Contact us: 0118 391 3871

In the Back: Safety for Kids in a Seven Seater Car Hire

Where should kids ride when in a seven seater car rental? The answer is undoubtedly in the rearmost seats, that is unless you are traveling with a baby or toddler under 40 lbs your seven seater car rental is equipped with second row seats designed especially to hold a car seat.

Several 7 seater rental cars have seating arranged in a way that is obviously considering this, such as the Kia Sedona car hire. What's further, some of these cars have designed their cabin safety features around adult-sized passengers in the first and second rows and child sized passengers in the rear. The safety features that have been configured in this way include everything from the obvious such as airbags to things you may not consider like the car's frame construction.

How old does a child need to be before they can safely ride in the second row or front row seats of a seven seater car hire? Stephanie Tombrello, a child passenger safety specialist, gives an answer to this question on babycenter.com, but the truth is there is no clearly defined age limit. Parents need to consider that the first row seats of every car, seven seater or otherwise, were designed with adults in mind. Therefore, if your child is under 5 feet tall and weighs less than 100 lbs its safe to say they are smaller than the average adult and the front seat was not designed to keep them safe.

The second row seats of a seven seater vehicle however have a little bit more flexibility. Cars such as the [Where should kids ride when in a seven seater car rental? The answer is undoubtedly in the rearmost seats, that is unless you are traveling with a baby or toddler under 40 lbs your seven seater car rental is equipped with second row seats designed especially to hold a car seat.

Several 7 seater rental cars have seating arranged in a way that is obviously considering this, such as the Kia Sedona car hire. What's further, some of these cars have designed their cabin safety features around adult-sized passengers in the first and second rows and child sized passengers in the rear. The safety features that have been configured in this way include everything from the obvious such as airbags to things you may not consider like the car's frame construction.

How old does a child need to be before they can safely ride in the second row or front row seats of a seven seater car hire? Stephanie Tombrello, a child passenger safety specialist, gives an answer to this question on babycenter.com, but the truth is there is no clearly defined age limit. Parents need to consider that the first row seats of every car, seven seater or otherwise, were designed with adults in mind. Therefore, if your child is under 5 feet tall and weighs less than 100 lbs its safe to say they are smaller than the average adult and the front seat was not designed to keep them safe.

The second row seats of a seven seater vehicle however have a little bit more flexibility. Cars such as the]3 have a second row safety design that can accommodate both children and adults, but you should still use booster and child seats when required, and keep your child rear-facing as long as possible.

If you're looking for a good seven seater car hire that is designed for the safety and comfort of seven adults check out the Dodge Journey car hire and the Renault Espace car hire. Their third rows have larger seats and more leg room.

View this page in:

Latest News


We help you find the perfect size hire car for your holiday needs


Choosing which hire car would most suit you and your travel companions’ needs can be a difficult d...

October 10, 2016 12:00

Discover stunning Eastern European cities with your hire car


A short break in one of the many splendid Eastern European capital cities may not have been your top...

September 9, 2016 12:10

Happy May Day


  If the saying is true; "April showers bring May flowers," then I should be seeing some buds ...

June 11, 2015 09:35