The GMC Terrain is the GMC equivalent of the Chevrolet Equinox, and an upscale mid-sized SUV chosen by families interested in a hint of luxury without the luxury price tag. It competes with other 5-passenger mid-sized crossovers in the US market like the Ford Edge, Dodge Journey, Kia Sorento, Hyundai Santa Fe, Jeep Cherokee, and Jeep Grand Cherokee. It comes with a wide range of safety features and is often chosen by parents interested in the utility of a hatchback without the resignation of a minivan.

Although I’d had the chance to put an Equinox through the 3 across test, I wanted to see if its GMC twin would do as well, so I borrowed a Terrain this past week to see how friendly the back seat was when it came to installing 3 car seats across. We’ll look at how it did in a moment; first, I’d like to review some elements of car seat safety that apply to all passenger vehicles, including the Terrain.

Car seat safety starts with rear-facing. It’s the safest position we know of, and the longer our kids rear-face, the safer they’ll be, regardless of what kind of vehicle they travel in. I recommend keeping children in rear-facing infant or convertible seats as long as possible (ideally until 4!), then keeping them harnessed in forward-facing seats for several years more (ideally until 8!), and then only switching them out of booster seats when they pass the 5 step test (which typically happens between 10 and 12). The goal is to keep kids in the safest kinds of seats for as long as possible to increase their odds of surviving serious car crashes.

With that all in mind, I got to work with my seats to create what I believe to be the most detailed 3 across guide for the GMC Terrain on the Internet, covering every model year of the SUV so far. 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.

The initial generation of the GMC Terrain is 185-188 inches long and 73 inches wide, which means you’ll have a comparable amount of space for 3 across installations as what you’d find in the average mid-sized SUV or car.  It’s technically slightly wider than the Equinox in this generation, but that difference is mostly in the exterior, which means your internal space will be the same. As usual, to maximize the available amount of space for your installations, you’ll want to make use of seat belts instead of the LATCH anchors.

Because the Terrain is basically a fancy Equinox, issues in a given generation Equinox are issues you’ll see in the same generation of the Terrain. For example, the way the seat hinge is oriented in the back seat, you might have trouble installing multiple Radians rear-facing. I was able to do it, but some folks have had trouble with it. The center Radian can definitely be installed rear-facing, but you might need to install the outboard seats in forward-facing configurations.

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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.

The Chevrolet “Chevy” Malibu is one of the longest-running mid-sized cars available in the United States. Named after Malibu, California, it competes with foreign and domestic mid-sized family sedans like the Ford Fusion, Honda Accord, Hyundai Sonata, Subaru Legacy, Toyota Camry, Volkswagen Jetta, Volkswagen Passat, and Volvo S60 among parents interested in family-friendly transportation without luxury or large-car prices.

The newest generation of the Malibu is also handsomely outfitted with family-focused safety features, including good small and moderate overlap crash scores, good side scores, a strong roof, and of course, ESC and side airbags. But the big question I had when looking at the Malibu was how it would do with a range of car seats? Let’s take a closer look at the 3 across potential of the Malibu after reviewing some elements of best practice when it comes to car seats.

When it comes to car seat safety, I always recommend rear-facing as long as your car seats will allow you (ideally until 4!), and then harnessing as long as you can with forward-facing or combination seats (ideally until 8!), and finishing strong by continuing to booster until your child is old and mature enough to pass the 5 step test for booster readiness (which typically happens between 10 and 12). Following these steps is a simple way to keep your child as safe as possible during the early years of car travel.

With that in mind, I set out to try all of the car seats at my disposal to see which 3 across installations would fit well in a Chevy Malibu, and put my list below together. The good news is that there are a range of infant, convertible, front-facing harnessed, and booster seats you’ll be able to get into the back row without trouble.

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 Chevrolet Malibu

Guaranteed 3 across installations:

Clek Fllo (x3).

Clek Foonf (x3).

Diono Radian / RXT, Chicco KeyFit 30, Diono Radian / RXT.

Diono Radian / RXT (x3).

Diono Radian / RXT, Graco Snugride 35, Diono Radian / RXT.

Combi Coccoro (x3).

Diono Radian / RXT, Combi Coccoro, Evenflo Triumph.

The current generation of the Chevy Malibu is 194 inches long and 73 inches wide, which means it’s pretty much the same as the previous Malibu, although there’s a little bit more front-to-back space than before. In other words, you’ll be able to fit a decent range of car seats in it without much trouble, especially if you use your seat belts instead of the LATCH system. I think LATCH is great when you’ve got one or two seats to install, but when you’re looking to install several seats side to side in tight spaces, you’ll want every inch you can get, and you get them from the seat belts.

2013, 2014, 2015 Chevrolet Malibu

Guaranteed 3 across installations:

Clek Fllo (x3).

Clek Foonf (x3).

Diono Radian / RXT, Chicco KeyFit 30, Diono Radian / RXT.

Diono Radian / RXT (x3).

Diono Radian / RXT, Graco Snugride 35, Diono Radian / RXT.

Combi Coccoro (x3).

Diono Radian / RXT, Combi Coccoro, Evenflo Triumph.

The pre-2016 generation of the Chevy Malibu is 191 inches long and 73 inches wide, making it a rather prototypical example of a mid-sized sedan. In other words, you’ll be able to fit a decent range of car seats in it without much trouble, especially if you use your seat belts instead of the LATCH system. I think LATCH is great when you’ve got one or two seats to install, but when you’re looking to install several seats side to side in tight spaces, you’ll want every inch you can get, and you get them from the seat belts.

2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 Chevrolet Malibu

Guaranteed 3 across installations:

Clek Fllo (x3).

Clek Foonf (x3).

Diono Radian / RXT, Chicco KeyFit 30, Diono Radian / RXT.

Diono Radian / RXT (x3).

Combi Coccoro (x3).

Tips and Tricks:

The 2008-2012 generation of the Chevy Malibu is 192 inches long and 71 inches wide, or 1 inch longer and 2 inches narrower than the current generation. That said, you’ll still be able to fit several car seats in the back row with a bit of patience. Remember to use your seat belts over the LATCH system if at all possible.

2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 Chevrolet Malibu

Guaranteed 3 across installations:

Clek Fllo (x3).

Clek Foonf (x3).

Diono Radian / RXT, Chicco KeyFit 30, Diono Radian / RXT.

Diono Radian / RXT (x3).

Combi Coccoro (x3).

Tips and Tricks:

The 2004-2007 generation of the Chevy Malibu is 188 inches long in the sedan and wagon versions and 70 inches wide as well in both versions. Technically, the sedan is half an inch longer and 1/10th of an inch wider, but that doesn’t make any difference when it comes to seat installation.

Despite this generation being narrower than the one that follows it, you’ll still be able to fit several car seats in the back row with a bit of patience. Remember to use your seat belts over the LATCH system if at all possible.

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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.

The Dodge Dart is one of the newest American small (compact) cars to hit the US market, and it’s a good one. Going head to head with sedans like the Ford Focus, Mazda 3, Chevrolet Cruze, Honda Civic, and Toyota Corolla, The Dart is frequently chosen by couples and small families interested in safe transportation and an alternative to the more popular competitors above.

And when it comes to safety, the Dart delivers. I recently found it to be one of the best cars for surviving a side impact collision, placing it among a variety of much more expensive options by manufacturers like Mercedes, BMW, and Audi. It also features a good moderate overlap crash score, an acceptable small overlap score, a good roof score, and the basics like ESC and side airbags.

Given all of these pros to the Dart, I wanted to see if its performance was equally impressive when it came to fitting 3 car seats across the back seat. It’s a small car, so I knew it was going to be more of a challenge than what I typically deal with when working with larger vehicles, but I felt it had good potential. The results are below, but first of all, it’s worth reviewing why using different kinds of car seats is a good idea to begin with.

When it comes to car seat safety, I always recommend rear-facing as long as your car seats will allow you (ideally until 4!), and then harnessing as long as you can with forward-facing or combination seats (ideally until 8!), and finishing strong by continuing to booster until your child is old and mature enough to pass the 5 step test for booster readiness (which typically happens between 10 and 12). Following these steps is a simple way to keep your child as safe as possible during the early years of car travel.

With that in mind, I set out to try all of the car seats at my disposal to see which 3 across installations would fit well in a Dodge Dart, and put my list below together. Overall, I’m happy with the results; the width of the Dart definitely helps compared to many other cars in its size class. 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.

2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 Dodge Dart

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).

Diono Radian / RXT, Chicco KeyFit 30, Diono Radian / RXT.

Diono Radian / RXT, Graco Snugride 35, Diono Radian / RXT.

Diono Radian / RXT, Combi Coccoro, Evenflo Triumph.

Combi Coccoro (x3).

This initial generation of the Dodge Dart is 184 inches long and 72 inches wide, which makes it about as wide as the average mid-sized car while being about as long as the average small car or SUV. What this means is that you’ll have a generous amount of space for 3 across installations in terms of side-to-side width, but will need to watch your front-to-back space when dealing with tall seats. A good idea I frequently recommend is to use your seat belts instead of your LATCH anchors to make the most of that side-to-side space.

If you’re using the Radians, you’ll definitely want to make use of the angle adjuster to get as much extra room between the car seat and the vehicle’s front seats as possible; this will give you extra leg room as a driver or front seat passenger.

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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.

The Jeep Cherokee is one of the most iconic SUVs sold today in the United States, along with its fellow stablemates the Wrangler and Grand Cherokee. Competing against other primarily 2-row crossovers like the Ford Edge, Chevrolet Equinox, Hyundai Santa Fe, Kia Sorento, and Dodge Journey, the Cherokee holds its own with a range of modern safety features including good moderate frontal overlap scores, good side impact scores, good roof strength scores, and ESC and side airbags, as well as great optional front crash prevention software packages.

The Jeep Cherokee also received honorable mention in my list of the 2015 safest SUVs for surviving side impacts due to its intrusion-resistant frame.The biggest blight in the Cherokee design from a safety standpoint is currently its marginal small overlap score. However, Jeep will undoubtedly address that in the coming years.

I made it my goal to spend the weekend testing car seats to figure out which ones would and would not fit 3 across in a new (KL) Jeep Cherokee I borrowed from a friend. I also borrowed an older (1996 XJ) Cherokee since there are still so many of them on the road to see how that would fare in 3 across land. Before getting into what I found, however, here are some basics in car seat safety.

For me, car seat safety starts with rear-facing. From the day your baby leaves the hospital until at least the preschool years, rear-facing is the safest position we know of for car seat usage in a vehicle. I suggest rear-facing ideally until 4, before forward-facing your kids in harnessed convertible or combination seats (ideally until 8!). Once they outgrow their harnessed seats, it’s best to keep them restrained in high-back boosters until they’re physically and psychologically ready to use adult seat belt systems (which typically happens between 10 and 12). These suggestions may take a bit of extra work, but they provide a lot of extra safety.

My results of car seat puzzling in the Cherokee are below. It’s not a complete list, but as with all of my 3 across guides, it’s my goal to make it the most complete on the Internet over time, especially as I get access to more seats. 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.

The current generation of the Jeep Cherokee is 182 inches long and 73 inches wide, unless you buy the Trailhawk trim level, which is 75 inches wide. The Sport, Latitude and Limited levels, then, are going to give you about as much width as the average mid-sized car or SUV when it comes to 3 across space.

Remember that you’ll get much more space for your 3 across installations if you use your seat belts than if you use your LATCH system.

The 1984-2001 generation of the Jeep Cherokee is between 165 and 169 inches long and 68-71 inches wide, which means that depending on the year of Cherokee you purchased, you might have a relatively straightforward or an exceedingly difficult time making 3 across work in terms of width. The 1987-1993 years were the widest at 71 inches, while the 1994-1999 years were the narrowest at 68 inches. The final two years of the model were in between at 70 inches.

Regardless of which year you’re working with, the above seats can be expected to work, as I based them on the narrowest years rather than the widest. Given the short length of the Cherokee throughout this generation, if you’d like to use a Radian to rear-face, you’ll definitely want to pick up the angle adjuster, as it will make driving or sitting in the front passenger seat a lot less difficult.

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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.

The Hyundai Elantra (and its hatchback version, the Elantra GT) is one of the fastest-growing competitors in the small car segment in the United States, competing with more established compact sedans and hatchbacks like the Ford Focus, Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla, Kia Forte, Kia Soul, Chevrolet Cruze, Mazda 3, Toyota Prius, Scion xB, and Subaru Crosstrek. Compared to the other vehicles in its segment, the Elantra is cheaper than almost all of them, yet manages to keep up with the latest safety features present in its fellow small cars, and features good moderate overlap, side impact, and roof scores, as well as an acceptable small overlap front crash score. Naturally, the basics like ESC and side airbags are also present.

I borrowed a couple of Elantras this week to put them through their paces with some of my narrowest and not-so-narrow car seats. My goal was to see just how friendly the back row was for 3 across installations. It’s a small car, so I wasn’t expecting miracles, but I was still pleasantly surprised with its abilities. Before we take a look at what worked and what didn’t, let’s look at some best practice suggestions for car seat safety.

First of all, make your goal to keep your kids rear-facing for as long as possible (ideally until 4!), before forward-facing them in harnessed convertible or combination seats (ideally until 8!). When we rear-face our kids, we give them the best chances of walking away from severe collisions, and there are several seats (e.g., the Fllo, the Foonf, the Rainier, and the Pacifica) that can let your kids rear-face throughout the preschool years and into kindergarten. Once your kids are past the rear- and forward-facing stage, I recommend using high-back boosters until they’re ready to use adult seat belts (which typically happens between 10 and 12). Keeping kids safely restrained for as long as possible can only help them.

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 Hyundai Elantra. The usual suspects are here, as well as a few surprises. 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.