Cars with more than two ISOFIX anchorage points

Most new cars, whether they accommodate five, seven or eight occupants, have ISOFIX child seat anchorage points for the two outer second-row seats only.

That requires owners to use the seat belt to secure the restraint for the centre-rear position in the second row, while most three-row cars also make do without ISOFIX points in the rearmost positions.

But there are exceptions.

Here are some cars that buck trend, which provides an important point of difference to consider when buying your next car…

The Peugeot 5008 is a fantastic seven-seat SUV for families. The second row is made up of three individual seats, each with ISOFIX and top tether anchorage points so you can install an Infasecure child seat into each seat using ISOFIX.

Because each chair moves individually, you have flexibility to distribute legroom and shoulder-room throughout the car as you need it.

The seven-seat Audi Q7 has ISOFIX and top tether anchorage points in all five rear seats, making it a great luxury option for large families. And like the Peugeot, the three second-row seats in the Q7 can also move individually.

Five Infasecure child seats fit really comfortably in all five of the Q7’s rear seats, with good legroom across the three rows.

As the top-selling people-mover in Australia, the eight-seater Kia Carnival is a firm family favourite and provides five ISOFIX positions and top tether strap anchorage points behind the driver and front passenger – three in the second row and two out of the three third-row seats.

Five Infasecure child seats fit very easily in the Kia Carnival and it is an incredibly spacious vehicle that makes life easy and keeps everyone happy. It’s a great car for families big and small.

The Jeep Grand Cherokee L is a large seven-seat family SUV that deserves to be more popular among Australian families.

It has ISOFIX and top tether anchorage points in all three second-row seats and will fit three Infasecure child seats across with lots of legroom.

Access to the third row is good, where the two seats have top tether anchorage points but not ISOFIX.

The Nissan Pathfinder has very flexible rear seating for families. It is available as a seven- or eight-seater with either a three-seat bench in the central row or two captain’s chairs.

In the eight-seater version the second-row seats have ISOFIX anchorage points for the outer seats and there is an unusual single ISOFIX anchor for the central seat. This means you have the flexibility of positioning child seats in any of the second-row seats using ISOFIX – but not three ISOFIX child seats at once.

There are top tether anchorage points on the back of all three second-row seatbacks, while in the third row the Pathfinder has ISOFIX and top tether anchor points for the passenger-side seat only. Legroom is good throughout all three rows of seats, even when using rear-facing child seats.

The previous-generation seven-seat Isuzu MU-X family SUV (2014-21) had three lots of ISOFIX anchor points across the second-row seats and I could fit three Infasecure child seats across using those and the top tether anchorages on the seatbacks.

There are no top tether or ISOFIX anchorage points in the third row.

If you are looking for a second-hand large SUV with this configuration of seats, the MU-X is a great option, especially for families that like to go off-road or tow.

If you are looking for a large three-row SUV you might want or need to seat your kids in the third row using child seats with ISOFIX.

This could be because you have a large or blended family and need all seven seats in use at once. Those with smaller families may want the flexibility of being able to change where the child seats are positioned when transporting friends, relatives or an impulse-bought IKEA bookshelf.

Here are some large three-row SUVs with ISOFIX anchorage points in the third row:

The luxury seven-seat Land Rover Discovery can fit five Infasecure child seats as it has top tether anchorages in all five rear seats. It has ISOFIX in the two outer second-row seats and in both third-row seats.

This means you can connect four child seats using ISOFIX and the fifth using the central second-row seat belt. It gives families great flexibility over where they position their children’s seats.

The Kia Sorento seven-seat SUV has ISOFIX in both of the outer second-row seats and in both of the third-row seats.

The Sorento allows you to install four Infasecure child seats using ISOFIX and a fifth Infasecure child seat fits in the second-row central seat using the seat belt and top tether anchor. However, the Kia Sorento does not have airbags that extend to the third row.

A luxury seven-seat SUV with four sets of ISOFIX anchorages, the BMW X7 has ISOFIX in both of the outer second-row seats and in both of the third-row seats.

You can install five Infasecure child seats in the BMW X7 – four using ISOFIX and top tether anchorages and one in the second-row central seat using the seat belt and top tether anchor.

The Hyundai Palisade is available as a seven- or eight-seater. In both options, there are ISOFIX anchorages in both of the outer second-row seats and one set of ISOFIX anchors in the passenger-side third-row seat only.

You can only install three child seats in the Hyundai Palisade using ISOFIX connectors, and although there are two top tether anchorages in the Palisade’s third row (passenger side and central seat), I found they are so close together that only one child seat fits there at a time.

Image: supplied by Infasecure and babydrive.com.au