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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 โlateralโ 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 doesnโt 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.
Youโre 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 ยฃ500 if you do not wear a seat belt when youโre 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 ยฃ500 if a child under 14 is not in the correct car seat or wearing a seat belt while youโre driving.
Van safety performance is improving according to Euro NCAP.
Currently, 40% of the vans tested under their Euro NCAP Commercial Van ratings have received the top Platinum rating.
These models have performed substantially better than the EU General Safety Regulation (GSR2) that came into effect on 1 July 2024.โ
The vans currently awarded a Platinum rating are Ford Transit Connect, Ford Transit Courier, Maxus eDeliver 5, Mercedes-Benz Vito, Nissan Interstar, Renault Master and the Volkswagen Caddy Cargo.
A total of 17 vans have been tested under the current regime, with all but one receiving either Platinum or Gold ratings. The only model to not meet that standard is the LEVC VN5.
Leading the way as the safest van according to the July 2024 Euro NCAP tests is the Ford Transit Courier with a total score of 93%. Second is the Mercedes-Benz Vito with 90%. Both models scored well thanks to their shared technologies in common with passenger cars.โ
Vans have seen a significant improvement in the availability of ADAS as manufacturers comply with new legislation.
Euro NCAPโs Commercial Van ratings are designed to test the effectiveness and performance beyond the required GSR2 levels.โ
โIt is pleasing that vehicle manufacturers are responding to Euro NCAPโs tougher requirements and surpassing GSR2 standards, and we would urge fleet managers to consider Commercial Vans that have the Euro NCAP Platinum rating," said Dr. Michiel van Ratingen, secretary general Euro NCAP
"These are the vehicles which most significantly outperform GSR2 regulations and offer commercial fleets safer choices that prevent or mitigate the severity of crashes and protect company reputation and their drivers,โ he added.
Euro NCAP began testing vans in December 2020, updating its testing protocols in 2023 with a greater emphasis on the fitment of ADAS technologies.
Euro NCAP will only test technologies that are available as standard from 2026.
You can see the data sheets for each of the tests here:
Ford Transit Connect EuroNCAP rating
Ford Transit Courier EuroNCAP rating
Maxus eDELIVER 5 EuroNCAP rating
Mercedes-Benz Vito EuroNCAP rating
Renault Master EuroNCAP rating
Volkswagen Caddy Cargo EuroNCAP rating
The Ford Transit Custom has been scored the highest level on the Euro NCAP test for medium vans with a Platinum safety rating.
The new Transit Custom scored a total of 96% receiving the highes level of "Good" in all areas tested.
In the Autonomous Emergency Braking AEB CAR-TO-CAR tests it scored a total of 27.6/30 pts, while in the AEB PEDESTRIAN category it scored 9.3/10. For the AEB CYCLIST tests the Custom scored 9.2/10.
But it was the other three areas of the test, Lane Support, Speed Assistance and Occuptant Status Monitoring where the Transit Custom really excelled scoring full marks of 20/20 for Lane Support and 15/15 for both the Speed Assistance and Occupant Status Monitoring tests.
Euro NCAP's report on the Platinum safety score for the Ford Transit Custom said:
The Transit Custom, Fordโs mid-size van first introduced in 2012, is tested here in second-generation form, available since 2023. It is equipped with a broad range of high-performing safety equipment, much of it as standard equipment, which it shares with its passenger-carrying stablemate, the Tourneo Custom. And it excels, scoring full or nearly full points in all of Euro NCAPโs tests, and emerges with a thoroughly well-deserved Platinum grading.
A more detailed report went on to praise the Autonomous Emergency Braking systems, explaining the technology behind the safety systems that include digital mapping to identify local speed limits.
The Ford Transit Custom joins the Ford Transit Courier as Ford's second Platinum scoring van in the Euro NCAP tests.
Euro NCAP's full comments for the safety assist perfomance test are below:
"The autonomous emergency braking (AEB) system uses radar-camera fusion technology to detect other vehicles and vulnerable road users such as pedestrians and cyclists. Performance is good when approaching a stationary or slower-moving car, with collisions avoided at most test speeds, albeit with slight drop-off in performance of the forward-collision warning at the highest speeds. The system performs equally well whether the target vehicle is straight in front of it or offset to one side or the other, and there is good reaction in the scenarios where a vehicle turns across the path of the approaching van. With a pedestrian target, the system performs well in all scenarios, including those done in night-time conditions. The system reacts equally well in Euro NCAPโs cyclist scenarios, again scoring almost full points."
"The lane support system includes lane departure warning, which signals to the driver when the van is drifting out of lane, and emergency lane keeping, which intervenes more aggressively in certain critical situations to prevent the van from leaving the road. The system performed well in all tests, and includes blind spot monitoring to help the driver not to pull out in front of an overtaking vehicle."
"The Transit Custom uses a camera and digital mapping to identify the local speed limit and provides the information to the driver, allowing the limiter to be set accordingly. The limiter is able to maintain the set speed to within 5 km/h. A seatbelt reminder is standard for the driver and front passenger seat, and the Transit Custom recognises steering behaviour which is characteristic of fatigued driving, alerting the driver to the need for a break."
Euro NCAP - Commercial Van Safety 2024 report, 24 April 2024
The Fiat Ducato has been named as the top rated van in the latest round of Euro NCAP van safety ratings.
Based on an evaluation of crash avoidance systems and their performance, the Ducato was the clear winner achieving a platinum rating.
Euro NCAP drew attention to the poor level safety equipment in commercial vans last year where the Ducato received a Bronze rating. As the workhorse of choice for couriers and small businesses, vans spend a lot of time on the road where, because of their size and mass, they represent a larger hazard to smaller vehicles and vulnerable road users if involved in a collision.
New legislation will force van manufacturers to fit basic avoidance systems, already widely available on passenger cars, in a few yearsโ time but Euro NCAPโs commercial van ratings aim to encourage manufacturers to fit more advanced systems more quickly.
Euro NCAP revisited 19 of the best-selling vans in Europe with only one van assessed being rated as โNot Recommendedโ. This compares to five vans last year.
The Vauxhall Movano is now built on a new Stellantis platform and gets a bronze medal alongside the Renault Master. This was achieved thanks to small but notable improvements to its speed and lane assistance systems. Its twin, the Nissan Interstar (previously the Nissan NV400), also gets these improvements but lacks an Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB) system so is in the Not Recommended category.
The Ducatoโs upgrade is thanks to a major safety make-over and now features an advanced sensor set, offering AEB pedestrian and AEB cyclist, and excels in these tests.
The Ducatoโs 88% overall score sees it leapfrog the competition to become the first platinum-rated van but the other Stellantis vehicles which the Ducato shares its platform with โ Peugeot Boxer, Citroรซn Relay and Vauxhall Movano โ are rated lower. They donโt have the same equipment levels and are therefore only ranked as gold.
Euro NCAP tests vans with safety equipment which is standard or optional, so the assessments represent the best that can be expected of each vehicle. In terms of fitment, little has changed in the last twelve months and safety equipment is still offered mainly as an option.
See the updated Euro NCAP van safety ratings for the safest vans and worst vans in 2023.
| Fiat Ducato Ford Transit Volkswagen Transporter Ford Transit Custom Mercedes-Benz Vito Mercedes-Benz Sprinter Nissan Primastar Renault Trafic Peugeot Expert Volkswagen Crafter Vauxhall Vivaro Iveco Daily Citroรซn Dispatch Toyota Proace Vauxhall Movano Peugeot Boxer Citroรซn Relay Renault Master Nissan Interstar | 88% 68% 65% 63% 61% 52% 45% 45% 44% 44% 42% 41% 37% 37% 33% 33% 32% 29% 18% |
