Which family cars are best for child seats?

We know children are in child seats for at least seven years in Australia, so we need our family cars to be able to accommodate them for at least that long – and that’s if we only have one child.

If you have two, three, four or more children then you are looking at 10 to 15 years or more where child seats will be a large part of your everyday life.

It is naive to think this is only something that will affect your use of the car while they are tiny babies; get settled in for at least 7-20 years depending on how many children you have and their age gaps!

When it comes to baby seats, there is a minefield of information, laws and rules you have to adhere to – and that’s before learning how to fit the things.

Child seats come in all shapes and sizes; there are capsules for tiny babies, or seats suitable for 0-4 years – some are even marketed as suitable for 0-8 years – in forward-facing, rear-facing (and those that can convert between the two) as well as booster seats. It’s a lot to take on board.

The practicality of car interiors changes once you add baby seats to them. During the time your babies are rear-facing, some cars do not leave not enough legroom for the driver or front passenger to sit in the front.

If you have more than one infant, is there enough space in the rear seats to fit two or three child seats across? Or two child seats and another passenger?

All cars in Australia must have top tether anchorages for child seats to attach to and most now have ISOFIX anchors that are compatible with a lot of child seats.

Some car manufacturers have started to accommodate the needs of families and child seats really thoughtfully.

As a mum of two, family car journalist and founder of BabyDrive.com.au, I have tested child seats in hundreds of cars over the past seven years with my family, using a broad range of Infasecure child seats. So I definitely know great family cars for child seats when I see them!

Here’s my pick of hatches, SUVs and people-movers that are the best for child seats…

Subaru Impreza

The 2023 Subaru Impreza is a great family hatch. It is a fun car to drive and has more useable interior space than a lot of SUVs I have tested.

The Impreza has ISOFIX in both outboard rear seats and top tether anchorages in all three rear seats.

Not only does it fit three Infasecure child seats across the rear bench, but it has an amazing amount of legroom with a rear-facing child seat installed behind a 182cm driver or a forward-facing child seat behind a 186cm-plus driver.

In fact, I find most Subarus have great legroom when child seats are fitted.

If you only need two child seats in the back then you will just have room for a passenger to squeeze between the two seats.

Volkswagen Golf

The 2023 Volkswagen Golf is a classic all-round family hatch, without compromising on coolness.

With two ISOFIX and three top tether anchorages in the rear seats, if you need to fit three child seats in the back then with the right combination of Infasecure child seats you definitely can.

Those with older kids out of child seats and needing to fit in between two, we found you can do this without a squeeze.

Legroom is quite good in the Volkswagen Golf. If you have rear-facing infants then you would fit a 180cm driver in front of them, or a 186cm passenger.

MG ZS EV

A practical and affordable small SUV for families, the battery-electric 2023 MG ZS EV has a generous interior for a family of four, with two child seats in the back.

It has ISOFIX in the two outboard rear seats and top tether anchorages in all three rear seat positions. Three Infasecure child seats will fit across the rear seats if you choose carefully.

For families who only need two child seats in the back, the central seat is still perfect for an occasional friend to come for a play date after school.

Legroom is impressive in this small SUV; with rear-facing child seats installed, a 186cm passenger can sit in the front, or a 180cm driver.

GWM Haval Jolion

The 2023 GWM Haval Jolion has an amazing amount of interior space for a small SUV.

With ISOFIX in the two outboard rear seats and top tether anchorages for all three rear seats, families have plenty of room to install three Infasecure child seats in the back.

There is no hump in the footwell of the Jolion, so passengers can move about more easily across the back or a passenger can sit between two child seats with plenty of legroom.

If you have rear-facing child seats in the back, a 180cm driver can fit comfortably in front or an even taller (186cm) passenger.

GWM Haval H6

Tall families take note: legroom is fantastic in the 2023 GWM Haval H6! We could fit a 184cm-tall driver in front of rear-facing Infasecure child seats.

With ISOFIX in the two outboard seats and top tether anchorages for all three rear seats, the second row of the Haval H6 is nice and wide and three Infasecure child seats will fit across comfortably.

If you only need two child seats in the back, there is room for a passenger to fit comfortably beside or between two Infasecure child seats.

Toyota RAV4

The 2023 Toyota RAV4 is a favourite for families and it’s easy to see why.

Like most medium SUVs it has ISOFIX in the two outboard seats and top tether anchorages for all three.

At 162cm tall, I could just fit between two child seats in the back of the RAV4, which fits three Infasecure child seats nicely across and has enough interior space for a 180cm driver or front passenger with rear-facing child seats installed in the back.

Jeep Grand Cherokee L

When it comes to large off-road-capable SUVs there is no competition – the 2023 Jeep Grand Cherokee L takes the title for best family seven-seat SUV for baby seats!

The Jeep has ISOFIX in all three rear seats, which is fantastic for enabling families that need to fit three ISOFIX-compatible child seats across – and for those that don’t, it gives them flexibility of where they position the seats.

More good news for larger families is there are five top tether anchorage points across the second and third seating rows of the Grand Cherokee L.

I could install five Infasecure child seats very comfortably in the back with room around them. You could also fit an adult passenger beside or between two child seats in the second row.

The Jeep Grand Cherokee L has fantastic third-row access even with five Infasecure child seats installed.

Legroom is great throughout, and a 186cm driver can fit in front of a rear-facing child seat. There is even room for someone this tall behind it in the third row.

Mazda CX-9

In my opinion, the 2023 Mazda CX-9 sets the standard for all other seven-seat SUVs and I still rate it as the best for families both big and small.

Five Infasecure child seats fit really comfortably in the rear seats of the CX-9, using the ISOFIX in the two outboard second-row seats and top tether anchorages for all five rear seats.

Legroom is good in the Mazda CX-9, and with a rear-facing Infasecure child seat in the second row we could fit a 180cm driver in the front and a 180cm passenger or forward-facing child seat in the third row.

Third-row access is great, even with five child seats installed, and the smaller section of the 60/40-split second-row access to the third row is on the kerb side of the car, an all-too-often-overlooked feature that is important for passenger safety.

Kia Sorento

Special mention for carsales’ reigning Best Family SUV, the 2023 Kia Sorento. 

The Sorento makes a very practical car for small families wanting the flexibility of occasional extra seating and large families needing to comfortably fit five child seats and have good access every day. 

With generous rear seat bases, ISOFIX in the two outer second-row seats and in both the third-row seats, plus top tether anchorages in all five rear seatbacks, we were able to fit five Infasecure child seats in the back seats easily.

Whether you need to carry five child seats or a mixture of adults and kids, rest assured legroom is impressive throughout. And for the adults up front, even with the car loaded up with five child seats you can still fit a 184cm driver in front of a rear-facing child seat, making it a very practical SUV for large families.

If you couldn’t fit enough child seats in the hatches and SUVs we’ve looked at, take a look at these people-movers as they will keep even the biggest families happy.

Kia Carnival

The 2023 Kia Carnival is a must for large families to test drive – and small families wanting almost unlimited storage and boot space.

This gentle giant has six rear seats, of which there are three top tether anchorages and ISOFIX in the second-row seats and two ISOFIX and top tether points in the third-row seats.

The Carnival has a lot of interior space and you will easily fit five Infasecure child seats in the back if you need to.

Those that only need to fit four child seats or fewer can remove the second-row central seat and create a walkway through to the third-row seats.

You can also turn around the central seat in the second row so one passenger can travel facing the third row (child seats are not allowed in this seat when turned backwards).

Third-row access is also good as you can bring the outer second-row seats forward even when they have child seats installed.

There is no hump in the footwells so passengers can move around easily to their seats.

If you have rear-facing child seats in the second row you can fit a 182cm driver in front with either a similar-height passenger or child seat in the third row too.

Volkswagen Multivan

The 2023 Volkswagen Multivan is a cool and spacious people-mover. Two individual seats in its second row have ISOFIX and top tether anchorages, so can each hold a child seat.

In the third row there’s a bench seat with ISOFIX in the two outer seats and top tether anchorages for all three positions.

The seats are so spacious in the Multivan that you can easily fit five Infasecure child seats in the back with legroom for a 184cm-plus driver or front passenger.

You can easily walk through from the front to the second and third row seats to fasten kids’ seat belts and harnesses (great if it’s raining), and the high ceiling means even lanky teenagers shouldn’t hit their heads!