The Hyundai Tucson is a small, cheap, and energetic SUV-style crossover sold in the United States. Currently in its third generation, it competes with luminaries in the compact crossover market like the Honda CR-V, Toyota RAV4, Nissan Rogue, Mazda CX-5, Mitsubishi Outlander, Subaru Forester, Ford Escape, Jeep Compass, Kia Sportage, Jeep Renegade, and Jeep Patriot. The Tucson, which is also known as the ix35 overseas, shares its structure with the Kia Sportage as well as with the Hyundai Elantra and Kia Forte, and is frequently cross-shopped with the aforementioned vehicles by people interested in compact, safe, and fuel efficient transportation.
I looked into the current and previous generations of the Tucson to figure out just how friendly they were when it came to the all-important task of fitting 3 car seats across the back row. Given the smaller size of the Tucson, I was expecting a challenge, but was pleased to find out a number of car seats could be made to work without too much of a struggle. Before looking in depth at which seats did and didn’t work, it’s worth taking a look at basic elements of car seat safety.
The safest configuration we know of when it comes to vehicle safety is rear-facing. This goes for adults as well! Rear-face your infants, toddlers, and preschoolers for as long as possible (ideally until 4!), before forward-facing them in harnessed convertible or combination seats (ideally until 8!). Once they outgrow their harnessed seats, it’s best to keep them restrained in high-back boosters until they’re physically and psychologically ready to use adult seat belt systems (which typically happens between 10 and 12). We want our little ones in the safest positions we know of for as long as possible to give them the greatest advantages in a collision.
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 Hyundai Tucson. It’s my goal to make this list the most thorough on the Internet. 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, 2018 Hyundai Tucson (TL)
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).
Combi Coccoro (x3).
Clek Fllo, Diono Radian / RXT, Diono Radian / RXT.
Clek Fllo, Graco Size4Me 65, Diono Radian / RXT.
Chicco KeyFit 30, Clek Fllo, Chicco KeyFit 30.
Tips and Tricks:
The current generation of the Hyundai Tucson is just over 176 inches long and just under 73 inches wide, making it the largest generation of the Tucson yet. However, it’s still not going to be the easiest vehicle to work with when it comes to 3 across installations, although it’s definitely still possible with the right seats. The bigger challenge is likely to be the front-to-back space; because of how short the Tucson is, you’ll have to choose seats carefully to have an adequate amount of leg room left over in the front row if you’re planning on rear-facing your little ones.
I’d recommend checking out the space-saving convertible comparison guide to compare seats you might already have to the ones on this list. If you’re looking for my recommendations, I’d strongly suggest Radians due to the minimal amount of space they take up with angle adjusters; your legs and front-row passengers will thank you. Of course, be sure to use your seat belts instead of LATCH to make the most of your side-to-side space.
2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 Hyundai Tucson (LM)
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).
Combi Coccoro (x3).
Clek Fllo, Diono Radian / RXT, Diono Radian / RXT.
Clek Fllo, Graco Size4Me 65, Diono Radian / RXT.
Chicco KeyFit 30, Clek Fllo, Chicco KeyFit 30.
Tips and Tricks:
The 2010-2015 generation of the Hyundai Tucson is 174 inches long and just under 72 inches wide. The narrow width of the Tucson means you’re going to have your work cut out for you when it comes to 3 across installations, although it’s definitely still possible with the right seats. The bigger challenge is likely to be the front-to-back space; because of how short the Tucson is, you’ll have to choose seats carefully to have an adequate amount of leg room left over in the front row if you’re planning on rear-facing your little ones.
I’d recommend checking out the space-saving convertible comparison guide to compare seats you might already have to the ones on this list. If you’re looking for my recommendations, I’d strongly suggest Radians due to the minimal amount of space they take up with angle adjusters; your legs and front-row passengers will thank you. Of course, be sure to use your seat belts instead of LATCH to make the most of your side-to-side space.
2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 Hyundai Tucson
Guaranteed 3 across installations:
Clek Fllo (x3).
Clek Foonf (x3).
Diono Radian RXT (x3).
Diono Radian R120 (x3).
Diono Radian R100 (x3).
Combi Coccoro (x3).
Clek Fllo, Diono Radian / RXT, Diono Radian / RXT.
Tips and Tricks:
The initial generation of the Hyundai Tucson is 170 inches long and 71-72 inches wide. The narrow width of the Tucson means that once again, you’re going to have your work cut out for you when it comes to 3 across installations, although it’s definitely still possible with the right seats. As in the following generation, the bigger challenge is likely to be the front-to-back space; because of how short the Tucson is, you’ll have to choose seats carefully to have an adequate amount of leg room left over in the front row if you’re planning on rear-facing your little ones.
Once again, I’d recommend checking out the space-saving convertible comparison guide to compare seats you might already have to the ones on this list. If you’re looking for my recommendations, I’d strongly suggest Radians due to the minimal amount of space they take up with angle adjusters; your legs and front-row passengers will thank you. Of course, be sure to use your seat belts instead of LATCH to make the most of your side-to-side space.
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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.