You probably don't want to hire your little one as your apprentice just yet, but it might be useful to know if you can put a car seat in a van and safely (and legally) drive your loved one.
The rules around car seats are quite confusing, mainly because there are so many situations in which it could be deemed necessary to have a child in a vehicle without a child seat - namely in an emergency.
But, we're not going to dwell on that, this is a guide to when and how you should legally have a car seat in a van for regularly transporting children.
We'll answer important questions about the rules on child seats in vans, as well as look a a few other commonly asked questions about seating and seat belts in a van.
This article will explain details around car seats for a van with a front row of passenger seats only. If you have a double cab van with a second row of seats it's common practice to put children in the rear seats. Here you will often find ISOFIX (or LATCH - Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children) systems that securely and easily fix child seats into vehicles.
The guidelines below are taken from the UK government website and correct at the time of writing, they are also applicable to cars as well as vans. There's no differentiation between the rules on child seats for a car or a van, the only difference here is that we are assuming your van has no second row of seats.
Yes. There's no reason why a child seat cannot go in the front of a van. How you position the child seat and when a child can safely and legally travel in the front of a van, however, depends on two things.
For very young babies they must travel in a rear facing car seat until the age of 15 months. The most important thing here is to know that the passenger airbag must be deactivated when using a rear-facing baby seat in the front seat of a van or car.
If they're over 9kg, however, it is possible to put them in a forward-facing baby seat.
Below is a table, taken from the government website on child seat rules explaining the different seats you can use for a child's weight.
| Child weight | Group | Seats |
|---|---|---|
| 0kg to 10kg | 0 | Lie-flat or ‘lateral’ baby carrier, rear-facing baby carrier, or rear-facing baby seat using a harness |
| 0kg to 13kg | 0+ | Rear-facing baby carrier or rear-facing baby seat using a harness |
| 9kg to 18kg | 1 | Rear- or forward-facing baby seat using a harness or safety shield |
| 15kg to 25kg | 2 | Rear- or forward-facing child car seat (high-backed booster seat or booster cushion) using a seat belt, harness or safety shield |
| 22kg to 36kg | 3 | Rear- or forward-facing child car seat (high-backed booster seat or booster cushion) using a seat belt, harness or safety shield |
These are the rules for weight-based car seats, there are also height-based seats known as i-Size seats.
The most commonly asked question about car seats in vans is...
Yes, you can have a child seat in a Transit van which must be securely fastened using the adult seat belt. If using a rear facing child seat the front passenger airbag must also be deactivated.
A child can sit in the front of a van from any age providing they have the correct seat for their age, size and weight.
To sit in the front seat without a child seat or booster seat, children must be 12 years old or over 135cm tall.
Children under 12 years of age or 135cm must use a high-backed booster seat or booster cushion in conjuncton with the seat belt or harness.
For small children, under three years of age, a forward or rear facing car seat must be used in most cases.
Babies under 15 months must always be sat in a rear facing child seat suitable for their age.
Yes, a two year old can sit in the front of a van providing they are in an appropriate car seat or booster.
As with every rule there are some exceptions:
A child aged 3 or older can travel in a back seat without a child car seat and without a seat belt if the vehicle doesn’t have one, however, in most cases, children under 3 must always be in a child car seat.
If travelling in a taxi or minicab and there are no available child seats, children can travel without the correct child seat.
Also, if the child is on an unexpected journey, for example in an emergency situation.
The rules about where you can sit in a van don't just extend to children, though. Many people think that due to the size of a van and that there's space in the rear loadspace it's ok to use that for people.
No. The loadspace of a van is not designed for people to sit in. It is illegal to carry passengers in the rear of a van without proper seating.
You’re also only allowed one person in each seat fitted with a seat belt. No sharing seats.
There are pretty hefty fines if you break the law on wearing a seat belt in a van. You can be fined up to £500 if you do not wear a seat belt when you’re supposed to.
The same rule applies to children, who are also not allowed to sit in side facing seats.
No, kids can't sit in the loadspace of a van. It might be fun for them to stumble around in the dark but it's also really dangerous and you can be fined up to £500 if a child under 14 is not in the correct car seat or wearing a seat belt while you’re driving.
