Best cars for 3 Isofix child seats

28 October 2020
Updated: 2 September 2022

Growing families present all sorts of challenges when choosing your next car. One of them is finding a car that can fit three child seats across the back seat so that you can fit all of your offspring safely.

The safest way to attach a child seat in a car is with Isofix mounts. These are standardised attachment points built into a regular car seat, and there are lots of car seats designed to fit them. Isofix is a more convenient method than using a seat belt to attach a car seat, and it keeps the seat firmly secured so that it doesn’t move if you have to brake suddenly or, worse still, are in a collision.

The issue is that although most cars have Isofix mounts on their outer back seats, only some also have one in the middle. And not many cars are wide enough to fit three child seats in the back at all. Some satisfy on both counts, however, making them perfect for larger families. Here’s our pick of the best.

The Citroen Berlingo’s tall, boxy shape and low cost stem from the fact that you can also buy a commercial (van) version. Its functional nature means that when it comes to practicality-per-pound, few cars can match it. The three individual back seats all come with their own Isofix child-seat mounting points and because all three seats are the same size, you can rearrange your child seats if you need to.

Fitting the kids’ seats into the Citroen is made even easier because of the Berlingo’s sliding rear doors. This means that even in the tightest parking space you can open the door fully to lift the kids out or do up their buckles. Another benefit is a boot that’s exceptionally large and well-shaped, so you can pack in the pushchair as quickly as you can load up the kids.

The Peugeot 5008 is a very clever car that gives you MPV-style practicality in an attractive SUV-style package. It’s a smart buy for anyone looking to fit three child seats in the middle row because the seven-seat Peugeot has three separate seats in its second row.

Wide-opening rear doors make it easy to lift child seats in and out, even the one in the middle seat. Some rear-facing child seats with a detachable base might be a squeeze in the centre seat, but there are plenty available that will fit comfortably. The 5008 also has a pair of third-row seats that are perfect for older kids or friends or family who want to come along for the ride. When you don’t need the third-row seats, you can simply fold them away to leave a large boot that can cope with all manner of parenting clutter.

Read our Peugeot 5008 review

Citroen packs more space than seems possible into the Grand C4 Spacetourer (called the Grand C4 Picasso until mid-2018). The Spacetourer is the same length and width as a family hatchback, yet it gives you masses of room inside without taking up any more space on your driveway than many less-practical cars.

This ingenious thinking results in an MPV with generous width across the middle row for three child seats, all secured with their own Isofix points. Fitting the kids’ seats is a doddle because the mounts are easy to access, while the broad door openings and low floor height make it much easier for small children to climb in unaided. The Spacetourer is also a very cost-effective option and has a particularly airy, comfortable interior.

The Ford Galaxy is a large MPV that has always given you lots of space and a good drive – and the model sold from 2015 onwards is the best yet. It’s a seven-seater that allows you to quickly and simply load in three child seats across the middle row with no messing about or back-breaking effort.

Wide-opening rear doors give brilliant access to the middle-row seats, so even larger rear-facing child seats are a breeze to put in. The three middle seats also slide back and forth, so you can give older kids a bit more leg room if nobody’s using the two seats in the third row. Fold those third-row seats flat into the floor and you’re left with an enormous boot for all the family’s kit.

The Tesla Model S might be an unusual choice for those seeking a car to cope with three-in-a-row child seats, yet it’s a rewarding one. As well as the advantages of having the child seats in a single row, you get the Tesla’s luxurious interior, remarkable performance and, of course, all the financial and environmental benefits of a pure-electric car.

You may need to give some thought to which child seat you should buy for the central seat in the Tesla because the available space isn’t as wide as the other two, but the Isofix connectors are quick and easy to reach. Underlining the Model S’s surprisingly practical nature are two boots – one in the back and one in the front, where you’d normally find an engine.

If you value practicality over all else then the Seat Alhambra was made for you. Not only can you fit three child seats next to each other, you can get two more passengers in behind them, as well as two people up front. Access is easy thanks to sliding side doors, and big windows give you a light, airy feel inside.

It also feels good to drive and most models have lots of clever touches to make family life a bit easier. These include storage compartments galore, drawers under the front seats and tables that fold up from the back of the front seats. The back doors have built-in sun blinds, and top-spec models get electric sliding doors and an electric boot lid.

When you think of the Audi Q7, its strong performance, top-notch quality and luxurious interior are probably what spring to mind, yet it’s also one of the most practical and family-friendly of SUVs.

It fits three child seats across its second row of seats and each is held securely in place with Isofix mounts. Even better, the Q7’s generous size means there’s more than enough width to handle all types of child seats, while the two passenger seats in the third row and the one in the front also have Isofix mounts, so you can fit a total of six child seats in the car if you need that many. It’s the ideal car if you regularly ferry around lots of children and it’s effortless to drive no matter how many you’ve got on board.

If you think the Volkswagen Sharan looks familiar, that might be because it’s essentially the same car as the Seat Alhambra we just covered. Volkswagen and Seat are both owned by the same parent company (no pun intended), and these two family SUVs share most of the same parts. 

As with the Alhambra, even some of the wider child seats on the market will fit in each of the three middle-row seats of the Sharan, and you get sliding rear doors that make it easy to get kids or child seats in and out of the car, even in jam-packed car parks. Big windows mean that the Sharan gives you great visibility and lots of natural light inside and it’s good to drive, feeling much more like a family hatchback than a van-like MPV.

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