The Nissan Murano is the smaller of two mid-sized crossovers currently sold by Nissan in the US (the other being the larger 3-row-capable Pathfinder). The Murano competes with a bevy of mid-sized 2-row non-luxury SUVs available today, including the Ford Edge, Dodge Journey, Kia Sorento, Hyundai Santa Fe, Chevrolet Equinox, GMC Terrain, Jeep Cherokee, and Jeep Grand Cherokee. In the Nissan crossover / SUV family, it slots in above the smaller Nissan Rogue.

Like most of the competition, the latest Murano is outfitted with a range of modern safety features, including good small overlap and moderate overlap crash scores, good side and roof scores, and front crash prevention systems in optional trim levels. In other words, it’s a safe, family-capable SUV frequently chosen by parents interested in safe transportation for their children. But how does it do when it comes to providing room for 3 car seats of varying sizes across the back row? That’s what I set to find out.

Before looking at which car seats did and didn’t fit in the Murano in 3 across setups, it’s worth reviewing a bit of car safety, in terms of which kinds of seats to use and when.

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 Nissan Murano 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 taken by yours truly or are courtesy of Wikipedia.

The current generation of the Nissan Murano is 192 inches long and 75 inches wide, making it both the longest and widest version of the Murano yet inside and out. As a result, it’s also the most car seat friendly version of the Murano, and 3 across setups with most normally-sized seats shouldn’t be an issue as long as you’re willing to use seat belts instead of the LATCH system. Remember that seat belts are as safe as LATCH, and in some cases, safer, depending on the weight limits of your car seats.

Given the length of the Murano, I wouldn’t expect you to have much trouble with fitting most seats in rear-facing configurations in terms of front-to-back space, but if you’re concerned about making things work, you can also check out my front-to-back comparison chart for rear-facing convertibles.

2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 Nissan Murano (Z51)

Guaranteed 3 across installations:

Clek Fllo (x3).

Clek Foonf (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.

The 2009-2014 generation of the Nissan Murano is 189-190 inches long, depending on whether you purchased it before 2011 or after 2010 and 74 inches wide across all years of the generation. In other words, it’s quite close in size to the succeeding generation, although an inch narrower and a few inches shorter.

What this means is that you’ll still be able to fit a wide range of normal-sized car seats in it without much trouble as long as you use your seat belts. You can use LATCH if you’re aiming for just 2 across configurations, and it will work with a few, but not all 3 across combinations, especially if you’re trying to make things work with wider seats.

Given the length of the Murano, I wouldn’t expect you to have much trouble with fitting most seats in rear-facing configurations in terms of front-to-back space, but if you’re concerned about making things work, you can also check out my front-to-back comparison chart for rear-facing convertibles.

2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 Nissan Murano (Z50)

Guaranteed 3 across installations:

Clek Fllo (x3).

Clek Foonf (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.

The 2003-2007 initial generation of the Nissan Murano is 188 inches long and 74 inches wide across all years of the generation. In other words, it’s quite close in size to the succeeding generation, although a few inches shorter.

What this means is that you’ll still be able to fit a wide range of normal-sized car seats in it without much trouble as long as you use your seat belts. You can use LATCH if you’re aiming for just 2 across configurations, and it will work with a few, but not all 3 across combinations, especially if you’re trying to make things work with wider seats.

Given the length of the Murano, I wouldn’t expect you to have much trouble with fitting most seats in rear-facing configurations in terms of front-to-back space, but if you’re concerned about making things work, you can also check out my front-to-back comparison chart for rear-facing convertibles.

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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 Nissan Leaf is one of my favorite cars currently available in the United States, simply because it’s the most affordable practical electric car you can buy. It’s not as fancy as a Tesla Model S or X, but it’s also more usable for family transportation than any of the micro-electric cars on the market. It competes with a bevy of small cars including its non-hybrid sibling the Nissan Sentra, the Toyota Corolla, Honda Civic, Hyundai Elantra, Kia Soul, Kia Forte, Dodge Dart, Chevrolet Cruze, Mazda 3, Scion xB, and Subaru Crosstrek. However, if you’re looking for an electric car, the field is much simpler. The only other electric cars and hybrids anywhere near in price and size are the Ford Focus Electric, 2nd generation Honda Insight, Toyota Prius, and Chevrolet Volt.

Even though it’s not the most popular car on the roads, the Leaf is still chosen by a number of parents and families for safe, affordable, and child-friendly transportation. I made it my mission to figure out just how child-friendly it was when it came to installing multiple car seats across the back row. Before looking at the results of fitting 3 car seats into the Leaf, however, let’s take a look at some elements of best practices in terms of when and for how long to use infant seats, convertibles combination seats, and booster seats in vehicles.

For me, car seat safety starts with rear-facing your kids as long as you can (ideally until 4!). That’s the safest position and is worth doing as long as possible before forward-facing your little ones in harnessed convertible or combination seats (ideally until 8!). Once they outgrow their harnessed seats, I suggest keeping children in high-back boosters until they’re physically and psychologically ready to use adult seat belt systems (which typically happens between 10 and 12). The goal is to keep kids as safely restrained for as long as possible, as it’s far too late to do anything for your child’s safety in the moment before a collision.

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 Nissan Leaf. This list is likely to be the most complete on the Internet so far; there just isn’t that much information out there on car seats in electric cars yet, though I’m trying hard to change that. 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.

2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 Nissan Leaf

Guaranteed 3 across installations:

Clek Fllo (x3).

Clek Foonf (x3).

Diono Radian RXT (x3).

Diono Radian R120 (x3).

Diono Radian R100 (x3).

Chicco KeyFit 30 (x3).

Combi Coccoro (x3).

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

Chicco KeyFit 30, Clek Fllo, Chicco KeyFit 30.

The current and only generation thus far of the Nissan Leaf is 175 inches long and just under 70 inches wide, which makes it about typical for a small or compact car in the US. Practically speaking, this means you’re going to be able to fit a number of narrow seats, including several convertible seats and a few infant seats.

Your biggest limitation will be the center seat, which is quite narrow; you’ll only want to use a 17″ seat there (e.g., one of the Dionos or Cleks above). Additionally, the short length of the Leaf means you’ll want to use the angle adjuster to get as much extra room between the car seat and the vehicle’s front seats as possible if you’re planning on rear-facing with a Diono seat; 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.

Well, it tends to come in on the cheap end compared to many of them, and besides that, it comes with a wide range of safety features, including good moderate overlap, side, and roof scores. In particular, the Golf currently features the best level of side impact protection you can buy in a 2015 small car, per my survey here. It even features a good small overlap score! What’s not to love?

Given how loyal Golf drivers are of their little hatchbacks, I made it my goal to figure out if it was a viable vehicle for families when it came to installing 3 car seats in a row across the back seats. I knew it was going to be a bit of a struggle since it’s one of the smallest cars on the road, but seeing as I’ve been able to fit 3 car seats across in some really small cars (e.g., the Honda Fit and Hyundai Accent), I was willing to give it a try. Before seeing what did and didn’t work, though, it’s a good idea to check out some of the basic elements of car seat safety.

First of all, try to rear-face your kids as long as you can (ideally until 4!), before forward-facing them in harnessed convertible or combination seats (ideally until 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). 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.

With these ideas in mind, I got out my current crop of infant, convertible, combination, and booster seats, and set out to find which ones would make 3 across combinations feasible in the Volkswagen Golf. 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.

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 Cadillac SRX is one of a handful of domestic luxury compact-to mid-sized SUVs currently available in the United States (and to be discontinued after 2016), along with the Lincoln MKX and Lincoln MKC. It competes in a small-but growing market of mid-sized luxury crossovers with alternatives like the Volvo XC60, BMW X3, Acura RDX, Audi Q5, and Lexus RX among families interested in safe transportation with station wagon storage potential. The SRX has good frontal and side scores, a good roof, and when optionally equipped, good front crash prevention systems. Based on its features, I’d expect it to be one of the safest vehicles on the road.

As a result, I had to fit it into my quest to create 3 across car seat compatibility guides for every major vehicle currently sold in the United States. The SRX is structurally similar to its GM siblings, the Chevy Equinox and GMC Terrain, so I was expecting similar car seat puzzling abilities, and I wasn’t disappointed. However, before going into which seats did and didn’t work, it’s worth reviewing some basic tenets of car seat safety, in terms of which seats are a good idea to use, when, and why.

First of all, start with rear-facing. It’s the safest position we know of when it comes to sitting in motorized vehicles, and I recommend keeping your kids 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, 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). The closer you can follow these guidelines, the safer your children will be.

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 Cadillac SRX. It’s my goal to make this list the most thorough on the Internet. 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 Jeep Renegade is a peppy little SUV that recently became the smallest Jeep sold in the US, and one of the smallest crossovers on the market. Designed to replace the Patriot and Compass while slotting in beneath the Cherokee, the Renegade also finds itself competing with a fleet of SUVs in the ever-burgeoning small SUV / crossover market in the US. Among other competitors, it goes head to head with the Kia Sportage, Honda CR-V, Toyota RAV4, Nissan Rogue, Mazda CX-5, Subaru Forester, Ford Escape, Hyundai Tucson, and Mitsubishi Outlander. It’s kind of ridiculous. However, it’s a Jeep, which means it’s going to sell well. It also looks delightfully playful.

As a result, I couldn’t pass up the chance to dig into the Renegade and see if it could haul some of the most precious cargo around: 3 car seats across the back row to hold 3 rambunctious children. Giving it a try gave me bad news and good news. The bad news was, as expected, that it was a rather tight fit getting 3 of anything in that back row. The good news is that there are definitely a few seats that will work. But before going into the ones that did and didn’t work, let’s take a look at some car seat safety 101, in order to help keep your little ones as safe as possible wherever you go.

First of all, when it comes to car seat safety, the best way to do it, per our Swedish brothers and sisters, is to rear-face for as long as we can. This goes for adults too! Rear-face your infants, toddlers, and preschoolers for as long as possible (ideally until 4!), before forward-facing them in harnessed convertible or combination seats (ideally until 6, 7, or 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). We want our little ones in the safest positions we know of for as long as possible to give them the greatest advantages in a collision.

With this knowledge, I made it my goal to figure out which infant, convertible, combination, and booster seats would work well together in 3 across combinations in the Jeep Renegade. I believe this list is the most detailed on the Internet, and I plan to add more seats to it over time as I get the chance to vet them. If you find the list helpful when shopping for car seats, you can shop through my Amazon link below.

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 yours truly, the NHTSA, or Wikipedia.

2016, 2017, 2018 Jeep Renegade (BU)

Guaranteed 3 across installations:

Clek Fllo (x3).

Clek Foonf (x3).

Diono Radian RXT (x3).

Diono Radian R120 (x3).

Diono Radian R100 (x3).

Chicco KeyFit 30 (x3).

Combi Coccoro (x3).

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

Tips and Tricks:

The current and only generation of the Jeep Renegade is a scant 167 inches long but strangely 71 inches wide, which actually makes it a better vehicle than one would expect at its size for car seat installations. Naturally, you’ll want to use your seat belts instead of LATCH anchors to make the most of your interior space. Remember that seat belts are as safe as LATCH and more space-efficient when installing multiple car seats.

Because of the length of the Renegade, if you want to make the most of your money, I’d strongly recommend Radians due to the minimal amount of space they take up with angle adjusters; your legs and front-row passengers will thank you. If you don’t need to fit 3 across, then you’ll want to check out my guide to space-saving rear-facing convertibles, as there are options that take up less front-to-back space than the Radians at the expense of a bit of width.

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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.