The Toyota Highlander (known as the Kluger overseas) is easily one of the most popular mid-sized SUVs available in the United States and Canada, competing with SUVs like the Honda Pilot, Ford Edge, Dodge Journey, Ford Explorer, Jeep Grand Cherokee, Ford Flex, Chevy Tahoe, Toyota 4Runner, Mercedes-Benz M-Class, and Volvo XC90. It’s a reliable SUV and one of the few mid-sized SUVs with an available 3rd row option. I borrowed Highlanders from all 3 generations as well as a Highlander Hybrid from some friends over the last week and set to work to find out which car seats I could install in 3 across configurations in the Toyota Highlander.
Before going into the details, however, let’s review some best practices in terms of car seat safety. For me, that means rear-facing children as long as possible (ideally until 4!), and then forward-facing our kiddos as long as feasible (ideally until at least 6!), and then placing them in booster seats until they’re capable of using a regular seat belt (which typically happens between 10 and 12). These guidelines are meant to keep our little ones as safe as possible by restraining them appropriately as long as feasible.
With that out of the way, I wrote this guide so you’d know which car seats would work well in your Highlander, regardless of whether you were interested in using infant seats, convertibles, combination seats, or boosters. The list isn’t complete yet and I’ll keep on adding to it, but I think it’s off to a good start for now. I definitely think it’s the most complete guide to 3 across installations for the Toyota Highlander on the Internet. If you find it helpful when shopping for car seats for your Highlander, you can show your support by shopping through my Amazon links below. I’ll add more seats as I test them with newer and older Highlanders.
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.
2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 Toyota Highlander (XU50)
Guaranteed 3 across installations:
Clek Fllo (x3).
Clek Foonf (x3).
Clek Oobr (x3).
Peg Perego Flex 120 (x3).
Maxi-Cosi RodiFix (x3).
Diono Radian RXT (x3).
Diono Radian R120 (x3).
Diono Radian R100 (x3).
Chicco KeyFit 30 (x3).
Britax B-Safe 35 Elite (x3).
Britax B-Safe 35 (x3).
Combi Coccoro (x3).
Graco Snugride 30, Diono Radian / RXT, Recaro Performance Sport (2nd row).
Clek Foonf, Combi Coccoro, Diono Radian / RXT.
Clek Fllo, Combi Coccoro, Diono Radian / RXT.
Tips and Tricks:
This generation of the Toyota Highlander is 191 inches long and 76 inches wide, which means it is the most friendly Highlander for 3 across installations yet in terms of width. You’ll be able to install most seats without issue as long as you use seat belt installations. The 2nd row is significantly easier to achieve 3 across installations than the 3rd row, which is narrower than the 2nd row, so try the 2nd row if at all possible instead of the 3rd for better luck.
Unfortunately, there is only one top tether anchor in the 3rd row, located behind the center seat. There really should be more for forward-seating safety; hopefully this change occurs in the 2016 Highlander. There aren’t any LATCH anchors in the 3rd row either; you’ll want to look toward the Honda Odyssey or Pilot if you’re interested in more spots.
These 3 across installation setups apply equally to the Toyota Highlander and Toyota Highlander Hybrid, or HiHy, as it’s known in a number of online forums.
Something else to keep in mind is that Toyota prohibits a passenger’s sitting in the 2nd or 3rd row center seat if a car seat is installed in the passenger outboard position. The same restriction also applies to using booster seats in the 2nd or 3rd row center seat; you can’t do it, per Toyota, if you have an adjacent seat on the passenger side. This is to prevent a potential issue of the passenger seat blocking the center seat belt and preventing it from retracting.
2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 Toyota Highlander (XU40)
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).
Britax B-Safe 35 Elite (x3).
Britax B-Safe 35 (x3).
Combi Coccoro (x3).
Recaro Performance Sport, Diono Radian / RXT, Britax Frontier 90.
Recaro Performance Sport, Diono Radian / RXT, Britax Pioneer 70.
Britax Marathon ClickTight / Marathon G4.1 / Marathon G4, Diono Radian / RXT, Graco Snugride 30.
Tips and Tricks:
This generation of the Toyota Highlander is 188 inches long and 75 inches wide. The width would suggest most 3 across installations would be a straightforward affair, but that’s unfortunately not the case, as the center seat in the 2nd row is ridiculously narrow. You’ll really want a narrow seat in the center position if you want a 3 across installation.
Something else to keep in mind if you’re thinking of using the 3rd row is that there aren’t any top tether anchors there, which is a no-no considering how you should always use a top tether when forward-facing.
2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 Toyota Highlander (XU20)
Guaranteed 3 across installations:
Clek Fllo (x3).
Clek Foonf (x3).
Clek Oobr (x3).
Peg Perego Flex 120 (x3).
Maxi-Cosi RodiFix (x3).
Combi Coccoro (x3).
Diono Radian RXT (x3).
Diono Radian R120 (x3).
Diono Radian R100 (x3).
Graco Nautilus, Diono Radian / RXT, Britax Marathon ClickTight / Marathon G4.1 / Marathon G4.
Graco Nautilus, Chicco KeyFit 30 (baseless), Graco My Ride 65.
Chicco KeyFit 30, Graco Nautilus, Diono Radian / RXT.
Britax Frontier 90, Diono Radian / RXT, Graco Nautilus.
Chicco KeyFit 30, Diono Radian / RXT, Evenflo Triumph.
Tips and Tricks:
This initial generation of the Toyota Highlander is 184 inches long and 72 inches wide, which is significantly smaller than the current generation. That said, it’s quite versatile when it comes to 3 across installations. You’ll want to use your seat belt with each seat instead of LATCH to maximize your available space in the 2nd row.
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? Join us in the forums!