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New research into which cars can accommodate three car seats in them, has revealed that only half can actually live up to their claims. The investigation from WhatCar?  exposed the cars that

claim to be able to carry three child car seats, but cannot or do not have the appropriate safety. One in seven families in the EU have three or more children and, in the UK, 180,000

families have a third or fourth child every year. New child car seat laws were introduced in 2017, which made the requirements of cars significantly stricter than before. Backless booster

seats were banned for children under 12 and until a child is reaches that ageor 135cm tall, they are required to use a car seat. What this means, however, is that the size and type of child

car seats used for three children can vary considerably in size and style. Despite being the fastest-growing family car sector in the UK, only one of the eight SUVs tested by What Car? – the

Audi Q7 – was able to fit three child car seats across a single row of seats. Four of the SUVs tested couldn’t fit in three seats at once in any configuration. The MPV category proved to be

the best performer, with four of the six seven-seat cars tested able to accommodate three car seats across the middle row. A hatchback and an estate car were also tested, neither of which

being able to fit three car seats side by side. What Car? tested 16 of the best-selling cars in the UK and used the same three children – aged seven, four and 11 months – in every car; the

youngest was in a Maxi-Cosi Pebble infant seat secured by the seat belt, while the older two were in Britax Romer Kidfix II seats with Isofix points. What Car? consumer editor Claire Evans,

who conducted the research, said: “If you have a larger family, picking a car with seven seats might seem like a good solution, but it doesn’t guarantee a second row of seats wide enough to

accommodate three child seats. "And the rearmost row of seats in a seven-seater might not be a safe or practical place to position a child.  “Size doesn’t always equal practicality –

even some of the biggest SUVs can only accommodate two child seats. “Our research only shows one possible scenario in terms of the combination of child ages and car seat styles, but it

highlights the need for parents to check that their child seats will fit properly into a car before buying it.”