Stackable car crates for 3 Maltese dogs

Travel crates have very specific requirements depending on whether your dog is going by car, in a plane cabin, or in the hold — and airline rules vary so much that getting it wrong can mean your dog simply can't board. For road trips the priorities shift to crash-tested security and space efficiency. You've mentioned three Maltese and a road trip, which is a fun logistical puzzle — stackable crates are absolutely the right instinct. Can you tell me roughly how much boot space you're working with, and whether all three dogs are similar in size, or does the 6-year-old run noticeably bigger than the younger two?

Perfect — same weight across all three makes this straightforward. For a Maltese at 3–3.5 kg, a 60cm crate is the right internal size: enough room to stand, turn, and lie down without being so large it becomes unsafe in an emergency stop. With your boot dimensions, stacking two on the floor and one on top is very viable. What's your preference on material — wire mesh for maximum ventilation, or plastic carrier-style? And are any of the three anxious travellers who might need a more enclosed, den-like feel?

That's a useful detail. My recommendation is the Savic Residence plastic dog crate in size 3 (61cm). It's a proper hard-sided carrier with a ventilated door and side panels, which gives the nervous one the enclosed den feeling she needs — and the flat roof and base are designed to stack securely. Buy three of the same model and they sit flush on top of each other without sliding. The latching door is robust, the carry handle is integrated, and the plastic construction cleans up easily after long journeys. It's widely available on Amazon UK and regularly stocked in multipacks or individually. For your boot layout I'd put two on the base and the third on top — that keeps the stack within a safe height and well within your 80cm depth. It's not crash-tested to the gold standard of a metal crate bolted to anchor points, so if you want maximum collision protection you'd also use a boot divider or cargo net behind the stack, but for the vast majority of road trips this setup is practical, secure, and manageable for one person loading and unloading three dogs.

The Savic Residence size 3 is 61cm long, 43cm wide, and 44cm tall. Two stacked is 88cm — which just fits within most estate boot heights with the parcel shelf removed, and sits within your 80cm depth when oriented door-facing-rear. The width at 43cm means two sit side by side on the floor comfortably within your 90cm boot width, and the third goes on top centred. You'll want to check your specific boot height with the parcel shelf removed, but for a standard estate — a Volvo V60, VW Passat Estate, Ford Focus Estate — this configuration works without issue. Take a tape measure before you order and confirm your boot height from floor to roof lip, just to be certain.

Yes — the Savic Residence clips apart into two halves (top and bottom shell) with no tools needed, which makes hosing down the base tray straightforward. The door unclips as well. For three dogs on a long trip that's genuinely useful. Assembly from flat is under five minutes once you've done it once.