Which cars take 3 car seats across the back

[sybilfaulty]

Hello

I currently drive a Focus and have my children wedged in the back in a rear facing seat, a group 1 and a booster cushion. The baby will be one in a couple of weeks and is unlikely to fit in the rear facing seat for much longer, so I need to change cars. The car will need to fit 2 x Group 1 seats and something for the 5 year old in the middle.

Friends have got a Touran (lovely but too expensive for me), a Zafira (which I drove yest and was fine) and a Scenic (which again I drove yest but didn't really like).

Which other cars will fit 3 proper seats across the back? It would be nice to have seats in the boot in case I have to give friends a lift but I am just really exploring the options at this stage.

Many thanks

Thanks Herbie

Would def be a used car. I have about £7K to spend, and am thinking I should get about £4 for my focus. The Zafira I would get for the money would be the bottom of the range one. Had not thought about a Citroen, will investigate.

I am no stirling moss, and it's mainly for local driving with a few hols thrown in, so reliability is key.

A Fiat Multipla would take 3 in the back, plus it has 3 seats in the front if you needed an extra.

I remember someone recently recommending a particular Britax as being one of the narrowest forward facing seats. I think it was the Prince Benno. Perhaps you could try them in your current car as it would be much, much easier to change seats than change car.

hi, if you had a group 1 rear facing seat you could probably fit 3 cars seats in the back of your current car. i can fit a maxi cosi rodi sps(the narrowest booster), a maxi cosi priori sps and a britax 2 way elite in the back of a golf. if you are changing-don't buy a scenic if you're looking something relaible-just had to get rid of mine. loved the space but was costing way too much to keep on the road!

if you put a britax eclipse at either side,and a slim highbacked booster in the middle for your 5yo they should fit fine,

i use my mums focus sometimes,and although its a bit tighter than my vectra they fit in fine,

go to halford/mothercare/toys r us and they will try out different seats in your car to find a good combination,

We've just got a ford s-max and it easily fits an infant rear facing seat and 2 normal child seats across the back.

Quick update - after reading this thread again and a very happy hour spent with car seats in Halfords, I am now the proud possessor of 2 maxi cosis and a high back booster across the back of my little focus! It's a squash - they will all have to breathe in and it probably will not be that comfortable once they are, say, 6, 8 and 10 but it buys me a few more years without a people carrier.

I had previously been told that the 3 would not fit and so am extra delighted as I have saved about £3k in not buying a new car...

Thank you lovely mumsnetters for all the advice .

Oooh...which high back booster did you get? I'm currently trying to get in 3 seats across the back of my golf, ideally 1 baby seat, 1 high back booster (will be nearly 4 when baby born)and 1 maxi cosi style for the 18 month old. Does anyone know if the Britax eclipse (recommended earlier in this thread) is narrower than the maxi cosi?
Or any other solutions? Am expecting no 4 in a couple of months so already have my 5 year old in high back booster in the frony (airbag off). Would much rather buy new car seats if necessary rather than a new car!!

i have 3 in the back of a golf, a britax prince or a maxi cosi priori(in the middle), a maxi cosi cabrio(behind driver) and a britax two way elite(rear passenger). can also swap the cabrio for a maxi cosi rodi sps but it's a little tight doing up the seatbelt.

We have a zafira and love it, can get three seats across the back ok and great to have the flexibility of the extra seats in the boot which fold away and leave enough room to get an adult bike and two or three kids ones in the boot easily.

We have been using Gracco booster cushions, but recently got a couple of voyager ones from Tescos. Very very narrow and made a huge difference as it's much easier to do the straps up!

Why not have a look at a MULTIMAC. My friend in London has one and it solves all these ridiculous seat problems.

You can apparently get them in 3 or 4 seater versions and it's easy to get in and out of the car. Fliss has a 4-seater and says it has revolutionised their life cos she can fit 3 children + a friend's child in the back of her Prius! She also has a mate who has a 3-seater in the back of her Focus. BRILLIANT INVENTION and very very safe.

Also I gather it did wonderfully in crash tests - much better than regular car seats - much safer cos anchored to floor of car and legs that take the force in a crash! :)

Anyway - a thought - have a look - I think it's www.multimac.co.uk

R