Three Car Seats SUVs…?

[JAJ85]

Hi,

We are currently trying for baby number 3 and I want to get a new car. I have two older children 8 and 9 but both are still in booster seats. I think that my eldest is 140cm or above but I’m not sure, however, they are slight in build so prefer the protection of the Cybex booster.

I went to look at an Audi Q4 e tron today. Has anybody been able to fit 3 car seats in the back…?

Alternatively, what SUVs do you have that you have managed to fit 3 seats in…?

For Audi's I think the Q7 can fit three seats. We have the Peugeot 5008, it has 3 separate middle seats and fits my 10, 8 and 2 year old very well. Older two are in Besafe HBB and toddler is in a Joie.
The Citroens aircross also have 3 seats across and if you want to go with MPV like Ford Galaxy etc you'll get more room. I know the listed cars are a far cry from an Audi.
Close alternatives are the Kia Sorrento and the Volvo XC90. @bertiebotts always has great suggestions.

I recently bought a Citroen C5 Aircross and love it! looks like a normal SUV and has three full seats in the back I can get car seats into and boot is massive. Lots of tech too

Thanks for your input, I really appreciate it. I will definitely go to the dealerships of the cars you’ve listed.

I am looking for an electric SUV that fits three seats in the back and has great boot space. The Audi Q4 etron has scored really well from the research I’ve done. It’s not the name but moreso the reviews online lol.

Look at Peugeot 5008.

Also it's not an SUV but the Citroen Berlingo is well worth a look and they have an electric one.

We've tested these both and can get 2x car seats side by side on either side or 2x car seats plus an adult comfortably in between. (Don't have 3 to test with!) I'd confidently say that either would take 3 seats across.

In all honesty, your 9 year old will be at least 10 before the hypothetical baby is here. It's very unlikely that they'd still be in a HBB by then, or if they are they'd have almost outgrown it. Put them in the middle with either no seat or a normal booster (depending on their height and whether or not they'd need a seat to get a good fit with the seatbelt). Then baby in seat in one side and 8 year old on HBB on other side. Would give you more options on choice of cars.

@BertieBotts Thank you, I will check them out. I appreciate your input.

Based on the age of your children and that you aren't pregnant yet I would not make this your primary concern, ensure that the middle seat is large enough and belt fits well without a booster as within a year it will not be needed. Mine were in boosters until 11 and 12 respectively but only because I kept them in them until they were over 140cm

@fartfacenotfatface 9 year old has just turned 9, and my period due today and has not come. I may feel comfortable having 9yo in the middle with a normal booster seat. I was more worried about side impact as they are naturally very slight hence why they are still in the Cybex HBB. 8 year old has a larger frame and is more robust but you as you said, younger two on the outside and eldest in the middle. Thanks for your input.

@gogomoto I might be pregnant now. I didn’t think I would get pregnant first cycle because I’ve never tried for a baby before until now but here we are. I know lots are parents stop using HBB once their children hit 8 onwards but I like the extra side impact protection. My eight year old is not tall so unless they have a growth spurt, might be in a while. Nine year old is tiny build. I remember being on the motorway coming back from Cardiff in February 2022 with my then 7 year old, stuck in traffic due to a crash and later on finding out that two children had died, one of them was 10. So sorry if I’m coming across overprotective.

@JAJ85 we had a 5 seater before our third and for the first couple of months we never went out as a family of 5. When we occasionally did we put my then 8/9 year old in the HBB in the front seat and pushed it back, I sat in the between baby and then 5/6 year old and my husband drove. I was thinking he'll probably not need the car seat in a year or two but he is slightly built and currently at age 10 he's 141cm and 31kg so we ended up getting the 5008.
The law here (ROI) is under 150cm needs a child car seat. I recent had to explain why he's in a high back booster at age 10 and not a backless one by breaking suddenly and showing him how the side impact protection keeps him safe. He will be in his Besafe car seat until he's at least age 12 or 150cm. I don't think you're being overprotective the car seats help keep them safer.
@BertieBotts thanks 🙏

We have the ID4. I think you could fit three seats across the back if you didn’t have a large swivel seat for baby. A regular baby seat and two high back boosters should fit. We easily fit two adults and one large 0-4 swivel seat in ours.
The advantage with electric is there’s no bump in floor in middle seat so whoever sits there has more leg space

We could fit two maxi Cous Tobis (twins) and a brutal romer in the back of our 2021 Audi e Tron.

Luckily getting another car through husbands work and a bmw ix (I think) which should fit the same although tight.

If not then a combination of one in the front and an adult in the back .

@mishmased Thank you for understanding. I Googled and double checked, the law has changed here and it’s now 135cm here. My 9 year old hasn’t hit 30kg yet. I checked about 3-4 months ago and he was 27kg. He’s not underweight either in the normal range 25th centile but has been that centile since birth. Also, I think that there is iso-fix in the front passenger base so I would feel comfortable having him in the front of my husband isn’t along for the journey.

@Caspianberg Thank you. I didn’t know about the extra floor space in an electric vehicle. I do want a swivel baby seat, I didn’t have one with my first two and I have seen how much easier it is to get babies in and out of the car. Anything to make my life easier.

@cravingmilkshake thanks for the input. I did test drive an etron after making this post and it drives lovely.

I am going to test drive a Peugeot 5008 and Citroen Aircross this week also.

The vw id4 has front isofix also. So if needed you can put one in there.
We have maxi cosi mica in back ( 0-4 swivel). And I think if you got narrow high back boosters like the maxi cosi kore you could fit 3 in back. Possibly three in Audi also. The maxi cosi kore for example are much narrower than say cybex high back seats. I looked as we ideally want to fit two adults and booster eventually and the difference in one high back and another width wise is considerable

@Caspianberg Really…? I checked on Amazon as I wanted those HBB but it stated that they were 51cm width and the Cybex ones I have are 50cm.

I will go and look at the VW ID4 also then. Thank you.

@JAJ85 - 44cm width according to direct website https://www.maxi-cosi.co.uk/car-seats/kore-pro-i-size

@Caspianberg wow! I chose the Cybex and now I find out that they’re wider lol. I’m going to buy these ones. Thank you.

Amazon is totally useless for stats on anything, half the time they aren't correct at all.

www.babydrive.com.au

Babydrive is very helpful. They're Aussie so not all cars reviewed can be found in the UK.

@JAJ85 just wondering how you got on with the ID.4? We're looking to get rid of our 5008 for an electric car, just wanted to know what you got in the end.

The ID4 has more headspace and leg room at the front and the boot is bigger than the Q4.

I went with the Q4. It is bigger than the Qashqai which is the car I wanted initially, it drives smoothly and the sale teams were more professional. I was ignored for a while in Volkswagen until I started opening car doors to check the space and then they came over. It put me off.

Apologies @JAJ85 I didn't see your reply. Thats really annoying when they do that and they've lost a potential sale. That's great you got the Q4, were you able to fit 3 car seats across the back?

I know. It’s possibly because I look a lot younger than I am, they might have assumed that I was a time waster.

Using the website provided, yes I can fit the boosters and a baby seat in.

I haven’t got it yet. It should be arriving next month.

When are you ordering your car?

I will be buying a one that is a year old so not brand new. I'm trying to choose between the Q4 e-tron and the ID.4 and both cars are not very common where I live. I hear you on the pains of looking younger 😂

I think you're thinking about that car crash the wrong way - as an SUV driver you're much more likely to be responsible for killing a child who is walking or cycling as you don't have the right line of vision and your vehicle is that much larger.

SUVs are 8x more likely to cause child death if they hit a walking or cycling child.https://road.cc/content/news/suvs-8-times-more-dangerous-kids-walking-or-cycling-295527

Not to mention the impact on the planet through climate change. SUVs produce more carbon than most countries https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/feb/28/carbon-emissions-global-suv-sport-utility-vehicles-oil-climate

Why not get a normal sized car? People used to manage, I'm sure you can as well.