Most Fuel Efficient SUVs in Australia 2026: The Best Small, Medium and 7-Seat Picks
The most fuel efficient SUVs for 2026 by size, with official fuel use and the AAA's real-world result side by side, and what changes on the…
We'll connect you with our wholesale network to get the best price for your car
Ten cars that take two baby seats across the second row and still swallow a pram, with the child restraint anchorage detail most buyers cannot find.
← Top Reads
Two at once is wonderful news, and it does make the car question harder. Two restraints have to sit across the second row, a double pram has to go behind them, and you still want a door you can open properly in a tight car park.
All of that is workable, and more cars manage it than you might expect. The question is not how many seats a car has. It is what is left behind the second row once two restraints are in. These ten handle all three, and each is listed with its ANCAP rating and where the child restraint anchorages sit. Tell us what has to fit and Rodar will take it to our network of over 1,000 trusted automotive dealers and manufacturers, or start here whenever you are ready.
Where the anchorages are. A child restraint needs a top tether anchorage. Two of the most obvious seven seat choices in Australia have none in the third row, so that row cannot take a child seat however much space is back there. It is the first thing we check for you.
What is behind row two. A double pram is long, and a seven seat SUV with the third row up usually has little depth left. Boot litres will not tell you whether it fits: a tall narrow space and a long flat one can claim the same volume, and only one of them takes a pram.
Every car below carries a current ANCAP rating, given with the year it was awarded, and the anchorage detail where ANCAP publishes something specific.
If you are expecting one rather than two, our list for new families is the broader version, and the easy-access list is about getting in and out rather than what fits.
Sliding doors first, then the seven seat SUVs, then the five seat alternative.
The one to beat. Sliding doors on both sides, and a load space built around a third row that gets used.
ANCAP rates it five stars, awarded in 2021, covering all variants, petrol, diesel and hybrid. The rating runs to December 2027. Child occupant protection scored 88 per cent.
On child restraints. Top tether and ISOFIX anchorages are fitted to five of the six rear seating positions. The third row centre seat has neither, so a child restraint is not recommended there.
The other sliding door option, and the most configurable interior on this list.
ANCAP rates it five stars, awarded in 2022, covering vehicles from May 2022.
The value entry into sliding doors, with a low step-in height and a lot of glass.
ANCAP rates it five stars, awarded in 2021, covering all variants, including the seven seat Lounge hybrid introduced May 2026. The rating runs to December 2027. Child occupant protection scored 86 per cent.
On child restraints. Top tethers are not available in the third row, so ANCAP does not recommend fitting a child restraint back there. The second row is where the seats go.
The most car-like of the seven seaters here, and the third row is still worth using.
ANCAP rates it five stars, tested against ANCAP's 2020 criteria, covering diesel variants only.
On child restraints. Some ISOFIX restraints will fit in the third row, but ANCAP notes they have to be installed with care to sit correctly.
The newest seven seat SUV here, and the best of them to drive.
ANCAP rates it five stars, awarded in 2024, covering petrol, diesel and plug-in hybrid variants built from July 2024. Child occupant protection scored 87 per cent.
The default large family SUV, with a third row that works for more than short trips.
ANCAP rates it five stars, awarded in 2021, covering all variants built from March 2021.
The pick if the same car has to tow a caravan on the holidays and do the school run the rest of the year.
ANCAP rates it five stars, awarded in 2022, covering all variants. Child occupant protection scored 93 per cent.
The steady option, and a regular choice for families outside the capitals.
ANCAP rates it five stars, awarded in 2022, covering vehicles built from July 2022, which carry the revised datestamp.
On child restraints. Curtain airbags extend into the third row on every variant, and seat belt reminders are fitted to all seating positions.
One of the most usable seven seaters at the money, with one caveat that matters more here than anywhere.
ANCAP rates it five stars, awarded in 2023, covering the current generation. Child occupant protection scored 86 per cent.
On child restraints. There are no top tether anchorages in the third row, which means the third row cannot take a child restraint. On a seven seat SUV that is worth knowing before you buy.
The five seat answer, for parents who would rather have a long boot than a third row they never use.
ANCAP rates it five stars, awarded in 2021, covering the current generation.
Anchorage points decide what the third row can be used for, and they are rarely on a brochure. Where ANCAP's report does not cover a model's third row, the table says so rather than leaving you to assume. Prices are list prices before on-road costs, and every one links through to its pricing page.
| Vehicle | Sliding doors | ANCAP | Price range | Child restraint in the third row |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kia Carnival | Yes | five stars, 2021 | $52,070 to $76,630 | Anchorages in five of six rear positions. Not the third row centre |
| Volkswagen Multivan | Yes | five stars, 2022 | $77,290 to $81,280 | Not specified in ANCAP's report |
| Hyundai Staria | Yes | five stars, 2021 | $47,740 to $73,740 | No top tethers. ANCAP does not recommend a restraint there |
| Kia Sorento | No | five stars, 2020 | $51,630 to $86,040 | Some ISOFIX restraints fit, installed with care |
| Mazda CX-80 | No | five stars, 2024 | $55,700 to $93,419 | Not specified in ANCAP's report |
| Toyota Kluger | No | five stars, 2021 | $62,410 to $85,810 | Not specified in ANCAP's report |
| Ford Everest | No | five stars, 2022 | $58,990 to $82,990 | Not specified in ANCAP's report |
| Isuzu MU-X | No | five stars, 2022 | $49,900 to $77,100 | Curtain airbags reach the third row on every variant |
| Hyundai Santa Fe | No | five stars, 2023 | $54,400 to $74,400 | No top tethers. ANCAP does not recommend a restraint there |
| Subaru Outback | No | five stars, 2021 | $48,990 to $62,690 | No third row. Five seats |
None of this rules any of them out for twins, because the two restraints go in the second row either way. What it decides is what the third row can be used for later, which is the question that comes up two years on.
Working out which of these fits your seats and your pram is the hard part, and we are happy to do that with you. Getting a fair price should be the easy part, and usually it is not, because each dealer has one allocation and one number to give you.
We do it the other way round. You tell us the make, model, grade and colour you want, and what has to fit. We put that to our network of over 1,000 trusted automotive dealers and manufacturers. Their offers come back side by side as drive-away figures, not list prices with the on-road costs left off. You pick the one you want.
From there we sort the finance across a panel of over 30 lenders, value your trade-in and roll it into the same number, and arrange delivery to your door. Most of our customers never set foot in a dealership. You are not invoiced a fee: the dealer who wins your business pays us a procurement fee, and it is built into the deal, so the price we quote is the price you pay.
We check seat and pram fit on the grades you are considering before you commit. It is the question that most often changes the answer.
On timing, if the car is in stock and your finance is sorted it can be 24 to 48 hours. Most of the time it is one week onwards. People movers are ordered in smaller volumes than SUVs, so starting early matters more here.
You have a lot on, and the car should be the straightforward part. Send us the restraints and the pram you are using, and we will come back with what fits and what it costs.
Whenever you are ready, get your competitive offers, or read our FAQs first if you would like to see how it works. Take your time.
Rates and repayments are indicative only and subject to lender approval. Rodar Pty Ltd is an Authorised Credit Representative (555548) of Fintelligence Pty Ltd (ACL 511803).
Once you've picked a model, Rodar does the sourcing, comparison and negotiation for you — so you get the right car at the right price.
Build your car nowYou tell us the make, model, grade and colour you want, and anything that has to fit, such as two restraints across the second row and a double pram. We put that to our network of over 1,000 trusted automotive dealers and manufacturers. Their drive-away offers come back to you side by side, so you are comparing real numbers rather than list prices with the on-road costs left off. You pick the one you want. From there we sort the finance, value your trade-in and roll it into the same figure, and arrange delivery to your door. You are not invoiced a fee: the dealer who wins your business pays us a procurement fee and it is built into the deal.
Not necessarily, and a lot of parents of twins end up in a five seat wagon rather than a seven seat SUV. Two restraints go in the second row either way. What a third row gives you is a place for a third child or another adult later, and what it costs you is boot depth now, because the seats have to fold into the floor somewhere. If there is no third child coming, a wagon like the Outback often carries more usable gear than a seven seater with the back row folded.
Sometimes, and it depends on the restraints more than the car. Two bulky convertible seats will fill most second rows on their own. Narrow restraints designed for three across will fit in the wider cars here, including the Carnival, the Kluger and the Staria. The only reliable way to know is to try your actual seats in the actual grade, which we can arrange before you commit.
On this list the Kia Carnival, which has top tether and ISOFIX anchorages in five of its six rear seating positions. The third row centre seat has neither, so a restraint is not recommended there. At the other end, ANCAP does not recommend fitting a child restraint in the third row of the Hyundai Santa Fe or the Hyundai Staria, because neither has top tether anchorages back there. That does not stop either being a good car for twins, since the seats go in the second row, but it does decide what the third row can be used for.
With twins, yes, more than almost anything else. Every trip involves leaning into the car twice with a child in your arms, usually in a car park with a car parked close beside you. A sliding door removes the swing entirely, so you get a full opening regardless of how tight the space is. The Carnival, the Multivan and the Staria are the three here that have them.
It depends on the pram far more than the car. A side by side double is long and wide and needs a square load space, which suits the Carnival, the Multivan and the Outback. A tandem double is narrower but longer. Several seven seat SUVs here will only take a double pram with the third row folded, which is fine if you were not using it. Tell us the pram and we will check it.
It depends on the model and on what is in stock across our network of over 1,000 trusted automotive dealers and manufacturers. If the car is in stock and your finance is already sorted, it can be 24 to 48 hours. Most of the time it is one week onwards. People movers are ordered in smaller numbers than SUVs, so a specific grade and colour can take longer, and starting early is worth more here than in most segments. Rates and repayments are indicative only and subject to lender approval.
The most fuel efficient SUVs for 2026 by size, with official fuel use and the AAA's real-world result side by side, and what changes on the…
The petrol cars that use the least, ranked by official fuel use with the AAA's real-world result beside each car it has tested, plus the hy…
Twelve hybrids ranked by official fuel use, with real-world results from the AAA for the ten it has tested, and which suit town or freeway.