Family SUVs with tricky top tethers and how to use them

In Australia, all baby seats must be attached to the car using two methods; the first is a top tether strap and the second is either ISOFIX or the car’s seatbelt.

You would think that top tether anchor points are the same in all cars but that’s just not the case.

Top tether straps can affect your use of a vehicle depending on where the top tether anchor points are positioned. Will the boot space or third-row headroom and visibility be affected, or will you need a top tether extension strap?

None of these are reasons to avoid certain vehicles, but forewarned is forearmed, and it’s important to know before buying your new family car so you can bear it in mind when making your car, baby seat and pram buying decisions so that everything fits!

There are some fantastic cars with little quirks when it comes to their top tether anchors that I have tested with my family over the last eight years as a mum of two, family car journalist and founder of BabyDrive.com.au.

Here are twelve cars that do top tether anchors a little differently and this may help you when installing baby seats in your new family car.

A great off-road (and on-road) option for families, the Mitsubishi Pajero Sport with a build date from March 2024 onwards come with three top tether anchorages for the second-row seats in the ceiling above the third-row seats. Models built pre-March 2024 come with one top tether anchor point installed for the central second-row seat and you have to fit the others for the outer two second-row seats (one is supplied and the third bought from a Mitsubishi dealer as an accessory).

The Pajero Sport’s top tether anchor points are in the ceiling above the third-row passengers’ heads, which affects third-row passenger comfort and visibility. It is fine for those who are only going to use the third-row seats occasionally and for shorter trips. In the five-seat Pajero Sport models it will affect the driver’s rear visibility and boot space if you need to use the entire boot height.

For most infant capsules and rear-facing child seats you will need a top tether extension strap to reach the Pajero Sport’s top tether anchor points.

All three of these medium SUVs are available in five-seat or seven-seat options and in five-seat mode each offers tall families great legroom throughout and a spacious boot.

Another thing the Nissan X-Trail, Mitsubishi Outlander and Honda CR-V have in common is that top tether anchor points are located in the back of the seatbacks for the two outer second-row seats and the central seat has a top tether anchor point in the ceiling.

For most rear-facing child seats, you will need a top tether extension strap if installing in the central position.

Because the top tether strap goes up to the middle of the ceiling, it can affect the comfort and visibility of third-row passengers. This is fine for those who will only use the third-row seats occasionally, but in any case, it will affect the driver’s rear visibility and the potentially boot space if you need to use the entire boot height.

The Honda Odyssey is discontinued but remains a popular used people mover for families. This seven-seater has two captain’s chairs in the second row with top tether anchor points right down at the back of the seat base, which for most rear-facing baby seats necessitate a top tether extension strap.

In the third row of the Odyssey, the two outer seats have top tether anchor points in the back of the boot floor, which means the top tether straps have to go across the boot space, severely limiting the practicality of the boot.

Note: Seven-seat versions of the fifth-generation Honda CR-V (2018-2023) also had third-row top tether anchor points in this position.

This eight-seater family favourite has top tether anchor points in all three second-row seats and in two of the three third-row seats. It’s a very spacious car for families and can very comfortably fit five child seats in the back.

Something to bear in mind when installing infant capsules and rear-facing child seats is that the top tether anchor points are right down at the back of the seat bases and for some baby seats you will need a top tether extension strap.

The Mahindra Scorpio is a very affordable six-seat SUV that has a zero-star ANCAP rating and very little standard safety tech that will likely put off families from what is otherwise a great off-roader that is pleasant to drive on-road.

The two second-row captain’s chairs have top tether anchor points in the very bottom of the seat base but they do have woven labels above to help you locate them. However, you can only access the top tether anchors when the third-row seats are up as the third-row seats get in the way when folded.

When using infant capsules and rear-facing child seats, you will need a top tether extension strap to reach the Mahindra Scorpio’s top tether anchors.

The Honda HR-V is a futuristic-looking four-seater SUV with only two rear top tether anchor points.

Because Honda omitted the installation of a top tether anchor point for the central rear seat, ADR34 prohibits a seatbelt from being installed there (which is not the case for light commercial vehicles such as dual-cab utes). Thus, the Honda HR-V is only a four-seater SUV, and you can only install two child seats.

The top tether anchor points are clearly labelled, and within plastic guides on the seat backs, so they are very easy to access and connect to.

An incredibly capable off-road family eight-seater, the Nissan Patrol has top tether anchorages for both of the outer second-row seats.

The top tether anchors are not within plastic guides and are not labelled, and are situated right down at the back of the seat bases, so they require a top tether extension strap for most infant capsules and rear-facing child seats. Also, the central second-row seat can not have a child seat installed as what looks just like the anchor point of its neighbouring seats is not approved for Australian use.

When installing child seats in the second row of the Nissan Patrol, you can not access the second-row top tether anchor points when the third-row seats are folded flat – so do not load your boot up for a road trip before you have put your child seats in!

There is a single, unlabelled top tether anchor point in the seatback in the third row of the Nissan Patrol. You can install your third child seat there.

It’s a similar story for the Isuzu MU-X as the Patrol: Do not put the third-row seats down until you have installed your child seats! The Isuzu MU-X has top tether anchorages in the seatbacks of all three second-row seats.

The top tether anchors are within plastic guides and clearly labelled. The MU-X is a great family all-rounder. It is good for everyday school runs and commutes and is capable of weekend camping and off-roading.

A neat, modern, minimal small luxury SUV for families that is surprisingly practical, the BMW X2 has top tether anchor points for all three rear seats and can fit three child seats across

The top tether anchor points are clearly labelled within plastic guides in the seat backs and easily accessible. However, the BMW X2 is one of those cars with multiple similar-looking anchor points on the seatback that are not to be used as top tether anchor points for child seats.

The Toyota LandCruiser 200 Series is a beast of a vehicle and still perfect for off-road family adventures despite being superseded by the 300 Series which has addressed some of the 200’s top tether anchor quirks!

All three second-row seats of the LandCrusier 200 have top tether anchor points. The outer two are clearly labelled in plastic guides but the central top tether anchor point is right down the bottom of the back of the seat base so you’ll need a top tether extension strap for most infant capsules and rear-facing child seats and it can’t be accessed when the third-row seats are folded.

Related: What to look for when buying your first family car

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