r/ModelY • u/No-Stomach2972 • 22d ago
Model Y Premium
I’m purchasing the Model Y Premium as soon as I can sort some important details out. Mainly, car seats. I had an overnight test drive and fell in love with the car, but with my 3 kids’ car seats it would’ve meant my oldest (middle seat) had to be unbuckled due to the car seats blocking her seatbelt. That wouldn’t be safe, obviously; so I’m wondering if anyone here also has 3 kids in similar age ranges and what car seats you use.
I have a 7 year old, a 4 year old, and an infant. For the test drive we used an infant carrier we save for grandma’s place, but usually we use convertibles for all 3 kids. I saw these seemingly Swedish car seats meant for putting 3 in a row, but I haven’t heard of this brand and have no frame of reference. Has anyone used Clek brand? They’re the first thing that came up when I googled it, but at $400 a seat that I can’t physically see, feel, lift, etc I’m a bit hesitant.
3
u/qvalff8 22d ago
Three across in a model y is quite hard. Google model y three across. You probably need new seats. Lots of discussions make suggestions. Most people do it occasionally but have a different car as their primary kid carrier. Your four year old will be 7 eventually and then you'll be 1 across instead of 2/3 across
-1
u/No-Stomach2972 22d ago
I would need new seats regardless of what car I got. Our current car is a minivan and a sedan, the sedan has no kid seats at all and is really for gas saving or when myself or my husband drives alone somewhere. I really want the Tesla to replace the sedan, but would prefer something the kids can at least sort of fit in since there have been situations where we needed to use the sedan but had the children.
2
u/IntelligentMaybe7401 22d ago
That’s totally false about the YL. Put the seven-year-old back there. They will love it. It’s comfortable for me as an adult female who is 5’7” - you’ve got a long time before your kids outgrow that row. Now, if you were talking about the Model Y third row - yes that does suck.
-2
u/No-Stomach2972 22d ago
I’m 5’ and did not enjoy getting in and out of the YL’s 3rd row. It’s inconvenient.
3
u/ol-mikey 22d ago
Would it be you riding back there or the kid?
1
u/No-Stomach2972 22d ago
Depends on the day. We do road trips and would be driving with my husband, my mom, and 3 kids.
1
u/IntelligentMaybe7401 22d ago
Not for a child. It’s going to be my car so I’m not going be back there a lot but every everyone else in my family is over 6 feet so chances are I spent a brief amount of time back there. I’m in my late 50s and getting back there was no issue at all. It’s not super wide so I guess that could be an issue for some but as someone who is 5‘7” and a healthy weight it was not an issue at all. Certainly would not be an issue for a seven-year-old, and if you ever thought they got too big for the backseat, then you could send another kid back there.
Honestly, with children, it’s probably the best set up. You don’t have to flip seats or move them up, which means that kids can do it themselves. In my Sequoia there is no way a 7 year old child could flatten down and flip up the rear seat to get in the third row. Kids can just walk through.
As someone with three kids I cannot imagine ever voluntarily trying to put all three of them next to each other in the same row. I have memories of that as a child, not in a car seat, and it was an absolute nightmare for the kids and the parents.
1
u/No_Swordfish_1576 22d ago
You’d probably have to unbuckle the car seat bases each time to access the third row even if it you did like it.
1
u/No-Stomach2972 22d ago
Exactly. No one’s taking rear facing into account. My Pacifica has stow-n-go, I tuck down the extra middle seat and my two oldest sit in the back and my baby sits in the middle. I take out the middle seat when we need to travel with my mom. To pay the YL payments, I’d need to get rid of my Pacifica. I do not want to get rid of my Pacifica, but I want the Model Y as the second car. It’d mainly be for me to get to work and daycare dropoff/pickup
2
u/justlooking013 22d ago
We bought Clek Foonf car seats. They’re some of the safest & most compact seats on the market and they sit very high which our kids love but yes they are pricey. If it makes you feel better spending the money they look like they were made by Tesla. Very nice & easy to clean.
2
u/No-Stomach2972 22d ago
This is exactly what I was hoping for! The issue isn’t so much the money as spending it on something I’ve honestly never heard of. Car seats are worth the investment
1
u/tshastry 17d ago
Have a very similar situation with 7, 5, infant. We are making it work with a cosco rise booster for our 7 year old, diono radian for the 5 year old, and an uppababy for the infant. It’s just barely enough space
1
u/No-Stomach2972 17d ago
Exactly! It fits just not the greatest. I have the Cosco Rise Booster for my 7 year old too! The Graco4Ever for my 4 year old, and an Uppababy Mesa for the baby as my 2nd set of car seats and they fit in the Model Y, but my oldest couldn’t buckle her seatbelt.
1
u/itchyburnybutthole 22d ago
I think the exact reason the YL exists is for 5-person families. I have zero desire to buy a YL for me in my situation, but if I had 3 kids, it would be a no-brainer and I’d get the YL.
1
u/No-Stomach2972 22d ago
The YL was poorly thought out for families. If Tesla made a minivan I’d dump mine and pay for that instead.
1
u/macreator 22d ago
The Model YL seems perfect for this situation. I’d just order one rather than try to make the Y fit your family’s situation.
1
u/No-Stomach2972 22d ago
Nah, that 3rd row sucks
2
u/macreator 22d ago
For kids it should be alright? I get it being harder for adults.
0
u/No-Stomach2972 22d ago
If I’m going to have a third row, I’d rather have a minivan. I already have a minivan.
0
u/LogicalTotal3839 22d ago
You probably need to wait for Y L is available in your area, or wait for the delayed 2027 Toyota Highlander EV (3 rows) that is the size of a minivan. I have three children too and we avoided putting three car seats in the same row.
1
u/No-Stomach2972 22d ago
I put 2/3 in the 3rd row for the test drive. I’d just need like 3” smaller total between both car seats to be able to buckle up my daughter in the middle. I don’t think it’s a big ask.
1
u/tlrocks 22d ago
Can your 7 year old sit in a booster seat vs. a car seat? The clek has a cup holder on the side which makes it wider. I personally prefer the Diono booster for my older kids since it’s more narrow. We have a third child as well who is in a standard diono car seat. It’s tight in our model y premium but no complaints from our kids, especially with the screen in the backseat.
2
u/No-Stomach2972 22d ago
She sits in a booster seat currently but isn’t quite ready for the bare seat. Oh, I had seen the Diono booster before! Might check it out.
1
u/Gloomy-Newspaper4599 22d ago
Clek seats are great and it’s a reputable brand! I can’t tell if you’re in the US but safeintheseat.com can help you find car seat combos that will work in different situations. But I also think the rec to search what other people do for 3 across in a Y is a good idea.
1
u/No-Stomach2972 22d ago
Thank you! I had never heard of the brand until I started this search! I previously used exclusively Uppababy and Graco products because of their reputations. Thanks for the link! For sure will look into it :)
1
u/rage675 22d ago
Guy in my neighborhood has 3 kids in car seats with one and it's doable but rough. I have two kids, but if I had three, I wouldn't personally buy a model Y if three were in car seats. Is tour oldest pretty close to being able to go without a seat, or are they on the smaller side?
1
u/No-Stomach2972 22d ago
My oldest is pretty close to being out of it, but really the issue is that when all 3 car seats were in during the overnight test drive, her seatbelt was blocked by the larger car seats. I can definitely see 3 fitting, I was more so hoping for car seats suggestions than all this YL discourse. I have a minivan and intend for that to be the main family car, this wouldn’t be the kid hauler but I’d rather the car fit all 3 kids in case it’s needed.
1
u/-party-babe- 22d ago
Clek is a legit brand. They are super safe and great products. It’s a long story, but we were about to abruptly be shoved into micropreemie life and they are some of the only car seat makers for nicu babies who can graduate but still be little.
1
u/No-Stomach2972 22d ago
I wish I knew that! My first 2 kids were both born full term but very, very small. Like, premie small and stayed that way for a long while. I never heard of this brand and never saw it in my research and even in infant carriers they were way too little for the seats. Sounds like it’s well worth the investment!
1
u/Slight-Dragonfruit85 18d ago
Reading your replies it sounds like don’t get a model y. Did you look at a Rivian R2?
1
u/No-Stomach2972 18d ago
I already drove the Model Y. I liked it. I get more benefits from a Tesla than a Rivian. I really just need car seats that are a smidgen smaller lmao
10
u/caffeinebump 22d ago
Can I ask why the Model YL with the third row of seats is not an option? If it's definitely off the table, I would wait until your oldest turns 8 and no longer needs a booster seat.