The Toyota Tacoma is one of the most-loved trucks in the USA, a country that loves it pickup trucks. It’s a mid-sized pickup truck that competes with trucks like the Ford Ranger, Nissan Frontier, Chevy Colorado, Honda Ridgeline, and Dodge Dakota while offering a smaller and more sensible alternative for most drivers to larger trucks like the Ford F-150, Chevrolet Silverado, Toyota Tundra, Dodge Ram, GMC Sierra, and so on. It’s not as big, but for a number of families, it’s big enough.
As a result, I wasn’t surprised to learn that many parents with Tacomas, or Tacos, as they’re often called, wanted to know about the possibilities of installing 3 car seats (whether infant seats, convertibles, combinations, or boosters) across the back row, especially in the longer cab versions such as the Access Cab or Double Cab short and long beds. To answer their questions, I took a look at a few generations of the Tacoma to probe their 3 across potential. Before looking at the results, however, it’s a good idea to review best practices when it comes to installing car seats in pickup trucks (or any other kind of vehicle, really).
First of all, I typically suggest keeping children rear-facing as long as possible (until 4 or 5 like the Swedes), followed by harnessing until they can safely use booster seats (until at least 5, like the Swedes), and then boostering until the 5 step test is passed (typically between 10, 11, and 12). Beyond that, I suggest keeping kids in the back seat until at least 13, and delaying teen solo driving until 18 if possible. 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 Toyota Tacoma. 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.
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.
2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 Toyota Tacoma
Guaranteed 3 across installations:
Clek Fllo (x3).
Clek Foonf (x3).
Diono Radian 3RXT (x3).
Diono Radian 3RX (x3).
Clek Oobr (x3).
Diono Radian RXT (x3).
Diono Radian R120 (x3).
Diono Radian R100 (x3).
Graco Size4Me 65 (x3).
Graco Contender (x3).
Combi Coccoro (x3).
Chicco KeyFit 30, Diono Radian / RXT, Chicco KeyFit 30.
Tips and Tricks:
The third generation Toyota Tacoma is available in access cab and double cab configurations. The access cab is only available with a standard bed and is 212.3 inches long; the double cab is available in standard and long beds and is 22.5 inches long in the long bed (except in the SR and Limited trims, which only feature a standard bed). The width varies from 74.4 inches in SR and SR5 trims to 75.2 inches in TRD Sport, TRD Off-Road, and Limited trims.
Practically speaking, this means that you’re going to be able to fit a decent number of car seats throughout the back seats in all trim levels. If you’re interested in rear-facing with a Radian and you’ve got an access cab, or have tall front row occupants, you’ll definitely want to spend the extra few dollars on an angle adjuster to make driving and using the front-passenger space easier.
Whichever cab or trim level you choose, be sure to use your seat belts for all 3 installations instead of your lower LATCH anchors; this will give you significantly more space for each seat by allowing you to install the outboard seats closer to the sides of the Tacoma.
2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 Toyota Tacoma
Guaranteed 3 across installations:
Clek Fllo (x3).
Clek Foonf (x3).
Diono Radian 3RXT (x3).
Diono Radian 3RX (x3).
Clek Oobr (x3).
Diono Radian RXT (x3).
Diono Radian R120 (x3).
Diono Radian R100 (x3).
Graco Size4Me 65 (x3).
Graco Contender (x3).
Combi Coccoro (x3).
Chicco KeyFit 30, Diono Radian / RXT, Chicco KeyFit 30.
Tips and Tricks:
The second generation Toyota Tacoma is 190 inches long in the regular cab, 208 inches in the access and double cab short bed, and 221 inches in the double cab long bed. It ranges from 72 inches wide in the 2WD regular to 75 inches wide in the 2WD extended and 4WD.
Practically speaking, this means that you’re going to be able to fit a decent number of car seats throughout the back seats in all trim levels. However, if you’ve got the regular cab, you’re going to have trouble leaving enough space for the driver and front-seat passenger if you have tall car seats, especially while rear-facing. You’ll have a much easier time in terms of front-to-back space with the access or double cabs.
If you’re interested in rear-facing with a Radian and you’ve got a shorter cab, you’ll definitely want to spend the extra few dollars on an angle adjuster to make driving and using the front-passenger space easier.
Whichever cab or trim level you choose, be sure to use your seat belts for all 3 installations instead of your lower LATCH anchors; this will give you significantly more space for each seat by allowing you to install the outboard seats closer to the sides of the Tacoma.
1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004 Toyota Tacoma
Guaranteed 3 across installations:
Clek Fllo (x3).
Clek Foonf (x3).
Diono Radian 3RXT (x3).
Diono Radian 3RX (x3).
Clek Oobr (x3).
Diono Radian RXT (x3).
Diono Radian R120 (x3).
Diono Radian R100 (x3).
Combi Coccoro (x3).
Tips and Tricks:
The first generation Tacoma ranges from 175 inches in the ’95-’97 2WD regular cab to 203 inches in the ’98-’02 2WD xtracab and ’03-’04 xtracab V6 and double cab. The width ranges from 67 to 70 inches in the crew cab trim levels.
Essentially, your 3 across potential will depend to a large degree on the cab and trim level you’re dealing with, and if you’re reading this review, the odds are that you bought your Taco before you bought your car seats. That said, there are a few seats that will work in any of these Tacomas, and those are the seats I’ve listed above. If you’ve got a larger trim, you’ll be able to install taller seats, while a wider trim will allow you to install many more seats than those I’ve listed here.
If you’re interested in rear-facing with a Radian and you’ve got a shorter cab, you’ll definitely want to spend the extra few dollars on an angle adjuster to make driving and using the front-passenger space easier.
As usual, you’ll absolutely want to use your seat belts instead of the LATCH system to maximize the usable space you have in your Taco. Good luck!
If you find my information on best practices in car and car seat safety helpful, you can do your shopping through this Amazon link. Canadians can shop here for Canadian purchases. Have a question or want to discuss best practices? Send me an email at carcrashdetective [at] gmail [dot] com.