Best car seats 2025: the safest child seats for newborns and toddlers

As many as 300,000 parents and carers per year are potentially risking the lives of children by using secondhand child car seats, exclusive What Car? research has uncovered.

Child seats must be replaced if they’re in a vehicle that’s involved in an accident because unseen damage can be caused that compromises the vital protection the seats provide. Yet if you buy a secondhand seat from an unknown seller, it’s impossible to ascertain its history, potentially putting those using it at risk of harm.

A survey of more than 1700 people conducted by What Car? has revealed that 15% of those who bought a child car seat in the past year got it secondhand rather than new – a figure that equates to 300,000 seats.

Thirty-three percent of respondents bought used seats online, where there is a thriving market for them on peer-to-peer sites such as Facebook Marketplace. However, while parents and carers may think this is a great way to save money on a child car seat, there are actually many affordable options available new.

Indeed, some cost the equivalent of just £1.80 per month, as What Car?'s latest round of car seat testing shows.

We put safety at the heart of our reviews; we won’t give a new child seat a rating until it has been extensively tested for safety by an independent organisation.

Most of the seats in this round-up scored well in German motoring organisation ADAC’s crash tests. What’s more, one - the Cybex Anoris T2 - gained the highest possible rating, demonstrating how hard child seat makers are working to ensure their products provide the best protection for the smallest car occupants.

Meanwhile, some significant advances have been made to child seats with a view to taking the strain off parents, including seats for older children that fold up for easier transportation, and lighter infant carriers.

Two of the seats tested (the Avionaut Pixel Pro 2.0 C and Nuna Pipa Lite) weigh just 2.5kg – the same as a large bag of sugar. This should ensure that parents won’t struggle even when carrying heavier babies.

More toddler seats now twist around to face a parent for easier access, and more seats now come with Isofix fittings that make them easier to install than those secured with a seatbelt.

To help parents understand the pros and cons of the options available, we’ve tested 26 child car seats in five categories:

Infant carriers suitable from birth to 87cm tall (approx 18 months) 
Birth to 105-115cm tall (four to five years old) car seats
Birth or one to 125cm suitable for children up to 125cm (7yrs old)
Multi-stage child car seats suitable from birth to 150cm (12 years old)
High-back booster seats suitable for children from 100cm to 150cm (three to 12 years old)

Where a seat is said to be suitable for a range of different ages, we’ve assessed them with babies and older children to see how well they accommodate both.

For parents with three or more children who don't want to change their car, we've also tested the Mulitmac - a three or four-child seat block that can be fitted onto the rear bench of any car.  

You can read about how our team of experts test and rate child car seats, and find out more about the report authors, at the end of this feature.

Best infant carrier - Avionaut Pixel Pro
Best car seat for children aged up to four/five years old - Cybex Sirona G
Best car seat for children aged up to seven - Cybex Anoris T2
Best multi-stage car seat - Maxi Cosi Titan Pro i-Size 
Best high-back booster seat - Cybex Solution G2

The 2025 What Car? Reliability Survey is live, tell us about your car now

Best child car seats 2025

Best infant carriers

1. Avionaut Pixel Pro 2.0 C and IQ Orbit base - best infant carrier

From around £240

Suitable for children from 40-86cm tall

The Pixel Pro 2.0C is not only the joint-lightest infant carrier you can buy (2.5kg), but it’s also one of the safest, with a higher ADAC test rating than the Nuna Pipa Lite, whether it’s secured with Isofix mounts or a car seatbelt.

Parent-friendly features include coloured indicators to show the Isofix points are correctly attached, and a plastic cowl above the Isofix sliders to ensure children can’t accidentally touch them. Only the lever to remove the seat from the base and the button to swivel it around are black, so they don’t stand out as well.

Although the QR code for fitting instructions didn’t work for our testers, the booklet and online instructions are good. The images on the seat are also clear and easy to follow, and the guides on the seat indicating the correct route for seatbelt fitting are well marked.

The harness adjusts smoothly and its straps are narrow, so they sit better than wider ones on newborns’ shoulders. There’s plenty of padding and inserts that are easy to remove.

Although the seat doesn’t recline, it positions the baby fairly flat and there’s a wedge that raises a newborn up so the harness sits in a good position. However, the information on what height of baby should use the wedge is on its inside cover rather than on the outside.

On its own, this seat costs a reasonable £11 per month for 22 months of use, or £20 per month if you buy the base too.

2. Cybex Cloud G i-Size +

Suitable for children from 40-87cm tall

This traditional infant carrier can be secured either by a car seatbelt or slotted onto a separate Base G Isofix base. Useful features include single-handed 180deg rotation so the carrier can face a parent for easier access, and a recline function lowering the upper and lower parts almost flat.

The seat and infant inserts are really well padded, and clear labels state the maximum child height it can accommodate. What’s more, all buttons and levers are easy to use and are a paler colour than the rest of the seat, so they stand out.

The fitting instructions are among the best; the QR code on the seat takes you to a long fitting video that you can watch in sections to get all the relevant information, and the list of compatible cars is available online and in print.

The Cloud G is fairly expensive if you buy the seat and base (£23 per month over 18 months), but it’s a more reasonable £13 per month if you buy only the seat.

Safety is good whether you choose the seatbelt-secured or Isofix option, with ADAC rating it as very good in front collisions and good in side impacts. The seat is a little on the heavy side (4kg), as is the base (6.9kg), so transferring them from car to car isn’t as easy as with the lighter, all-in-one, Isofix-secured Pipa Urbn.

3. Nuna Pipa Urbn

Suitable for children from 40-75cm tall

The Pipa Urbn is the only Isofix-secured infant carrier here that doesn’t have to be fitted onto a separate base. However, it’s suitable only from birth to 75cm tall (about 12 months old), whereas most infant carriers can be used for babies up to 87cm tall (18 months old).

It’s a great option if you need to move it from car to car frequently, though, because it’s quicker and easier to install than carriers with a separate base. It’s relatively light, too, at 3.3kg.

The Pipa Urbn scored well in ADAC’s latest tests. It isn’t compatible with some cars, though, so you should check the list of models in which it can be used before buying.

Securing a baby with the harness is easy, although the shoulder pads aren’t attached to it and have to be positioned separately. Useful features include a newborn insert and a recline function.

There’s no fitting video or car compatibility list on the website, but scanning the QR code on the seat takes you to a video showing installation and removal, and the printed quick guide also explains fitting.

Because it can be used only for a year or so, the Pipa Urbn’s monthly cost of £25 works out slightly higher than those of the other infant carriers that we tested.

4. Nuna Pipa Lite

Suitable for children from 40-83cm tall 

The Pipa Lite is a lighter version of Nuna’s Pipa Urbn infant carrier, weighing just 2.5kg. It can either be fitted onto the Isofix-ready Next Base or secured into a car directly using a seatbelt.

Although the seat doesn’t recline, it is fairly flat and well angled for a newborn. It is nicely padded and has good signage on the padding inserts showing the child height at which these should be removed. That’s important because there is no height adjustment for the harness, so removing the inserts is the only way to keep a child in the optimum position as they grow.

To fit the base into the car, you press a big button on the front of it to extend the Isofix points and slot them onto the car seat rails. The base has an extendable support leg, and this and both Isofix points have indicators that change from red to green when they’re attached. There are clear indicators on the seat showing how to fit it using a seatbelt instead.

The only shortcoming with this seat was poor fitting instructions. The QR code on the seat didn’t take us directly to the relevant information, and the images of the base in the fitting booklet were confusing.

The Pipa Lite can be used for longer than the Urbn (about 18 months rather than 15), so it’s affordable, but still pricey at £23 per month with the base.

Safety is a strong point: the Pipa Lite gained a ‘good’ rating in ADAC tests. However, it didn’t score as well as the Pipa Urbn.

5. Silver Cross Dream i-Size with Isofix base

Suitable for children from 40-85cm tall 

The seat and base of this rear-facing infant carrier are light and compact, and the natural bamboo seat fabric is soft and breathable.

There is a QR code on the seat to allow quick access to a five-step installation video with voiceover on the Silver Cross app, which is clear and easy to understand. You can also access the QR code on the website, but the videos on the site itself have no captions or voiceover and aren't that helpful. 

Fitting the base into a car using Isofix mounts is simple, and the seat clicks easily into place on top of it. The five-point harness has five positions for adjustment as the baby grows; these can be fiddly to set. The straps don’t adjust particularly smoothly, either, while the studs on the seat cover are stiff to undo. The newborn insert’s foam pads can be removed for washing.

Because this seat can be used only from birth to around 18 months, it doesn’t score top marks for value for money, costing £24 per month. It’s versatile, though, because it can be used without the Isofix base and secured via a seatbelt instead. Its ADAC crash test score is the best for an infant carrier. 

6. Joie Calmi and i-Base Encore

Suitable for children from 40-70cm tall 

The Joie Calmi is a modern take on the traditional carrycot. It fits sideways across the rear seats and enables an infant to lie flat – the best posture for breathing and sleeping.

The cot clicks onto an Isofix base, so it’s stable and secure in the car. The base and seat are easy to install, and buckling the child in is easy. Although the QR code on the seat doesn’t take you to fitting instructions, the video on the Joie website is clear and tells you in text form how to fit the base and cot.

The Calmi can be slotted onto the base in one direction only on each side of the car, so the baby’s head is always in the centre of the car – a safer position than next to a door. While this seat doesn’t match the best in its class for crash safety, it is still rated as good.

It’s rated highly for practicality, not only thanks to its ideal seating position but also because it’s extremely light (weighing just 3.6kg). However, it has a low score for value, because it can be used only for infants from birth to 12 months old, so it works out at a costly £33 per month.

That said, if you buy a larger Joie car seat afterwards, you will save money, because you can use the same base with child seats for toddlers and older children. The carrier can also be fitted onto a Joie pushchair as part of the Calmi travel system.

Best car seats for children aged up to four/five years old

1. Cybex Sirona G - Best car seat for children aged up to four/five years old

Suitable for children from 40cm to 105cm tall

The Cybex Sirona G has lots of practical features, including 360deg rotation. It can face outwards for easy access, and can be turned rearwards for children up to 15 months old, or forwards for older children.

The whole seat reclines to make younger occupants comfy, and an insert provides extra cushioning for newborns. It’s not as well padded as an infant carrier, though, and it doesn’t provide as much support for the head and neck.

Unlike many other seats in this category, the Sirona G is fitted using a separate Base G Isofix base (it can’t be secured with a seatbelt). This means you can lift infants out of the car while still in their seat, leaving the base in place, although there are no handles and the seat is rather heavy (6.5kg), as is the base (6.9kg).

The fitting instructions earn top marks; a comprehensive video with sections is accessible via a QR code on the seat, or via Cybex’s website. The base is easy to slot into a car using the Isofix mounts, and you can slot the seat into it single-handed.

Although the Sirona G’s ADAC safety rating isn’t quite as good as the Swandoo Marie, it is still rated as good.

At £425 for the seat and base, the Sirona G might look pricey, but it works out at a reasonable £9 per month over four years.

2. Joie i-Spin 360

Suitable for children from 40-105cm tall 

As the name suggests, the Joie i-Spin has a rotating function that lets parents twist the seat around to face them when they’re buckling in a child. It can be rotated with one hand and can’t be locked into the sideways position, so there’s no chance of it being misused. There’s also a sliding lock on the front that can be set to ensure that the seat can only be fitted facing rearwards for children up to 15 months old.

The seat covers are made from recycled materials. They have good padding and a washable infant insert with sizing information on it. The seating position is good for both babies and older children.

Fitting is simply a case of attaching the Isofix mounts and positioning the foot. There’s an indicator on the top of the foot that tells you when the Isofix points are inserted correctly. A QR code on the seat takes you to a comprehensive fitting video, but the online car compatibility list isn’t that easy to read.

Although the i-Spin doesn’t score quite as well as the Cybex Sirona G for ease of use, it gains the same four-star rating for practicality. It is rated as good by ADAC for crash protection, offering good protection in a side-on crash, with a very low risk of injury to a child. 

3. Joie i-Pivot 360

Suitable for children from 40-105cm tall 

The i-Pivot 360 is a one-piece seat that’s permanently joined to the base. It can be used facing rearwards for at least the first 15 months and then facing forwards up to the age of four.

It can be swivelled sideways to face parents for easier fitting. A button has to be pressed to switch the seat from rearward to forward facing, making it less likely for anyone to turn the seat around accidentally.

Although the fitting diagrams on the seat are good, the instructions on when to turn it around aren’t easy to read and seem to encourage switching to forward facing at 15 months old, instead of keeping the child facing rearwards for as long as possible.

The seat has five recline positions and the harness and headrest have six height settings. However, the seat is deep for small babies even with the insert in place, and its shape means they might not be lying as flat as in an infant carrier.

The Isofix points extend easily out of the base at the push of a button, and coloured indicators show when they’re properly attached. The online car compatibility checker is more complicated than others, because it has four lists for different fitting scenarios.

At 10.9kg, the i-Pivot 360 is lighter than some alternatives but is still too heavy and bulky to switch between cars frequently. It’s a safe option, rated as ‘good’, and its price equates to just £4 per month if it’s used for four years. 

4. Swandoo Marie 3

Price £499

Suitable for children from 40cm to 105cm tall

The Marie 3 is a one-piece, 360deg rotating seat that’s permanently attached to an Isofix base. It doesn’t recline to lie a newborn baby flat, but there are some practical touches, such as eyeline indicators on the headrest that you can line up with your child’s eyes to ensure it’s set at the correct height. It also has a slim support leg that clicks onto the base of the seat and doesn’t flop around when you’re carrying the seat.

Although the Marie 3 is less bulky than other toddler seats, it’s heavy (14.9kg), so it’s best suited to families with a single car. It’s not as easy to fit as other seats; the pull-out tabs are fiddlier than the chunky buttons on the Maxi-Cosi and Cybex. Buckling a child in and adjusting the harness and headrest are easy, though.

The fitting diagrams printed on the seat are clear and comprehensive, and there are good videos on the Swandoo website, which can be accessed via a QR code on the seat. There are also clear instructions advising when to stop using the newborn inserts.

At £499, this is a pricey seat, but it works out at a reasonable £10 a month over four years of use.

It's also safe, gaining a good rating from ADAC. 

5. Maxi-Cosi Mica 360 Pro

Suitable for children from 40cm to 105cm tall

The Maxi-Cosi Mica 360 Pro is well suited to older babies and toddlers. They are well positioned because the seat isn’t too deep, so they don’t sink into it too much, and there’s plenty of padding to keep slimmer occupants secure. The headrest is easy to raise for taller children, too.

However, the harness positioning was poor for our newborn baby test dummy. The lower parts of the harness sat too low on the baby’s legs, instead of across the upper thighs and hips.

As well as rotating through 360deg for easier fitting and seat positioning, the Mica 360 Pro can be slid out towards the parent, so they don’t have to bend when seating the child. Rotating the seat takes just one hand, and there are five recline positions.

The base and seat are joined and their combined weight is 13.9kg, so it’s best suited to use in a single car. The support leg folds up under the seat, so it doesn’t swing around or catch your fingers when carried. Extending the Isofix fittings to secure the seat is simple.

There are clear fitting videos on the website and accessible via a QR code on the seat.

Safety is good, and so is value: the £350 price equates to £7 a month if used for 48 months.

6. Thule Elm

Suitable for children from 40cm to 105cm tall

Thule is a Swedish company known for producing transport solutions such as roof boxes. It branched out into child seats last year, and the Elm is its second model, following on from the Maple infant carrier. It can be used facing rearwards for infants from six to 15 months old, and then facing forwards up to the age of four.

In rear-facing mode, the Elm is rated as ‘good’ for safety, although it’s only satisfactory when facing the other way.

It lacks some of the parent-friendly safety features of other swivelling seats, including a note on the seat stating when to use it facing forwards and a button to stop parents from unknowingly twisting it around. The written fitting instructions are good, though, and they contain a QR code that takes you to online installation information.

Installing the seat can be tricky; it’s hard to pull the Isofix fittings out from the base, and once they’re clipped in, the seat has to be ratcheted back into the correct position. What’s more, there are no coloured indicators to show that the Isofix fittings are connected correctly, although there is one for the support leg.

We found it difficult to get an 89cm tall test dummy into a good position. The harness was at risk of twisting when used repeatedly, too.

The Elm is pricier than the Joie i-Pivot 360, working out at £16 per month over three and a half years of use.

Best car seats for children aged up to seven

1. Cybex Anoris T2 - Best car seat for children aged up to seven

Suitable for children from 76-125cm tall 

The Anoris T2 is the only child seat you can buy with a full-body airbag. It is fitted into a wide, padded bar called an impact shield that is used instead of a traditional five- point harness to secure the child into the seat.

This second generation of the Anoris has a 25% smaller impact shield and a redesigned headrest, making it suitable for children up to seven, instead of six. These features also helped it to be one of the few seats rated as ‘very good’ for safety.

Installing this seat into a car is easy. The Isofix points slide smoothly out of the base, and once they’re locked in place, you push the seat backwards to position it correctly, then position the leg support.

There are clear installation instructions on the seat, and a QR code on it takes you to an online fitting video.

The seat can be reclined through three positions using a button at the front. There are light-up indicators to let you know if the Isofix points are correctly fitted and if the impact shield is securely fastened, and you’ll get a warning noise if the batteries for these run down.

One shortcoming is that the impact shield opens only on the right-hand side, so it can get in the way if the seat is on the left side of the car. It is much easier to click into place than a five- point harness, though.

The Anoris T2 is fairly pricey to buy, but it can be used for six years, so it works out at a reasonable £9 per month. 

2. Axkid One 3

Suitable for children from 61-125cm tall 

Sweden’s car safety experts believe children should be kept in rearward-facing seats for as long as possible, and the Axkid One 3 is a rearward-facing-only seat that’s designed to be used up to the age of seven.

The seat is secured via Isofix fixings, and it’s an easy process once you know how; you need to attach them to the car’s Isofix mounts and then slide the seat forwards to the required position. There’s a QR code on the seat that takes you to helpful video fitting guides, and there are numbered stickers on the seat so you know which steps to complete, and in which order, to fit it correctly.

The seat can be reclined by up to 42deg via a dial, allowing you to position it flat enough for younger babies and then adjust it in small increments. For older children, it slides forwards on its rails to provide additional leg room, although this means it can become too long to fit into the back of smaller cars.

The One 3 didn’t score quite as highly as the Cybex Anoris T2 in the ADAC safety test, but it wasn’t far behind and is rated as ‘good’.

Its long lifespan means it’s more affordable than toddler seats that go up to only the age of four; over seven years, it costs £7 per month. The One 3 isn’t suitable for the smallest of newborns, though; those less than 61cm in height should use the One +3, which has an additional newborn insert.

3. BeSafe Stretch B

Price £539 
Suitable for children from 40-125cm tall 

Like the Axkid One 3, the BeSafe Stretch B is a rearward-facing-only seat that’s designed to be used up to the age of seven. It is s seatbelt-secured seat, though, and it's fiddlier to install than Isofix-mounted seats.

First you need to fit two floor-mounted tethers and a stability foot after securing it with a seatbelt. The tethers have a tensioner to help you get a sturdy installation, and the foot sounds a warning if it’s not touching the floor, so you won’t forget to fit it.

If you can put up with the extra work to fit it, the benefit is that it scored exceptional well in safety tests; ADAC says it presents a very low risk of injury to a child in a front or side impact, and it has passed the stringent Swedish Plus Test.

This seat scores strongly for practicality, too. It has five reclining positions, enabling babies to lie almost flat and older children to sit more upright. There’s a bar at the foot of the seat that extends by up to 26cm to provide more leg space as youngsters grow. There are comprehensive fitting instructions on the seat (via a QR code) and on a laminated paper guide. 

While it’s not the cheapest to buy, the Stretch is still good value for money, working out at £7 a month. 

4. Avionaut Sky 2.0

From around £270

Suitable for children from 40-125cm tall 

This rear-facing only seat is suitable for use from birth to around seven years old. If used for the full term, the Avionaut Sky 2.0 represents great value for money (just £4.50 per month), but so-so scores for ease of use and safety mean it’s at the tail end of this group overall.

Although it has passed the Swedish Plus Test, it is rated as only good for safety by ADAC, being criticised for its “slightly unfavourable” seatbelt routing.

The Sky 2.0 comes with an infant insert and a wedge for smaller babies. There’s decent padding for younger children, but the pads don’t have removable covers, and the main cover is fiddly to unzip for removal. There’s no bar for children to put their feet on, and the seat should be fitted with it touching the car’s rear seatback, so taller kids might have to sit cross-legged.

At 6.6kg, the Sky is one of the lighter seats of its type. Installing it can be fiddly, though; after securing it with a seatbelt, you have to attach and tension two straps and fit a stability foot. Indicators on the foot turn green when it’s installed correctly.

Fitting instructions on the seat are minimal, but the user manual and website provide comprehensive information, including a captioned video. 

Best multi-stage car seats

1. Maxi Cosi Titan Pro i-Size - Best multi-stage car seat 

Suitable for children from 76-150cm tall 

This multi-age, forward-facing seat accommodates children all the way from 15 months to 12 years old, making it a very cost-effective option, working out at just £2 a month.

Fitting involves slotting the Isofix points into place and securing a top tether – a task that can be fiddly if there’s a headrest to negotiate. The instructions are good and can be found on the seat, via a QR code or on the brand’s website.

The seat offers good head and neck protection, but it isn’t as well padded as those specifically for younger children. The harness – which is employed up to age four, with older children using the car’s seatbelt – slides easily for adjustment and the shoulder pads have two useful features: they stay in place next to the seat, so they don’t need to be altered when tightening the straps, and they have magnets in them so they can stick to the bottom of the headrest, keeping them out of the way while the child gets into the seat. 

The seating position is good for both younger and older children, and there are four recline settings for children less than 105cm tall. The seat is relatively heavy (12.5kg) and the base is wide, but it’s not too deep, so it should fit in smaller cars. 

2. Silver Cross Motion All Size 360 

Suitable for children from 40-145cm tall 

Suitable for a wide range of children from newborns up to the age of 12, the Silver Cross Motion All Size 360 represents fine value, working out at just £2.60 a month if you use it for the full length of that term.

It can be mounted facing rearwards for children up to age four, then rotated to face forwards for older children. The 360-degree swivel function works no matter which way the seat is facing. There’s no lie-flat option, and although there are three reclining positions, it's not as suitable for newborns as an infant car seat.

The seat materials are a combination of recycled plastic and bamboo. There’s plenty of padding and soft inserts for keeping children snug, while the harness is easy to buckle up and adjust.

Fitting instructions can be accessed via an app or the website, but the website video has no voiceover or captions, so it isn’t the most informative. However, fitting is easy using the Isofix mounts and support leg. It’s not a seat you’ll want to move too often, though, because it weighs 14.4kg.

The foam padding in the infant insert can be removed for washing. Although the information in the book on when to remove the additional padding is good, the website doesn't provide specific information on this. 

3. Joie Every Stage

Suitable for children from 40cm (with newborn insert) to 145cm tall

The Joie Every Stage has the same basis as the Graco Slimfit, but it has better padding and softer, higher-quality upholstery, and that’s reflected in its slightly higher price.

Like the Slimfit, the Every Stage can be used rearward facing from birth until a child is 105cm tall, and can then be rotated to face forwards. It has limitations for use as an infant carrier because the infant insert isn’t the most supportive, there’s no lie-flat function, and you have to lift the child over the car’s seatbelt to get them in or out. It has the same six-seat tilt positions as the Slimfit, only two of which can be used with the seat facing rearwards.

A seatbelt-secured seat, the Every Stage is more complex to install than Isofix alternatives, but the harness is easy to buckle up and adjust. The Every Stage scores higher for installation than the Slimfit; a QR code on the seat gives access to a comprehensive fitting video. There is also a car compatibility checker on the website and a printed version with the paper instructions.

The ADAC safety rating is good rather than very good, but that still means occupants face a low risk of injury.

The Every Stage is a low-cost option (just £1.40 a month over 12 years) that might be suitable for occasional use in a second
car, or by grandparents.

4. Graco Slimfit R129

Suitable for children from 40cm (with newborn insert) to 145cm tall

The Graco Slimfit R129 is a multi-stage seat that can be used from birth until a child is tall enough to no longer need a child seat. It can be used facing rearwards until a child is 105cm tall and then turned around to face forwards. However, it’s not best suited to the youngest babies; its infant insert provides less head and neck support than an infant carrier, and babies can’t lie flat like in some other seats. There are six recline positions, but only two can be used while the seat faces rearwards.

Another limitation for younger infants is that the seat and base are combined, so you have to leave the seat in place when lifting out a baby.

The seat is seatbelt-secured only, and threading the belt around it is more complicated than using Isofix mounts, plus you have to lift the child over the extended seatbelt to put them into the seat.

The diagrams on the seat don’t clearly show where the lap belt should go and the instruction booklet doesn’t place the fitting steps into a clear order. The video on the Graco website is good, but there’s no QR code on the seat to access it swiftly.

ADAC rated this seat as good for safety, but its score is a little lower than the most recent toddler seats tested. At £125, it’s a low-cost option; that’s just £1 a month over 12 years.

5. Osann Flux

Suitable for children from 76cm to 150cm tall

This German brand has recently become available in the UK. The Flux can only be used forward facing. It’s secured with Isofix points and a top tether for children up to four, and can also be used with a seatbelt for older children.

Our testers didn’t find it the most suitable for children less than three years old, because the seatback is very upright and doesn’t recline. What’s more, the headrest and harness move together, and we found them too high for short children on the lowest setting. There’s plenty of adjustment for taller children, but the button isn’t easy to locate under the material on the back of the headrest.

Installation using the Isofix mounts is fiddly; the bars can slide back into the base as you’re trying to attach them. Still, the chunky top tether has clear fitting instructions and is simple to attach. The harness can be removed to turn the seat into a high-back booster.

There’s no QR code on the seat to access fitting instructions, and the website doesn’t contain fitting videos, but the manual has clear directions. Car compatibility information is poor, consisting of a note in the book stating that the seat is compatible with all i-Size cars. Safety is rated only as ‘satisfactory’.

This seat can potentially be usedforupto10andahalf years (although this might be longer than is advisable), in which case it’s a cheap option, costing just over £1 per month. 

Best high back booster seats

1. Cybex Solution G2 - Best high back booster seat  

Suitable for children from 100-150cm tall 

The latest version of the Solution has an improved side impact protection system that is said to redirect up to 20% more impact force away from the occupant. It also has an upgraded version of Cybex’s reclining headrest, which can be angled backwards to ensure a child’s head stays inside it when they fall asleep.

The ADAC test score reflects this greater level of protection. It is one of only a few high-back boosters rated as ‘good’.

The Solution G2 has a recline function, which many other high-back boosters lack, and it folds flat for easier carrying. At 5.8kg, it’s the lightest older child seat we’ve tested.

There’s a QR code on the seat that takes you directly to clear and concise fitting instructions, and there’s a good fitting video on the website.

It’s easy to slide the Isofix fixings out of the seat base for installation, although the buttons on the seat sides to release them are fairly small and low down, and the coloured fitting indicator is a dark green, so it’s not as easy to see when the seat is correctly installed. It is simple to thread the seatbelt through the top guide, but not as easy to undo it.

Alternatively, the G2 can be secured with a seatbelt. The instructions say it must stay belted in when it’s not in use, to protect the car’s other occupants.

Although this seat costs more than alternatives, it’s still affordable, costing £1.80 per month over eight years of use. 

2. Swandoo Charlie

Price £229 Suitable for children from 100cm to 150cm tall

The Charlie is Swandoo’s largest seat for children aged from around four to 12 years. It beats the Cybex Solution and Maxi Cosi RodiFix for installation ease; it can be fitted one-handed using the Isofix mounts, which pop out from the seat base when you pull the strap at the front of the seat. It’s also easier than others to remove, with handy pull straps on each side, plus there’s a chunky, well-marked guide that clearly shows where to pass the seatbelt through.

The instruction booklet is comprehensive and friendly, and the fitting video is easy to access via a QR code on the seat, as well as on the website. Car compatibility lists are available in print and online.

Neat design features include eye-level indicators for getting the headrest in the right position, and a boomerang-shaped installation tool to help you refit the cover if you’ve removed it for washing.

There are 11 height positions for the headrest and the seat base increases in width as the headrest is raised. There’s no recline feature, though.

The Charlie performed pretty well in safety tests; ADAC rated it as good for side impacts and average for front-end collisions.

Although it’s pricier than the others in this category, the monthly cost is still only £2.10 if you use it for eight years.

3. Maxi-Cosi Rodifix Pro 2

Suitable for children from 100cm to 150cm tall

The Maxi-Cosi Rodifix Pro 2 can be used from around the age of four until a child no longer needs a seat. It can be secured with Isofix mounts or a seatbelt. Fitting isn’t quite as easy as with the Swandoo Charlie, but slotting the Isofix connectors into place is fairly simple, and the big, colour-coded gap by the child’s shoulder is easy to slide the seatbelt into.

There are three recline settings for the comfort of younger or napping children. Reclining the seat is easy – simply tug on the bottom. However, with no pointers on the seat itself, we had to look this up in the instructions. Fortunately, a QR code on the seat takes you directly to these, and the directions on the seat are otherwise comprehensive.

It’s a good seat for broader children, because the seat base is wide and the side of the upper section extends from 44cm up to 51cm. At a relatively light 6.1kg, it shouldn’t be too much of a strain to switch between cars.

The RodiFix’s ADAC crash test score is just average, and although it provides good protection in side impacts and stays stable in the car, it only provides average protection in a head-on collision.

Priced at £170, it’s not the cheapest option, although the monthly cost is just £1.60 over eight years.

4. Silver Cross Discover

Suitable for children from 100cm to 150cm tall

The Silver Cross Discovery can be secured with Isofix mounts or a seatbelt, but other high-back boosters here are easier to fit. We found the Isofix fittings clunky and not as easy to slide out from the seat base as rivals’. Feeding the seatbelt through the shoulder guide was also tricky, and the reclining action was the least smooth of the high-back boosters tested.

A QR code on the seat takes you directly to the fitting directions. You can also find them on the website and app, but the latter requires you to select your seat from a list rather than taking you directly to the relevant information.

The Discovery is heavier than others tested (7.8kg), so it’s harder to move around and switch between cars. It’s a good option for larger children, though; it has 10 headrest height positions, the upper sides expand to 57cm and it’s the only seat tested that has adjustable thigh support.

It also has better padding than other high-back boosters, and the bamboo inserts are soft and breathable. Four recline positions make it comfy when children fall asleep.

At £150 (or £1.40 per month), it’s a little more expensive than the most affordable options for older children. Safety isn’t up with the best, either, with an ADAC rating of average for both front and side impacts.

5. Britax Romer KidFix Pro M

Suitable for children from 100cm to 150cm tall

The Pro M is part of Britax Römer’s Kidfix range; our rating is purely for this version, because it’s the only one tested by ADAC so far.

A traditional high-back booster seat, the Pro M doesn’t recline or fold flat like the Cybex Solution G2 and, at 6.5kg, it’s 0.7kg heavier, but it’s still light enough to transfer between cars easily.

The instructions are good: the QR code on the seat takes you to a fitting instruction PDF and a link to online instructions.

Installation is easy using Isofix fittings that slide out from the back of the seat once you’ve pressed the chunky handle underneath. The buttons next to the Isofix mounts are large and colour coded, so you know when they’re correctly fitted.

The seat is equally simple to install when using a seatbelt, and the instructions include a reminder to keep it belted in place even when no one is in it.

ADAC rates the Kidfix Pro M as only ‘satisfactory’ for safety. Even if the regular Kidfix Pro seat (£159) doesn’t gain a higher ADAC rating, you might want to consider it instead of the Pro M, because it comes with two safety features that the latter lacks. It has a crotch guide
on the seat base that the seatbelt goes through to keep it at pelvis level, plus a pad to wrap around the seatbelt to keep it across the chest.

Over eight years of use, the Kidfix Pro M works out at a reasonable £1.40 per month.

What Car? says…

Claire Evans, What Car?'s consumer editor said: "It’s great to see that child seat makers are continually striving to enhance safety with innovative features, such as Cybex’s improvements to the headrest design of the Anoris T2 and Solution G2, and the Axkid One 3’s ability to keep children rearward-facing until the age of seven. These and other safety measures help to provide the best possible protection for little ones in an accident.

"Practical touches, such as providing easy access to simple fitting instructions and adding colour coding to areas that are used for fitting or adjustment, are also hugely important, because they make it easier for parents to ensure the child and seat are installed correctly. That’s one of the reasons why we awarded high points to the Avionaut Pixel Pro, which has good fitting instructions and ‘traffic light’ indicators to indicate that Isofix fixings are correctly attached and support legs are in the right position.

"By contrast, we wouldn’t recommend the Osann Flux, due to its below-par scores for ease of use and practicality and merely average safety rating. Similarly, the Thule Elm was marked down for being counterintuitive to fit and use, but at least it fared better for safety.

"Parents can play their part in helping to protect children in cars. It’s worrying that 69% of child seats in the UK are being used incorrectly, according to surveys by Child Seat Safety and the police. Many of the issues they found could be corrected easily, such as five-point harnesses not being adjusted for height or to take into account the thickness of the clothing being worn by a child. It’s worth checking these little things regularly and ensuring that the seat fits properly, especially if you move it into a different car."

How to fit three or four child seats in a car

There is another option for families who don’t want to swap their existing car for an MPV or seven-seat SUV: the Multimac. It’s a three or four-seat child seat block offered in seven different sizes, enabling fitment to the rear seat of pretty much any car – from a Mini to a Rolls-Royce.

The concept was first envisaged in 1995, when mechanical engineer Kevin Macliver became a dad for a fourth time and decided to design a seat that would enable all his children to sit side by side in one vehicle. The seat was eventually approved for sale in 2008, and has recently gained R129 safety accreditation, putting it up there with the latest single child car seats for safety.

The seat is secured via two hefty tether straps bolted into the floor of the car, and it has two support legs at the front. It’s far heavier and more cumbersome than single child seats, but once the tethers have been fitted, the Multimac can be lifted in or out of the car in less than a minute.

Each of the Multimac’s three or four seats can be tailored for use by children from birth up to 150cm tall, so (in theory, at least) it could be the only child car seat you’ll ever need to buy.

The smallest option is the Minimac infant carrier – a rearward-facing seat suitable from birth until a child is 82cm tall (around 18 months old). It slots onto the Multimac, with carry straps enabling babies to be lifted in and out in their car seat. It comes with a head-hugger and two different foam inserts so newborns and older babies alike are positioned correctly. It weighs 9kg and costs £499.

When they outgrow the Minimac, children can sit in a forward-facing seat with a five-point harness. There’s a choice of headrests and a low-profile seat cushion so taller children can sit lower down.

We fitted a four-seat Multimac in a Tesla Model 3 and tested it with our baby and toddler dummies. Despite looking quite narrow, the seats proved roomy enough for both children, with good support.

Starting at £2299, the four-seat Multimac seems like a big investment, but it actually works out at a reasonable £3.99 per month per child, when used from birth to 12 years old.

Should I buy a second-hand child car seat?

In a word, no. While saving money by buying a second-hand car seat might be tempting, it could mean risking your child’s life. That’s because it might not protect them as well in a crash as a new one.

“Even if a seat comes from a trusted source, you don’t know how it’s been used, treated and stored,” explains Charlotte Hall, from Child Seat Safety.“And even if the seat has never been in a collision, age can bring a natural degradation of parts, such as the Isofix attachments and buckles, which are crucial to the seat’s safety. There may also be hairline cracks in the bodyshell, or loose parts that aren’t easy to spot.”

Recent European research has shown the potential dangers that second-hand seats pose to children. In a study of 10 randomly purchased second-hand seats, 90% failed to uphold regulatory standards in crash tests, making them unfit for purpose. In a few cases, the crash test dummy was ejected from the child seat, and in others, the Isofix bars completely broke off.

The researchers also noted that 80% of the seats were sold without an instruction manual, something that Hall says also results in a higher risk of misuse and the incorrect fitting of seats and children into those seats.

With common errors – such as incorrectly fitting harnesses, seatbelts and headrests – putting the child at risk of serious injury or death in a road accident, the presence of instructions is crucial.

How we test and rate child car seats

To create an overall rating for each child seat, we considered four key areas: ease of use, practicality, value for money and safety. For the first two, we enlisted the expertise of independent advisory organisation Child Seat Safety to help with the testing.

Four factors were considered for ease of use: how easy the seat (and base if there is one) is to install; how easily a child can be installed in the seat; how clear the instructions are on the seat and online, and whether there’s an easily accessible fitting video; and whether a printed or online car compatibility list is available.

To find out how easy the seats are to install, we fitted each one into the second row of a Skoda Kodiaq seven-seat SUV and a small hatchback (a Ford Fiesta), with a 5ft 8in-tall adult sitting comfortably in the front.

Our starting point for fitting guidance was to use the instructions on the seat or a QR code to access an app or website; either of these options is the most useful, because parents can check how to fit a seat when they’re with the car.

Practicality encompasses four areas: how heavy the seat is; how much space it takes up in the car; how well padded it is; and whether the child sits in a good position. 

When testing the position of the child, we used two life-like dummies (representing a one-year-old and a three-year-old), as well as real children, because this gave us more time to assess each seat.

To assess value for money, we looked at the cost of the seat (and separate base where one is needed), and how long it can be used for, calculating a monthly cost for each seat.

Our safety ratings are based on the performance of each seat in German ADAC crash tests, because these are carried out at higher speeds than the R129 (i-Size) certification tests and measure both frontal and side impact collisions in a real car instead of a test sled.

While we took into account 100% of the scores for ease of use and practicality when calculating the overall ratings, we added a 25% weighting to the safety score, because this is the most crucial factor, and took 25% off the weight of the value for money ratings. 

About the author and testers

Claire Evans has been a motoring and consumer journalist for more than 30 years. Prior to joining What Car? she worked as motoring editor for Which?, overseeing its child car seat testing and reviews. She has also contributed to the motoring supplements of The Times, The Telegraph and various parenting magazines including Junior.  

Three child car seat experts from the independent advisory organisation Child Seat Safety assisted Claire Evans in assessing the child car seats for practicality and ease of use. Between them, Claire Waterhouse, Julie Dagnall and Judy Hall have more than 50 years’ experience in the road safety industry, and they specialise in child car seat fitting.

Child Seat Safety runs the UK’s only child seat fitting courses accredited with the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health, providing training to a wide range of people, including the retail experts who help parents pick the most suitable seats. Julie is also Road Safety GB’s national expert on in-car safety, advising local authorities on all aspects of child car seats.  

FAQs

What are the latest innovations in child car seats?

Axkid Up high-back booster seat

The Axkid Up is the first high-back booster seat with a height-adjustable base that raises smaller children up so the adult seatbelt is in a better position across their shoulder, and for them to gain the protection of the car’s other safety systems, such as airbags. It also helps them to feel less claustrophobic, because they can see out of the windows better.

The seat base has a pull-up handle that can be used to set it at one of three different levels, altering its height by up to 8.7cm.

In addition, the seat folds flat for easier carrying, its support leg stows neatly under the seat base, and the seat can be stored in a travel bag that’s supplied with it.

At 6.5kg, it’s heavier than other fold-up seats, but it’s still light and compact enough to transport.

For parents looking for a slim seat option for older children, the Axkid Up can be used with the side wings removed, enabling up to three seats to be installed across the back seats of many cars. Although it has a support leg and Isofix fixings, it can also be used without these and secured using a seatbelt, so it’s suitable for the middle rear seat in many cars, which often doesn’t have Isofix points.

We haven’t rated the Axkid Up because ADAC has yet to test it, but it will be included in a future child seat round-up. 

What is the Swedish Plus Test?

Swedish safety experts introduced a tough new child seat crash test in 2007 to encourage European seat makers to develop safer seats. The Swedish Plus Test is primarily concerned with the stress that is put on a child’s neck in a frontal impact.

Studies of real crashes revealed that children suffer more severe head and neck injuries than adults in car crashes, and that they cannot withstand impacts of more than 130kg. The Plus Test measures the force put on a child’s neck in an impact and only awards a pass to seats that keep this below 122kg.

(photo supplied by Axkid)

There are three important differences between the Plus Test and the tests that are carried out during homologation for European approval. The vehicle is doing 56km/h in the Swedish test, rather than 50km/h; the braking distance is shorter, so the impact on the car seat is greater; and the forces exerted on the neck of the crash test dummy are measured using more precise sensors.

The Swedish Plus Test is optional and tests only rearward-facing seats suitable for children from 87cm tall. While it’s useful if you’re looking for a rearward-facing seat, it’s not relevant for all child seats, so we’re not currently factoring its findings into our safety ratings.

The brands with seats that have passed the Swedish Plus Test are Avionaut, Axkid, BeSafe, Britax Romer, Joie and Nuna.  

The products or services referenced in this story have been reviewed independently by our experts. When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network. However, this will never influence our opinion or ratings.

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