Best cars for families with young children

SUVs may be riding high in the sales charts, but new research has found that MPVs are the superior choice for families with young children thanks to their capacity to accommodate a greater number of child seats.

What Car? tested 16 vehicles, from luxury SUVs to MPVs, to see how well they accommodate three child seats.

Although many MPVs and SUVs feature seven seats, not all of them can fit more than two child seats into the rear rows of the car because there are only two ISOFIX fixings.

Of the seven conventional-engined large SUVs tested, What Car? was able to fit all three child seats into just two models – the Peugeot 5008 and Kia Sorento.

The use of a child seat in the second or third row was prohibited in four of the large SUVs tested, and the one that could take a third seat in the second row wasn’t wide enough to do this.

Luxury SUVs outperformed their budget counterparts – with three of the four models tested able to accommodate three child seats.

In contrast, of the four MPVs What Car? tested, all were able to accommodate three child seats with ISOFIX points. The latest Seat Alhambra and VW Touran models both feature ISOFIX points in all five of their rear passenger seats – a record matched by only one of the luxury SUVs; the Audi Q7.

The Tesla Model X is currently the only electric vehicle capable of accommodating the rear seats with more than two child seats.

“This just goes to show how important it is for new parents, especially those with multiple kids, to do their homework when buying a new car,” said Steve Huntingford, editor of What Car?

“A vehicle may feature seven seats, but if only two can accommodate a child seat, it may not be the ideal choice.”