The Best Newborn Car Seats in the UK
Safety in car seats is a top concern for all parents. Thankfully, there’s an abundance of options when it comes to locating the most suitable car seat for your baby.
The Cybex Cloud T offers enhanced side impact protection, as well as a baby-hugging insert. It’s the best new car seat in the UK. It also has a one-handed recline setting and no less than 12 headrest positions that adapt to the growing body of your child.
1. Cybex Cloud T
The Cybex Cloud T car seat is the best choice to take your baby with you on your journeys from the moment they are born until they become toddlers. It’s the newest update to the legendary Cybex Cloud line and features innovative reclining technology that gives your child a comfortable lie-flat position both inside the car and when used alongside a pushchair in the context of a travel system. It’s also an ISOFIX car seat, which means it is able to be easily connected to your vehicle with the base that comes with it. It can be turned 360 degrees to aid in getting your child in and out.
The car seat is constructed of high-quality materials, and is available in a variety of stylish colors including Moon Black, Lava Grey and Beach Blue Plus. It’s a stylish and sophisticated choice that seamlessly matches with the Cybex T line of prams. It also comes with a Newborn Inlay for newborns and premature babies to ensure a safe, near-flat position that reduces the possibility of their heads flopping forward while they sleep, which could cause breathing problems. It can be removed when your child is at least 60 cm in height.
In terms of safety, the car seat provides excellent protection for your child, scoring an impressive 1.7 result in crash tests from ADAC (Allgemeiner Deutsche Automobil-Club e.V). The Cloud T i-Size features LSP (Linear Side-impact Protection) to protect your child from being thrown around in the seat in the case of an accident. Also, it has the revolutionary Flexi-Fix harness system that stretches as your child grows, ensuring they always have a secure fit.
The innovative 180deg rotating system makes it simple to get your baby into and out of the car seat when using it as part a travel system that includes a Cybex stroller. No more awkward twisting or reaching. The car seat is able to be fully reclined for added comfort on long journeys in the car. The price is slightly higher than other car seat newborn insert seats of this age range but the features it has, including the recline feature and superior safety features makes it worth the investment.
2. Maxi-Cosi Pebble Plus
The Maxi-Cosi Pebble Plus car seats is one of the most popular newborn car seats available. It is easy to use and is comfortable for babies. It’s suitable for babies from birth and can be used with the Maxi-Cosi FamilyFix or EasyFix base, or with your car’s seat belt system. The car seat is compatible with most pushchairs including the Maxi-Cosi range, Quinny, iCandy and Bugaboo (using adapters). The Baby-Hugg infant support is also included to provide the best fit, better laying in a more upright position, and also side impact protection.
The Pebble Plus is a Group 0+ car seat, which means it is suitable for use with infants from birth to 12 months old (45cm between 45cm and 75cm). It is compliant with the new iSize regulations that require that children sit in the rear for a longer period of time. It is compatible with the 2way Family base which allows you to switch between rear and forward facing on the same vehicle and comes with a handy rotation feature.
It’s still a comfortable seat, but the latest version has some improvements. It now has a much-improved baby-hugg inlay which is extremely comfortable and looks great. The shoulder straps have been padded and the headrest can be adjusted to accommodate the growth of your baby. You can remove it at any time if you don’t want to use it any more.
It’s a bit heavier than other infant carseats, at 4.5kg but isn’t a problem if your baby is in it for most of the time. It comes with a handle to make it easier to carry, and is light enough to be lifted to and from taxis or rideshare vehicles.
It’s also a fashionable seat. You can choose from many different colours and designs that will fit your car. It’s not the most affordable car seat for infants, but it’s still very reasonable and worth the extra investment for your baby. It can be difficult to adjust the harness length and height however once you get the hang of it, it’s easy. Simply pull down on the back panel, and squeeze together two buttons to move up and down the straps without having to rethread them.
3. Joie Calmi
Joie Calmi is the ideal infant car seat. It’s easy to use, and it is a great cot-like baby sitter. This dual-use car seat and carrycot is R129-certified. It’s built to last with a durable ventilated outer shell and a plush padding to hold your little one. It comes with a 3-point safety harness that is adjusted by a single pull and softly cushioned covers. It also features lateral positioning, which helps keep your baby’s face in a safest possible position in case of collision.
The base of this seat is compatible with Joie Aeria and Finiti strollers, so you can easily pop it onto and off the frame. With the adjustable handle bars, it’s also easy to lift even when your baby is asleep. If you’re looking to make an entire travel set, the iBase Encore adapters let you to connect your Calmi with a MaxiCosi or Britax stroller.
Joie has improved the design of its previous i-Spin 360, which earned the highest test score in Which?’s crash tests as well as a Good rating from ADAC. The most recent model that we tested features a lock that will stop you from rotating the seat too quickly, making sure your baby stays rearward-facing for the longest time possible. It also has a huge sun canopy that is water-resistant and provides 50+ UV protection, and has a mesh peekaboo window that lets you look in without disturbing your child.
If you are shopping online for car seats, choose one that offers free delivery to the UK mainland for all orders. They should also allow returns within 35 days. John Lewis has a great selection of infant car seats from top brands, including Cybex, Maxi-Cosi and Silver Cross and offers free click and pick up to your local store (or to a Sainsbury’s branch if you’re near by). You can also collect Nectar points on all purchases. Argos is another good choice for a variety of car seats, with prices starting at PS55. They’ll even deliver your order for free, offer same-day in-store collection and free returns at any Argos store or participating Sainsbury’s branches.
4. Silver Cross Motion All Size 360
Silver Cross Motion is a new vehicle seat that is all-in-one from the trusted British brand, which is known for its high-end pushchairs and prams. Jasper, our tester, was a fan of it. He said it was “the most fashionable of the bunch, and my child seemed to be most comfortable for long drives.”
This fully rotating R129 certified car seat is suitable for babies up to 12 year olds. It won the ADAC 2022 Autumn Test’s award for the top baby, toddler and child car seat. It’s also been tested over and beyond regulations to ensure that your child’s safety during every trip.
It comes with a removable, cosy cushioned insert for infants made of soft bamboo fabrics. These are super comfortable and breathable, as well as antibacterial. The body support and head support can be removed as your child grows, and the 3 recline and 8 positions for the headrest can also be adjusted to fit your child’s.
A unique feature is the built-in ‘green light’ that signals that the car seat is secured and ready for use and is a great option for parents who may be unfamiliar with the proper way to install and fit car seats. It also comes with a harness that can be used in either rear or forward-facing position.
It’s also permanent, so you won’t need to wake your baby to take them out of the car for long trips. It is not compatible with travel systems like the Britax Romer Dualfix plus iSize, or Joie iSpin 360 iSize. You’ll need purchase an additional travel bag.
The Axkid One is a permanently fixed car seat. They’re not as simple to transport between cars. If you choose to purchase an additional travel bag, pick one that is durable and can endure the wear and tear of frequent use. It’s worth paying a bit extra for a bag that will last as long as your child’s car seat does.
