Which Cars Fit 3 Car Seats?

By Jennifer Geiger and Jennifer Newman
May 7, 2024
ram 1500 2025 interior csc 01 jpg 2025 Ram 1500 | Cars.com photo by Jennifer Geiger

Editor’s note: This post was updated on Dec. 11, 2024, to reflect additions to the list.

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 backseat. In our Car Seat Checks, we’ve found the answer — which includes some minivans, in case you change your mind. 

Related: More Car Seat Checks

In the more than 10 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.

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-6-inch passenger. The three child seats — a high-back booster seat, convertible car seat and rear-facing infant-safety seat — are installed in the second row. We use Graco, Chicco and Britax car seats in our checks. 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 mode) 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. 

To 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 and Jennifer Newman, as well as previous editor 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.

More From Cars.com:

Related Video: 4 Car Seat Mistakes You Could Be Making

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.

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