My wife would love a Panda, but with 3 kids and frequent use a school run wagon 3 seatbelts in the back would be really handy. She currently has an Agila which has 3 belts in back- not much room but better than nothing.

Having searched the forum, I see a few people have posted on this already, saying the third belt was a factory option and I notice a few rare ones have this on EBay.

However she would really like a 4x4 and these are very rare with 3rd belt! Has anyone actually successfully fitted the third belt to the back?

No, nut did one in a Citroen a few years ago. If the mounting points are present you likely onlyhave to bolt the extra belt in, and any lap belt would do if thte bolts are the same thread. I believe this is universal so a second hand belt could be done for £10-20 max.

Ah, thanks. What about a full 3-point belt- does the upper mounting point come off the roof? Do they all have the mounting in the roof?

I think it will take more than 'just adding the belt' - the registration document shows the number of seats (and so belts) the car was built with, and most Pandas will only be shown with four. I should imagine you can install the third belt and then have the log book changed, but don't know how complicated this (the log book bit) might be.

The parts catalogue shows a roof-mounted third belt was available: https://www.fiatdalys.lt/en/catalog/parts/705/27/0/4/2Q/0/0/0/0/GD/safety-belts but I suspect the rear seat cushion is also different to allow the four buckles (yes - four, because the third belt can be unclipped from both ends to allow it to be stored in the roof recess when not being used. And of course, the roof ling needs trim parts added to it too to let the belt through: https://www.fiatdalys.lt/en/catalog/parts/705/23/0/1/2Q/0/0/0/0/GD/interior-trim-

Three belts can be specc'd on a new (post 2012) Panda, and given that this is a little wider, you may have more chance of finding one with this spec. However, 4x4 version of the new Panda are (like the 2005-12 model) still 'rare' on teh second hand market. (Post 2012 Pandas have their own thread, https://www.fiatforum.com/panda-iii/ )

Thanks! Will keep looking as sounds difficult to get parts- prices on that site seem very steep!!

Herts Hillhopper said:

I think it will take more than 'just adding the belt' - the registration document shows the number of seats (and so belts) the car was built with, and most Pandas will only be shown with four. I should imagine you can install the third belt and then have the log book changed, but don't know how complicated this (the log book bit) might be.

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You make the appropriate entry in section 7 of the V5C (there's a box for changing the seating capacity) and then send the V5C back to DVLA for updating. AFAIK you don't need to produce any evidence or have the vehicle inspected just for changing the seating capacity. More information on the process can be found here.

You may also need to declare the change to your insurance company as a modification.

It gets more interesting when you delve deeper into seatbelt law and MOT requirements. The MOT test doesn't seem to require a fifth seatbelt even if the vehicle is declared as having five seats! (see extract below from the MOT testers manual) and the law only states that a rear seatbelt must be worn if fitted. So what is to stop someone just declaring the car as having five seats and not fitting a fifth belt (other than common sense and, possibly, your insurers)?

The other relevant consequence of all this is that there appears to be no legal reason why the third rear belt needs to be a three point one; a lap belt will do, thus greatly simplifying installation.

Not sure if I can help but I have a 5 seater (2009 Fiat Panda Dynamic Eco 1.2 petrol). I ordered this as a custom build with the 5 seater option as I wanted the car to continue to be useful with small kids. This option cost an additional ~£100 and took an extra six months to deliver, but we got £2,000 off on the scrappage scheme so very happy with it.

Now my wife and I have three kids under 7 and we all fit (though it can be a pain as car seats are much bigger that the kids). The car arrived in time to pick up the first from hospital.

I will try and get some pictures of the seat for you over the weekend as it may help clarify any points for you.

I have finally gotten around to taking some images for you. They are self explanatory but the main points for my setup, which you can see in the images, are:
1) Single solid rear seat
2) Whole back of seat folds forward and nearly flat (great for moving stuff)
3) There are 4 seat belt buckle receivers (what ever they are called) on the back seat one for each of the seats at the door and 2 for the middle seat (to allow for the belt to cross the lap of the middle passenger)
4) Ceiling belt mount for middle seat (this belt has two buckles)

Not sure if this helps. Good luck.

That looks like a fairly straightforwards retrofit job - subject to locating the parts. Obviously check the belt mounting points are there but generally the body shells are all the same.

Thanks for the info.

BTW, my high back child seat moves forwards and back a lot with car speed changes. I've tied the seat top back with a bungee strap so the child can sit comfortably. It has no effect on seatbelt operation.