far more solidly built than a hatchback. So, while the rearmost seats are certainly less safe than, say, the centremost seat, I don't worry about the safety of using them.

Wonder with brexit will the euro ncap tests still be law.

Euro ncap tests are not law, they are wholly voluntary. Euro Ncap is not an arm of the EU and was set up by the Transport research laboratory in the UK.

You can sell a car in the EU without encap testing it (so long as it meets the EU's less demanding whole vehicle type approval).

So 10/10 for spouting ill informed bollocks.

Can since this morning share some info re a seat alhambra (near identical to ford galaxy and vw sharan)in a crash.
A car pulled across the road in front of me and it was too late to break.
The other car has substantial damage to the whole side (possible write off) while mine has a scratch to the (plastic) bumper.
So I think the size and bulk of the large people carriers definitely helps.
Beside that, the mandatory safety testing for cars and car seats is actually fairly pathetic. That explains why the landrover or the chrysler people carriers have such shocking safety ratings and why so many car seats are rated as very poor by the likes of which magazine.
It is not just bulk and crumple zone but also the absorbency of the material. If I remember correctly the espace which arguably is the safest 7 seater has a body constructed of fibreglass.
I would not feel comfurtable having any children in the back of one of the small seven seaters. I hated our zafira with a passion, adding to it all was that it was not quite wide enough to accomodation three child seats in the middle row and that the seat belts resulted in buckle crunch with the car seats I had and most of the ones I tried. The idea seemed good but it was the worst designed car I have ever driven.

Hmm, I refer to them as the 'death seats' in our car (qashqai+2) - in the event of a rear-end crash I fear it would be a bad outcome for those in the back...

Cheer up, it might never happen!

Cars are much safer than they were during our childhoods. Consider the Ford Pinto. Car seats are so much safer than letting children ride unrestrained. Searching for the optimal vehicle or child lets us forget how safe things are now.

I'm a car dealer's daughter. I am quite familiar with the American National Traffic Safety Board's tests. Identical vehicles receive insurance ratings 10-15% different from each other.
Air bags are hazardous for small people. They don't particularly improve safety. For example, race cars never have airbags.