The Volvo XC40 is a small, safe, and luxurious SUV released since the 2018 model year by Volvo Cars. In the United States, it competes with a neverending line of crossovers including the Toyota Rav4, Honda CR-V, Jeep Renegade, Jeep Compass, Nissan Rogue, Mazda CX-5, Subaru Forester, and Ford Escape.  There’s also likely some overlap between families interested in the slightly larger XC60 or station wagon-based V60. It tests well from a safety perspective, with  high safety scores in the small overlap, moderate overlap, side, and roof strength tests, as well as established but essential goodies like ESC and side airbags. Front crash prevention is also included as a standard feature on all trims, marketed as “City Safety”, and is capable of avoiding vehicular collisions at up to 25 mph and crossing pedestrian collisions at up to 12 mph consistently. In other words, it checks off the vehicular safety boxes when looking at best practices. But how does it do with car seats?

I made it my goal to find out. However, as always, before going into which seats fit (an awful lot of them) and which ones didn’t (very few), let’s review which kinds of seats are best for particular developmental ages and stages for your kids, and why.

2018, 2019, 2020 Volvo XC40

Tips and Tricks:

The initial generation of the Volvo XC40 is a shade over 174 inches long, 73.3 inches wide, and 65 inches tall. As a result, you’ll be able to fit narrow seats in the 2nd row as long as you’re willing to use seat belts instead of LATCH. As is almost always the case with small SUVs (which are essentially raised versions of small cars),  front-to-back room will be limited, particularly if you’ve got taller occupants in the front row.

If you find my information on best practices in car and car seat safety helpful, you can buy my books here or do your shopping through this Amazon link. Canadians can shop here for Canadian purchases.  It costs nothing extra to do so, but when you shop through my links, a small portion of your purchase, regardless of what you buy, will go toward the maintenance of The Car Crash Detective.

The Kia Niro is one of Kia’s latest forays into the hybrid market. It’s a subcompact crossover with both hybrid and electric versions, and is essentially Kia Motors’ version of the Hyundai Ioniq (with which it shares a powertrain). It competes directly with the Toyota Prius C (though not necessarily with the larger standard Prius) in a growing market of small, fuel efficient vehicles. But if it’s going to serve as a family vehicle, its’s going to need to fit some car seats. Let’s take a look at if it does.

Before getting into 3 across setups, it’s worth reviewing the core elements of car seat safety. From the get-go, they involve rear-facing. It’s the safest position available in every vehicle, statistically speaking, and the benefits of extended rear-facing extend from childhood through adulthood. I typically suggest keeping children rear-facing as long as possible (until 4 to 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. The goal isn’t to move through seats as quickly as possible; it’s to keep kids as safe as possible whenever they’re in motor vehicles.

If you find my list of what I believe to be the most detailed 3 across guide for the Kia Niro  on the Internet, you can shop through my Amazon link below. I’ll add more seats as I test or confirm 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 taken by yours truly or are courtesy of Wikipedia or the NHTSA.

2018, 2019, 2020 Kia Niro

The Subaru Ascent is the newest, largest, and highest capacity member of the Subaru family in the United States. Designed to be a family friendly, all-in-one vehicle, it serves as the larger counterpart to the best -selling Outback and Forester as well as a replacement to the not-so-popular Tribeca. Like many mid-sized crossovers, the Ascent competes with a range of 3-row non-luxury SUVs, including the Volkswagen Atlas, Nissan Armada, Chevrolet Tahoe, Dodge Durango, GMC Yukon, Toyota Sequoia, Buick Enclave, Chevrolet Traverse, GMC Acadia,  Ford Expedition, Nissan Pathfinder, Ford Explorer, Chevrolet Suburban, Toyota Highlander, Mazda CX-9, and Honda Pilot. Unlike most of these vehicles, it’s also made locally as well (in Lafayette, Indiana). But how does it do when it comes to fitting kids and car seats in the 2nd and 3rd rows? I made it my goal to find out. However, as always, before going into which seats fit (an awful lot of them) and which ones didn’t (very few), let’s review which kinds of seats are best for particular developmental ages and stages for your kids, and why.

The Tesla Model S is the most popular large electric vehicle sold in the United States and around the world, and as of 2018 continues to be the longest-range mass production electric vehicle money can buy. Aside from its gasoline-free properties, it competes in the large luxury car sphere, drawing fire from luminaries like the Mercedes-Benz S-Class and E-Class, the Audi A8 and A6, the BMW 7-Series and 5-Series, and the Volvo S90. Price-wise, it keeps up, and its safety features are certainly close enough to keep it in competition. But how does it compare to the competition in the all-important task of keeping your little ones safely restrained? I made it my task to find out.

Regardless of what you’re driving, everything starts with rear-facing when it comes to car seat safety. Whether you’re 8 hours old or 80 years young, you’re best off rear-facing. Practically speaking, if you can keep your little ones rear-facing until at least 4, the way the Swedes do, you’re on the right track. At that point, if you wish, you can switch to forward-facing. To be honest, you can keep rear-facing too, but if you forward-face, know that you can also switch directly from rear-facing into boostering if your children are ready. From then on, you’ll want to keep your kids in high-back boosters until they’re ready to use adult seat belts; this typically won’t happen until they’re at least 10 to 12. It’s not a race; keep kids in earlier stages if possible for as long as possible.

It’s important to note that the Model S, unlike nearly any other car currently sold in the United States (save the wagon version of the E-Class) actually seats seven, not five. It optionally includes a pair of rear-facing harnessed seats that allow you to fit a pair of children (not adults) in a 3rd row. However, keep in mind that the kids must be at least 37 inches (940 mm) tall while weighing at least 35 but no more than 77 pounds. The seats effectively function as a pair of rear-facing convertible seats for preschool-to elementary-aged children that can’t be turned forward-facing.

The guide below represents only a fraction of available combinations for the Model S; if you find other combinations that work, feel free to let me know through the forums; I’ll add more seats as I get the chance to test them.

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 or the NHTSA.

2016-2019 Tesla Model S (WhiteStar)

Guaranteed 3 across installations:

Clek Fllo (x3).

Clek Foonf (x3).

Clek Oobr (x3).

Maxi-Cosi RodiFix (x3).

Peg Perego Flex 120 (x3).

Diono Radian R120 (x3).

Diono Radian RXT (x3).

Diono Radian R100 (x3).

Chicco KeyFit 30 (x3).

Graco Size4Me 65 (x3).

Graco Contender (x3).

Combi Coccoro (x3).

Clek Fllo, Diono Radian / RXT, Diono Radian / RXT.

Clek Fllo,Graco Size4Me 65, Graco Size4Me 65.

Clek Fllo, Graco Size4Me 65, Diono Radian / RXT.

Tips and Tricks:

The initial generation of the Tesla Model S fastback sedan is just under 196 inches long and just over 77 inches wide with a height of 57 inches and a wheelbase of 117 inches. In other words, you’re going to be able to fit most car seats inside without much trouble as long as you’re willing to use seat belts instead of LATCH for the wider ones. Remember that there’s no safety difference between seat belts and LATCH, but seat belts are much more efficient in helping you squeeze out every available inch of space in your back seats. The center seat is the narrowest and is where you’ll want to install the narrowest seat.

It’s important to note that the optional rear-facing seats can’t be used with separate car seats; they are the car seats. However, they can only be used with children between 35 and 77 pounds who are at least 37 inches tall; the effective height limit is around 45 inches due to the slope of the rear windshield. As a result, it’s best to see these additional seats as seats for preschoolers, kindergartners, and perhaps first graders; larger children are unlikely to fit due to height restrictions even if they fit the weight limits.

If you find my information on best practices in car and car seat safety helpful, you can buy my books here or 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.

The Tesla Model 3 is one of the most surprising entries to the packed mid-sized sedan market in the United States, and increasingly one of the most popular. Unlike its competitors (which include the Subaru Legacy, Subaru Outback, Ford Fusion, Volkswagen Jetta, Honda Accord, Volkswagen Passat, Hyundai Sonata, Kia Optima, and Toyota Camry), the Model 3 is only available as a fully electric vehicle. And it’s selling like hotcakes. But how does it do when it comes to keeping families safe?

First of all, everything starts with rear-facing when it comes to car seat safety. Whether you’re 8 hours old or 80 years young, you’re best off rear-facing. Practically speaking, if you can keep your little ones rear-facing until at least 4, the way the Swedes do, you’re on the right track. At that point, if you wish, you can switch to forward-facing. To be honest, you can keep rear-facing too, but if you forward-face, know that you can also switch directly from rear-facing into boostering if your children are ready. From then on, you’ll want to keep your kids in high-back boosters until they’re ready to use adult seat belts; this typically won’t happen until they’re at least 10 to 12. It’s not a race; keep kids in earlier stages if possible for as long as possible.

The guide below represents only a fraction of available combinations for the Model 3; if you find other combinations that work, feel free to let me know through the forums; I’ll add more seats as I get the chance to test them.

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 or the NHTSA.

2018-2019 Tesla Model 3 (BlueStar)

Guaranteed 3 across installations:

Clek Fllo (x3).

Clek Foonf (x3).

Clek Oobr (x3).

Maxi-Cosi RodiFix (x3).

Peg Perego Flex 120 (x3).

Diono Radian R120 (x3).

Diono Radian RXT (x3).

Diono Radian R100 (x3).

Chicco KeyFit 30 (x3).

Graco Size4Me 65 (x3).

Graco Contender (x3).

Combi Coccoro (x3).

Clek Fllo, Diono Radian / RXT, Diono Radian / RXT.

Clek Fllo,Graco Size4Me 65, Graco Size4Me 65.

Clek Fllo, Graco Size4Me 65, Diono Radian / RXT.

Tips and Tricks:

The initial generation of the Tesla Model 3 fastback sedan is just under 185 inches long and just over 76 inches wide with a height of 57 inches and a wheelbase of 113 inches. In other words, you’re going to be able to fit most car seats inside without much trouble as long as you’re willing to use seat belts instead of LATCH for the wider ones. Remember that there’s no safety difference between seat belts and LATCH, but seat belts are much more efficient in helping you squeeze out every available inch of space in your back seats. The center seat is the narrowest and is where you’ll want to install the narrowest seat. Your biggest challenge will be finding enough front-to-back space when using larger seats or when dealing with taller drivers and front seat passengers. The angle adjuster will be a good idea for a Diono-based seat if using it with a child at least 6 months old.

If you find my information on best practices in car and car seat safety helpful, you can buy my books here or 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.