The Chevrolet “Chevy” Malibu is one of the longest-running mid-sized cars available in the United States. Named after Malibu, California, it competes with foreign and domestic mid-sized family sedans like the Ford Fusion, Honda Accord, Hyundai Sonata, Subaru Legacy, Toyota Camry, Volkswagen Jetta, Volkswagen Passat, and Volvo S60 among parents interested in family-friendly transportation without luxury or large-car prices.
The newest generation of the Malibu is also handsomely outfitted with family-focused safety features, including good small and moderate overlap crash scores, good side scores, a strong roof, and of course, ESC and side airbags. But the big question I had when looking at the Malibu was how it would do with a range of car seats? Let’s take a closer look at the 3 across potential of the Malibu after reviewing some elements of best practice when it comes to car seats.
When it comes to car seat safety, I always recommend rear-facing as long as your car seats will allow you (ideally until 4!), and then harnessing as long as you can with forward-facing or combination seats (ideally until 8!), and finishing strong by continuing to booster until your child is old and mature enough to pass the 5 step test for booster readiness (which typically happens between 10 and 12). Following these steps is a simple way to keep your child as safe as possible during the early years of car travel.
With that in mind, I set out to try all of the car seats at my disposal to see which 3 across installations would fit well in a Chevy Malibu, and put my list below together. The good news is that there are a range of infant, convertible, front-facing harnessed, and booster seats you’ll be able to get into the back row without trouble.
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.
2016, 2017 Chevrolet Malibu
Guaranteed 3 across installations:
Clek Fllo (x3).
Clek Foonf (x3).
Diono Radian / RXT, Chicco KeyFit 30, Diono Radian / RXT.
Diono Radian / RXT, Graco Snugride 35, Diono Radian / RXT.
Combi Coccoro (x3).
Diono Radian / RXT, Combi Coccoro, Evenflo Triumph.
Tips and Tricks:
The current generation of the Chevy Malibu is 194 inches long and 73 inches wide, which means it’s pretty much the same as the previous Malibu, although there’s a little bit more front-to-back space than before. In other words, you’ll be able to fit a decent range of car seats in it without much trouble, especially if you use your seat belts instead of the LATCH system. I think LATCH is great when you’ve got one or two seats to install, but when you’re looking to install several seats side to side in tight spaces, you’ll want every inch you can get, and you get them from the seat belts.
2013, 2014, 2015 Chevrolet Malibu
Guaranteed 3 across installations:
Clek Fllo (x3).
Clek Foonf (x3).
Diono Radian / RXT, Chicco KeyFit 30, Diono Radian / RXT.
Diono Radian / RXT, Graco Snugride 35, Diono Radian / RXT.
Combi Coccoro (x3).
Diono Radian / RXT, Combi Coccoro, Evenflo Triumph.
Tips and Tricks:
The pre-2016 generation of the Chevy Malibu is 191 inches long and 73 inches wide, making it a rather prototypical example of a mid-sized sedan. In other words, you’ll be able to fit a decent range of car seats in it without much trouble, especially if you use your seat belts instead of the LATCH system. I think LATCH is great when you’ve got one or two seats to install, but when you’re looking to install several seats side to side in tight spaces, you’ll want every inch you can get, and you get them from the seat belts.
2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 Chevrolet Malibu
Guaranteed 3 across installations:
Clek Fllo (x3).
Clek Foonf (x3).
Diono Radian / RXT, Chicco KeyFit 30, Diono Radian / RXT.
Combi Coccoro (x3).
Tips and Tricks:
The 2008-2012 generation of the Chevy Malibu is 192 inches long and 71 inches wide, or 1 inch longer and 2 inches narrower than the current generation. That said, you’ll still be able to fit several car seats in the back row with a bit of patience. Remember to use your seat belts over the LATCH system if at all possible.
2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 Chevrolet Malibu
Guaranteed 3 across installations:
Clek Fllo (x3).
Clek Foonf (x3).
Diono Radian / RXT, Chicco KeyFit 30, Diono Radian / RXT.
Combi Coccoro (x3).
Tips and Tricks:
The 2004-2007 generation of the Chevy Malibu is 188 inches long in the sedan and wagon versions and 70 inches wide as well in both versions. Technically, the sedan is half an inch longer and 1/10th of an inch wider, but that doesn’t make any difference when it comes to seat installation.
Despite this generation being narrower than the one that follows it, you’ll still be able to fit several car seats in the back row with a bit of patience. Remember to use your seat belts over the LATCH system if at all possible.
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If you find the information on car safety, recommended car seats, and car seat reviews on this car seat blog helpful, you can shop through this Amazon link for any purchases, car seat-related or not. Canadians can shop through this link for Canadian purchases.