The Chevrolet “Chevy” Sonic, which is also known as the Aveo, is Chevy’s offering in the subcompact minicar market in the United States. It competes strongly with more established luminaries like the Toyota Prius C, Honda Fit, Toyota Yaris, Ford Fiesta, Hyundai Accent, Kia Rio, and Nissan Versa Note by remaining one of the cheapest new cars you can buy today in the United States. The first generation had reliability issues that Chevy has worked to address in the second generation, and if you’re on a budget and determined to buy new, there are few hatchbacks or sedans that will take a smaller dent out of your wallet.
I took a look at two Aveos–the second generation Sonic and the first gen Aveo–to see how much of a challenge it would be to fit 3 car seats across the back rows of each. I knew it was possible, having had success with a range of other subcompacts, but it’s always a question of how challenging the installations are, and that’s what interested me with the Sonic / Aveo. Before looking at what worked and what didn’t, here’s a quick review of why using car seats in different stages of a child’s life are important to begin with.
Everything starts with rear-facing; it’s the safest position we know of, and it’s a very good idea to rear-face your children as long as possible (ideally until 4!), before forward-facing them in harnessed convertible or combination seats (until at least 5 but as late as 8!). Rear-facing offers the greatest protection for kids of all ages, and there are a number of seats (such as the Fllo / Foonf) that will let them rear-face through the preschool years. 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). If this sounds like a long time to use car seats, remember that car collisions are the leading causes of death throughout the ages you just read. Car seats are cheap insurance to keep your kids safer on the road.
With all of this in mind, I made it my mission to figure out which infant, convertible, combination, and booster seats would fit in the back of the Sonic with as little fuss as possible in 3 across combinations. 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.
2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 Chevrolet Sonic (T300)
Guaranteed 3 across installations:
Clek Fllo (x3).
Clek Foonf (x3).
Chicco KeyFit 30 (x3).
Clek Oobr (x3).
Diono Radian RXT (x3).
Diono Radian R120 (x3).
Diono Radian R100 (x3).
Combi Coccoro (x3).
Tips and Tricks:
The current generation of the Chevrolet Sonic is 159 inches long in the hatchback (173 inches long in the sedan) and 68 inches wide, making it a rather difficult vehicle to work with when it comes to 3 across setups. However, it’s definitely possible if you use the seat belts (no way no how when it comes to LATCH) and take your time.
Out of the above seats, the Radians are going to take up the least amount of space (aside from the Coccoro, which is more of an infant seat that can be forward-faced). You can see a full comparison of front-to-back space used by convertibles here, but the short version is that of the seats that allow for extended-rear facing in this vehicle, the Radians will use the least space while rear-facing. If you’re using one of the Radians, you’ll definitely need the angle adjuster, or you’re not going to have much front-passenger space, and it’ll be a painful experience for tall drivers or passengers.
2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011 Chevrolet Sonic / Aveo (T200)
Guaranteed 3 across installations:
Clek Fllo (x3).
Clek Foonf (x3).
Diono Radian RXT (x3).
Diono Radian R120 (x3).
Diono Radian R100 (x3).
Combi Coccoro (x3).
Tips and Tricks:
The initial generation of the Chevrolet Aveo is 153-154 inches long in the hatchback (167-170 inches long in the sedan) and 66-67 inches wide, making it a very difficult vehicle to work with when it comes to 3 across setups. However, it’s definitely possible if you use the seat belts (no way no how when it comes to LATCH) and take your time.
Once again, out of the above seats, the Radians are going to take up the least amount of space (aside from the Coccoro, which is more of an infant seat that can be forward-faced). You can see a full comparison of front-to-back space used by convertibles here, but the short version is that of the seats that allow for extended-rear facing in this vehicle, the Radians will use the least space while rear-facing. If you’re using one of the Radians, you’ll definitely need the angle adjuster, or you’re not going to have much front-passenger space, and it’ll be a painful experience for tall drivers or passengers.
It is important to note that the 2008 Chevy Aveo is not 3 across compatible, per the owner’s manual, due to overlapping seat belts (thanks to a reader for this tip!). As always, remember that the vehicle’s manual supersedes any other source (besides contacting the manufacturers themselves), including my information here.
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.