7+ Seater Vehicles

Written by Gail Frankiskos & René Grundlingh

Certified European Car Seat Technicians 

Contrary to what many parents believe, most 7+seater vehicles DO NOT allow car seat installations on the 3rd row (seat 6 and 7). Regardless of what vehicle you have, never assume that a car seat can be installed on any of the vehicle seats. Always read the vehicle manual carefully to determine where car seat installations are allowed.

Renault Triber- Only 1 of the vehicle seats are suitable for car seat installation
Nissan Patrol- Car seat installation on the second row only

The Nissan Patrol allows for Car Seats to be installed on the middle row only while the 7-seater Renault Triber only allows one universal car seat to be installed in the vehicle at any time and ONLY on the outer left rear seat in the 2nd row. The Renault Triber is not equipped with ISOFix points. A Universal car seat is “universal” meaning it can be installed in vehicles with a 3-point seatbelt. Check that your vehicle’s seatbelt is long enough to install your car seat correctly following the seatbelt routing as per the manual, and check that there is no buckle crunch present. Read our Correct Installation of Car Seats article here.

If no mention is made on installation in the 3rd row AND the seats are forward facing like the other vehicle seats (not side/rear facing) AND there is a full 3-point vehicle seatbelt, a dedicated high back booster seat (only for 4 to 12 year olds; not under 4 years old – please read our Correct use of car seats article here) may be used (not a multi-stage car seat in booster mode, as they require more support which the thinner 3rd row vehicle seats cannot provide). High safety rating high back boosters are recommended because:

  1. They are not as bulky as multi-stage* car seats and since the seats in 3rd row are generally thinner and do not offer as much support (which is very important during an accident), a dedicated high back booster is much better suited and safer as they are generally more compact and require less support.
  2. A dedicated high back booster has very good side impact protection which is very important because the 3rd row seats do not offer as much support as the other vehicle seats. Budget** and some mid-range*** boosters do have side impact protection, but generally aren’t as good as the high-end**** high back booster seats.

Always buckle up a booster seat (those not installed with ISOFix) when not in use; otherwise, it may become a projectile during an accident which could severely or fatally injure other occupants in the vehicle.

Keep your child’s level of maturity as a top consideration – many children easily unbuckle themselves and this is not readily observable to the driver. Most children of 4 years old are not mature enough to sit in a booster seat especially in the 3rd row without direct adult supervision.

7-seater vehicles that allow car seat installation in the 3rd row (this list will be updated regularly):

  • Volkswagen Caddy Kombi 2022+ year model – Offers 5x seats with ISOFix anchor points and Top Tether anchors. Solid floor, allowing Support Leg installation as well. Sliding doors which make life so much easier! Front passenger airbag can be de-activated for rear facing car seats installed on the front passenger seat*
  • BMW X7 – Offers 4x seats with ISOFix anchor points (2x outer rear 2nd row and 2x in 3rd row) with 4x Top Tether anchor points. Solid floor, allowing Support Leg installation as well. Front passenger airbag can be de-activated for rear facing car seats installed on the front passenger seat*
  • Audi Q7 – Offers 6x seats (including front passenger seat) with ISOFix anchor points and Top Tether anchors. Front passenger airbag can be de-activated for rear facing car seats installed on the front passenger seat*

*Please note that the front seat is one of the most dangerous places in a vehicle and not recommended to utilise for installing a rear or forward facing car seat / booster. Only consider car seat / booster installation on the front passenger seat as a last resort under very special circumstances and if a country’s law allows it. There is no law in South Africa prohibiting car seat installation on the front passenger seat, but other countries do prohibit children under a certain age to sit on the front passenger seat.

Considerations for parents with (or planning) 4 or more children

If you have or are planning on having a large family, we highly recommend considering a van which has full 3-point seatbelts (lap belt and shoulder belt) AND headrests on all 8 seats. This allows for more installation options and for all passengers to be transported safely. Popular 8-seater vans include the VW Caravelle or Transporter, Hyundai H1/Staria and Ford Tourneo. Car seats and boosters must always be installed with a full 3-point vehicle seatbelt. Never with lap belt only – the car seat / booster and child will tip forward or sideways during an accident and the child’s head may come into contact with hard parts of the vehicle with immense force, likely resulting in critical or fatal head/brain/spinal cord injuries.

* A multi-stage seat is a seat that caters for more than one developmental stage; typically, these are 3-in-1 car seats (infant, toddler, booster – one car seat from birth to 36kg / 12 years old). The Safeway Atlas and Joie Every Stage are very good examples of multi-stage car seats and popular choices in South Africa.

**Budget high back booster prices range under R2000 (September 2023 prices) e.g., Safeway Opto, Graco Junior Maxi

***Mid-range high back booster prices range around R2000 – R3500 (September 2023 prices) e.g., Joie Trillo, Joie Elevate, Graco Affix, Cybex Solution B2-Fix Lux

****High-end high back booster prices range around R4000 – R7000 (February 2024 prices) e.g., BeSafe iZi Flex Fix, BeSafe iZi Up X3, Maxi Cosi Kore Pro i-size, Maxi Cosi Rodifix Pro, Cybex Solution T iFix (previously known as the Solution Z iFix), Cybex Solution S2 iFix, Joie i-Traver, Nuna AACE LX, Peg Perego Viaggo 2-3 Surefix, Recaro Mako 2.

The least expensive ADAC tested high back booster currently available in South Africa is the Cybex Solution B2-Fix Lux (+-R3200), this seat provides a good balance between price and safety.

If you have Vitality Rewards you can use these at Baby City, where many of the above listed high back boosters can be purchased.

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