We know the back seats in cars are very important when it comes to carrying your family around.

Pre-kids, they have just been where your mates bundled in with little consideration for size and comfort.

Then, suddenly, when you become parents, they take on a whole new meaning!

Will there be enough legroom for front passengers with child seats in the back? Will there be enough room for you to sit alongside or between child seats if you have to travel in the back to soothe your screaming baby or you get relegated when the in-laws come to visit?

You soon start asking whether the middle seat is comfortable to sit in or is there a rock-hard backrest caused by fold-down cup holders?

Is there a huge hump in the central footwell and nowhere to put your feet? Is there a seat belt buckle going to be sticking in my bum?!

Then, once the kids move out of their child seats, is there enough space for three enormous teenagers to sit without invading each other’s personal space?

Some cars have very comfy back seats, some have three individual seats, some have removed the hump in the footwell altogether and some have padded the central seatback.

As a mum of two, family car journalist and founder of BabyDrive.com.au, I have spent many, many journeys squeezed between two car seats in the back!

So I definitely know great back seats when I sit in them!

Here’s my pick of cars with the best back seats…

Comfort was in the mind of the designers of the all-electric Hyundai IONIQ 5, which was named carsales’ Car of the Year in 2021.

The rear seats are spacious and comfortable for three passengers, or I can sit comfortably between two child seats with a good amount of shoulder-room.

The IONIQ 5 has a completely flat floor, which means teen and adult passengers can rest their feet down without having to straddle a hump and kids can walk easily in the back to get to their seats.

A 180cm-plus passenger or rear-facing child seat can sit behind a similarly tall driver in the Hyundai IONIQ 5, and rear centre passengers benefit from greater legroom thanks to the front centre console box sliding forwards.

Perhaps the IONIQ 5’s most unique function is the ability for the driver to move the rear seats forward and backwards through the media screen to distribute the legroom and save the settings for future journeys.

GWM’s Haval H6 is a great option for taller families who are looking for generous legroom in an affordable medium SUV.

The Haval H6 easily allows a 180cm-plus driver to sit in front of an equally tall passenger or rear-facing child seat.

Rear seats in the Haval H6 are wide and flat, allowing three child seats to be installed across, or – depending on your family’s needs – room for a passenger to sit between or beside two child seats.

The headroom is good in the H6, suiting taller passengers and allowing the driver to see out over child seats.

USB sockets and rear map pockets provide passengers with places to store and charge their devices while on the move.

The Kia Sportage is a spacious vehicle that earned carsales’ Best Mid-Size SUV in 2022.

The rear seats are comfortable and spacious for passengers, both big and small.

Three child seats fit across the back, and the generous amount of shoulder-room means three adults fit comfortably too.

Legroom is good in the rear of the Kia Sportage and a 180cm-plus passenger can sit behind a driver who’s just as tall.

Rear passengers’ needs have been well considered, with iPad holders in the back of the front head restraints, USB sockets in the side of the front seatbacks, along with bag hooks and map pockets in the back of the front seats.

The all-electric Nissan Ariya is a new medium size SUV in Australia.

It is a surprisingly spacious car that feels solid and well built.

The Nissan Ariya has lovely details such as the ISOFIX child seat anchor points concealed behind zips in the two outer rear seat bases.

Three child seats fit across the back seats, which are comfortable and generous enough in size to allow an adult to sit between two child seats.

The rear foot well is flat, so there is excellent legroom for adult passengers, and kids can easily move to their seats.

The Ariya’s party trick is its sliding centre console, which can be adjusted from the driver seat. Slide it forwards to create extra legroom for a rear centre passenger, or move it back into the rear centre footwell to open up an almost uninterrupted floor space between the front footwells.

In this medium SUV a 180cm-plus driver can sit in front of a rear-facing child seat.

The main downside is that taller passengers may find headroom a bit limited.

Rear passengers have USB-C sockets for charging devices and air vents to keep them comfortable.

The seven-seat Hyundai Santa Fe is a great large SUV for families. It easily fits five child seats in the back, but with all seats occupied, accessing the third row means removing a child seat from the second row.

With that in mind, it makes the Santa Fe more of an everyday four-child-seat family SUV.

Footwells are flat in both the second and third rows, making it easy for passengers to access their seats, and the rear doors open nice and wide, so it is easy to load child seats in and fasten their harnesses.

This large SUV is very practical for tall families; legroom is excellent in the Hyundai Santa Fe. A 186cm-tall driver can sit in front of a rear-facing child seat in the second row, with a forward-facing child seat fitted in the third row.

Air vents, storage, and USB-C sockets are in both rear rows of seats to make the Santa Fe comfortable for all rear passengers and enable them to charge devices while travelling.

The Mazda CX-80 is currently Mazda’s most-affordable seven-seat SUV, fitting five child seats in the back comfortably.

Like the Santa Fe, third-row access requires removing a second-row child seat when all three positions are occupied.

The CX-80 offers good legroom, accommodating a rear-facing child seat behind the driver while still allowing room for a 180cm-tall adult up front, alongside a forward-facing child seat in the third row.

The rear doors open nice and wide, making access easy for passengers. However, there is a hump in the central seat footwell, which passengers do have to straddle.

Rear passengers are kept comfortable with air vents beside their seats, and while the rear climate settings can be controlled from the second row, adults in the front ultimately retain control.

Cup holders and USB-C sockets in both rear rows, meaning teenagers can charge their devices while traveling and keep well hydrated.

If you have little ones in the back, there are handles above both rear windows so a toy can be hung there to keep them entertained and happy on longer journeys.

The futuristic and stylish Hyundai IONIQ 9 has fantastic back seats!

This seven-seat fully electric SUV fits five child seats comfortably in the back, or an adult between or beside child seats in the second row.

All rear passengers are kept comfortable thanks to ceiling air vents that help regulate temperature, as well as a central ceiling light for better visibility at night.

There are USB-C sockets in the second and third-row so that passengers can charge their devices whilst driving along too.

Both rear rows feature generous storage, including door-mounted cup holders that are easy for children to reach.

Third-row access is good in the IONIQ 9, with an excellent mechanism that allows a second-row seat to slide forward even with a child seat installed (when using ISOFIX anchorage points rather than a seatbelt), creating plenty of space to step through to the third row.

The IONIQ 9 is a good seven-seater for tall families.

All the footwells are flat so passengers can easily move around inside, the headroom is good and legroom is excellent.

The second-row seats slide to allow legroom to be distributed to suit your family’s needs. Even with a rear-facing child seat fitted, there’s space for a 186cm-tall driver up front, while switching to forward-facing child seats frees up even more room for taller drivers.

The Kia EV9 is a spacious, all-electric seven-seat SUV, with the top-spec model standing out for its strikingly futuristic design, including optional metallic matte paint and side-mounted cameras in place of traditional mirrors.

This large SUV is very practical for large families, accommodating child seats easily in all five of its rear seats.

Like the IONIQ 9, the EV9 stands out for family buyers thanks to its ability to access the third row even with three child seats fitted across the second row, making it a genuine five child seat option for everyday use.

Legroom is good throughout the EV9, with flat footwells for second- and third-row passengers, providing good access and kick room.

With a forward-facing child seat in the third row and a rear-facing seat in the second row, we found a 180cm driver can sit in the front.

The Kia EV9 is full of features that prove to make family life easier, for example, the built-in rear window blinds, USB-C sockets, air vents, and great storage for all three rows of seats.

The eight-seater Ford Tourneo makes a great vehicle for families big and small.

We’re a family of four, and I loved how easily the rear accommodated passengers of all sizes, while still having enough space for bikes or paddleboards in the back.

This people mover has three individual seats in the second row which all slide and move independently to distribute legroom, and you can remove a seat to make a walk-through if you don’t need all eight seats.

Three child seats or adults can fit comfortably across the second-row seats, and two child seats fit in the two outer third-row seats with plenty of room between them for a lanky teenager.

The second-row seats can also be easily turned around to face backwards. Like in the Kia Carnival, child seats must never be used in any seat while it is facing backwards.

The Tourneo has flat footwells throughout, and its high ceiling makes it easy for passengers to move around in the back and walk through to the front seats.

The glass roof in top-spec Tourneos has no blind, which we found bothered younger passengers with glare and heat when the sun was high in the sky.

For large families, the Kia Carnival is queen.

The rear seats are adaptable, whether you want a seven- or eight-seater, with three individual seats across the second row.

The individual seats give great personal space and shoulder-room for either three adults, lanky teens or three child seats to fit across.

Each seat can slide independently to distribute legroom according to your family’s needs, and the centre second-row seat can also be removed altogether to create a walkway to the third row. Alternatively, the seat can be rotated to face rearwards if you want to keep an eye on children in the third row, although child seats must never be used in the centre seat when it is facing backwards.

There is no hump in the second-row footwell, so teens and adults have lots of legroom and little kids can easily walk through to their child seat.

Three adults can sit comfortably across the third row, with good headroom. Even a 180cm-plus passenger fits here, alongside a similarly tall driver or second-row passenger, with a rear-facing child seat positioned between them.

For families looking at the fully electric Volkswagen ID. Buzz, this five- or seven-seat people mover has got to be the coolest pick of the bunch!

The tray tables on the back of both the front seats make the outer second-row seats the desirable go-to seats for your little ones to sit. Their lunch box, tablet and drink fit there nicely!

Three child seats fit easily across the three second-row seats, and two more child seats sit comfortably in the two third-row seats of seven-seat models too.

For the seven-seat ID. Buzz, access through to the third row is also excellent as no child seats need removing, making it easy to have five child seats installed on an everyday basis with no compromise to family practicality.

The footwell is flat throughout the ID. Buzz and legroom is excellent as all seats slide, so you can distribute legroom however your family needs.

We found drivers of any height could fit in front of a rear-facing child seat.

Passengers big and small can move around easily, with the high ceiling making the ID. Buzz well suited to everyone from parents strapping babies into child seats through to teenagers and tall adults.

The central console box in the front can be easily removed to give a walkway through to the back, which is perfect for getting the little ones into their harnesses in hot or wet weather.

The ID. Buzz has great storage, ventilation and USB-C sockets in all three rows of seats to keep everyone comfortable and able to charge devices while travelling.

The optional glass sunroof has a party trick that electronically creates a frosted effect to reduce – but not eliminate – glare and heat from the midday sun.

The king of interior space is the Hyundai Staria.

With an enormous bench of second-row seats, three large adults can sit comfortably with heaps of legroom, headroom and shoulder-room.

There is no hump in the rear footwell, and a passenger can easily sit between or beside two child seats.

Bag hooks and map pockets are fitted to the backs of both front seats, and a large drawer in the rear of the centre console, along with USB sockets, provides rear passengers with storage and charging options.

The three seats in the third row are also comfortable and spacious, with good legroom and kick room, but they lack anchor points for installing child seats