3 Across Installations: Which Car Seats Fit a Chevrolet Colorado / GMC Canyon?

The “Chevy” Chevrolet Colorado (and its GMC twin, the GMC Canyon) is a compact pickup truck sold in the US as a replacement for the Chevy S-10 / GMC Sonoma. Manufactured in Missouri, Thailand, and Brazil, the Colorado competes with foreign and domestic offerings like the Toyota Tacoma, Ford Ranger, Nissan Frontier, and Dodge Dakota while offering a smaller and more sensible alternative for most drivers to larger trucks like the Ford F-150, Chevrolet Silverado, Toyota Tundra, Dodge Ram, GMC Sierra, and so on. It’s a truck big enough to get the job done without blowing an equally big hole in one’s budget.

As a result, it’s no surprise that a number of families turn to the Colorado, not just as a daily driver, but as a way to transport their kids from one place to the next. As part of my ongoing project to make 3 across car seat guides for all vehicles, I turned to the Colorado in effort to find out which car seats could be fit into it, particularly into the extended and crew cabs. Before going into what worked and what didn’t, here’s a crash course on car seat safety that’s worth reviewing.

First of all, I typically suggest keeping children rear-facing as long as possible (until 4 or 5 like the Swedes), followed by harnessing until they can safely use booster seats (until at least 5, like the Swedes), and then boostering until the 5 step test is passed (typically between 10, 11, and 12). Beyond that, I suggest keeping kids in the back seat until at least 13, and delaying teen solo driving until 18 if possible. The goal isn’t to move through seats as quickly as possible; it’s to keep kids as safe as possible whenever they’re in motor vehicles. The longer we keep our kids restrained appropriately, the safer they are in Colorados or any other vehicles.

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 Toyota Tacoma. 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.

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.

colorado - 2013 - publicdomain2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 Chevrolet Colorado

Guaranteed 3 across installations:

Clek Fllo (x3).

Clek Foonf (x3).

Diono Radian 3RXT (x3).

Diono Radian 3RX (x3).

Clek Oobr (x3).

Graco Size4Me 65 (x3).

Graco Contender (x3).

Combi Coccoro (x3).

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

Tips and Tricks:

The second generation Chevy Colorado ranges from just over 212 inches long in the crew cab short box to just under 225 inches long in the crew cab long box. It is 74 inches wide in all cab configurations. It’s available in three cab setups: an extended cab, a crew cab with a short bed, and a crew cab with a long bed. The crew cabs will offer the most interior space for car seats while the extended cab will offer the least. The capable interior allows for a decent number of car seats to be installed without much trouble, especially if you use the seat belt system instead of the LATCH system.

colorado - 2006 - publicdomain2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 Chevrolet Colorado

Guaranteed 3 across installations:

Clek Fllo (x3).

Clek Foonf (x3).

Diono Radian 3RXT (x3).

Diono Radian 3RX (x3).

Clek Oobr (x3).

Graco TurboBooster, Diono Radian RXT / R120 / R100, Graco Snugride 30.

Combi Coccoro (x3).

Tips and Tricks:

The initial generation Chevy Colorado ranges from just over 192 inches long in the regular cab to 207 inches long in the extended cab It is 68 inches wide in all US cab configurations. It’s available in three cab setups: a regular cab, an extended cab, and a crew cab. The crew cabs will offer the most interior space for car seats while the regular cab won’t offer any space and the extended cab won’t be much better. The interior is a narrow one and will make it tough to install all but the narrowest seats in 3 across setups. Definitely use your seat belts and try to move the outboard seats as close to the doors as possible. And of course, use your seat belts instead of LATCH anchors.

If you find my information on best practices in car and car seat safety helpful, you can do your shopping through this Amazon link. Canadians can shop here for Canadian purchases. Have a question or want to discuss best practices? Send me an email at carcrashdetective [at] gmail [dot] com.