The BMW 5 Series (e.g., the 535i, 530i, 525i, 528i, and other models) is one of the best-looking sedans and station wagons (referred to as “touring” models by BMW) you can buy in the 5-figure range. In the United States, the 5 Series competes in the large luxury car segment with standouts like the Audi A6, Volvo S80, and Mercedes E-Class, and competes well. I recently compared every car in the US in terms of their abilities to withstand side impact collisions, and the 5 Series was one of the best cars you could be in when it came to surviving a t-bone. It’s not a 7 Series, but it’s definitely a tank in its own right.
As a result, when I had the chance to figure out if the most recent generations of the 5 Series would work well as family vehicles, I couldn’t pass it up. I was most interested in finding out if you could feasibly install 3 car seats across the back row of the 5 Series without damaging anything on the inside. Given that it was surprisingly doable with the 3 Series, I had high hopes. Before looking into the results, however, it’s worth reviewing some basic elements of car seat safety, in terms of which stages kids should go through and when before using adult seat belts.
First of all, infants, toddlers, and preschoolers are safest when rear-facing. I recommend rear-facing as long as you can (ideally until 4!), before forward-facing them in harnessed convertible or combination seats (ideally until 8!). Once they outgrow their harnessed seats, I suggest keeping them in high-back boosters until they’re physically and psychologically ready to use adult seat belt systems (which typically happens between 10 and 12). What we want to do is keep our kids restrained in the safest positions for as long as possible to increase their odds of surviving crash forces.
Keeping these ideas in mind, I set to work to find which infant, convertible, combination, and booster seats would work best in 3 across combinations in the BMW 5 Series. I found several good options and a few great ones. If you find the list helpful when shopping for car seats, you can shop through my Amazon link below. I’ll add more seats as I test them over time. Three across setups apply to both the sedan and touring editions of the 5 Series.
You can access the complete 3 across guide for every vehicle here and the complete list of recommended seats here. The Canadian car seat guide is here. 3 across car seat images are courtesy of Wikipedia.
2017 BMW 5 Series (G30, G31, G32)
Guaranteed 3 across installations:
Clek Fllo (x3).
Clek Foonf (x3).
Clek Fllo, Graco Contender, Diono Radian / RXT.
Clek Fllo, Diono Radian / RXT, Diono Radian / RXT.
Clek Fllo, Graco Size4Me 65, Diono Radian / RXT.
Chicco KeyFit 30, Clek Foonf, Chicco KeyFit 30.
Chicco KeyFit 30, Clek Fllo, Chicco KeyFit 30.
Clek Fllo, Graco Head Wise 70, Diono Radian / RXT.
Clek Fllo, Graco Head Wise 70, Graco Head Wise 70.
Chicco KeyFit 30, Clek Foonf, Chicco KeyFit 30.
Chicco KeyFit 30, Clek Fllo, Chicco KeyFit 30.
Combi Coccoro (x3).
Graco Contender (x3).
Graco Size4Me 65 (x3).
Tips and Tricks:
The current generation of the BMW 5 Series is 197 inches long and 75 inches wide, representing a significant expansion in size compared to previous generation. This is good news, as the seats that fit in the previous gen will also fit in the current generation, and you’ll be able to fit a few more combinations than possible in previous gens of the 5 Series.
You’ll definitely want to use your seat belts to get the most out of that back seat; save the LATCH installations for when you’ve only got one or two seats to install at a time, and when both aren’t next to each other.
2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 BMW 5 Series (F10, F11, F07)
Guaranteed 3 across installations:
Clek Fllo (x3).
Clek Fllo, Graco Contender, Diono Radian / RXT.
Clek Fllo, Diono Radian / RXT, Diono Radian / RXT.
Clek Fllo, Graco Size4Me 65, Diono Radian / RXT.
Clek Foonf (x3).
Graco Size4Me 65 (x3).
Chicco KeyFit 30, Clek Foonf, Chicco KeyFit 30.
Chicco KeyFit 30, Clek Fllo, Chicco KeyFit 30.
Tips and Tricks:
The prior generation of the BMW 5 Series is 193 inches long in the sedan and slightly more than 73 inches wide, making it somewhat narrow for a large car, and a more challenging vehicle for 3 across installations as a result than most of the cars it will be cross shopped against.
You’ll definitely want to use your seat belts to get the most out of that back seat; save the LATCH installations for when you’ve only got one or two seats to install at a time, and when both aren’t next to each other.
2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 BMW 5 Series (E60, E61)
Guaranteed 3 across installations:
Clek Fllo (x3).
Clek Fllo, Diono Radian / RXT, Diono Radian / RXT.
Clek Fllo, Graco Size4Me 65, Diono Radian / RXT.
Clek Foonf (x3).
Chicco KeyFit 30, Clek Foonf, Chicco KeyFit 30.
Chicco KeyFit 30, Clek Fllo, Chicco KeyFit 30.
Tips and Tricks:
The 2004-2010 generation of the BMW 5 Series is 191 inches long and slightly less than 73 inches wide, once again making it somewhat narrow for a large car, and a more challenging vehicle for 3 across installations as a result than most of the cars it will be cross shopped against.
As with the generation that follows it, you’ll definitely want to use your seat belts to get the most out of that back seat; save the LATCH installations for when you’ve only got one or two seats to install at a time, and when both aren’t next to each other.
1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003 BMW 5 Series (E39)
Guaranteed 3 across installations:
Clek Fllo (x3).
Clek Fllo, Diono Radian / RXT, Diono Radian / RXT.
Clek Foonf (x3).
Chicco KeyFit 30, Clek Foonf, Chicco KeyFit 30.
Chicco KeyFit 30, Clek Fllo, Chicco KeyFit 30.
Tips and Tricks:
The 1996-2003 generation of the BMW 5 Series is 188-189 inches long and slightly less than 71 inches wide, meaning it will be even more difficult to make work in 3 across setups than the generation that follows it. That said, there are still plenty of seats that will work inside it as long as you take your time and use the right restraints.
As with the generations that follow it, you’ll definitely want to use your seat belts to get the most out of that back seat; save the LATCH installations for when you’ve only got one or two seats to install at a time, and when both aren’t next to each other.
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If you find the information on car safety, recommended car seats, and car seat reviews on this car seat blog helpful, you can shop through this Amazon link for any purchases, car seat-related or not. Canadians can shop through this link for Canadian purchases.