Best baby or child car seats 2024: Which? Best Buys and expert buying advice

Each child car seat we review is crash-tested and as well as giving a safety rating, we check to see how easy each is to fit and how comfortable it will be for your little one. 

Below we round up some of the best baby or child car seats uncovered by our testing, plus share expert tips on buying the safest seat. 

You'll also find advice on car seat groups and common car seat jargon, as well as what to think about before you buy, where to shop and the potential dangers of second-hand models.

Compare more than 200 baby and child car seats to see which ones you can rely on to protect your child in the event of an accident

Best baby and newborn car seats

Best extended rear-facing car seats

Best car seats for older children

Best multi-group car seats

Tables last checked: April 2024

Still not found the product for you? Browse all of our child car seat reviews.

Why do you need a baby car seat?

Legally, all children must use a car seat from birth until 12 years old (or until they are 135cm tall, whichever they reach first).

Child car seats are designed to protect children's soft bones and vulnerable internal organs at each stage of development. 

All babies start off in a rearward-facing infant car seat. Babies need different levels of protection to toddlers and older children, so when you’re buying your car seat make sure to get one that is the correct category of seat for his or her age and size. 

You'll need to decide whether you want an infant carrier that can be used a part of a travel system on a pushchair, and you'll also need to consider if you want a car seat that can be secured to the car by Isofix connectors, the car seatbelt or a base. 

What are car seat groups?

Child car seats are bought in two ways: either according to your child's car seat weight group or according to the child's height. So for young babies, Group 0+ is from 0-13kg and an i-Size baby car seat is from 40-85cm – that's from birth to about 12-15 months old.

It's possible to buy car seats that combine one or more groups, for example group 0+/1, 0-18kg, 40-105cm, or from birth to around four-and-a-half-years old. These are known as multi-group or combination seats. 

Find the correct one for you from the different car seat groups.

What is i-Size?

i-Size is part of R129, a regulation for child car seats introduced in 2013. The idea behind i-Size is that all car seats with the i-Size logo will fit in all i-Size approved cars. 

Your car and car seat must have Isofix, a system that attaches car seats directly to the frame of your car using connectors (either on an isofix base or on the seat itself). 

i-Size/R129 seats are based on a child's height (instead of weight). The seats don't replace the weight-based seats at the moment, they just give you an alternative.

Read our guide to car seat height and weight groups.

Lie-flat baby car seats and carrycot baby car seats 

Experts agree that the safest way to transport babies is in a rearward-facing infant carrier or baby car seat. A good baby car seat will help to protect your baby in frontal and side-impact crashes. 

Lie-flat or carrycot car seats can be a good solution for newborns, especially premature babies or those with medical conditions, who need to be transported lying flat.

Models we've tested include the Joie i-Level, Jane iMatrix + iPlatform and Britax Romer Baby-Safe2 i-Size.  

Some carrycot car seats are suitable only for babies up to 10kg, which means parents might change to a forward-facing next-stage seat too early.  

Our advice would be to look out for a modular system – one that uses a base which is also compatible with a rear-facing baby car seat and then a rear-facing toddler seat.  

Fitting advice for carrycot car seats 

If you're using a carrycot car seat, you should: 

• place it across the back seat, as close to the middle as you can. This may use up more space, but it means your baby is less vulnerable in a crash.
• place your baby’s head as far from the door as possible, to try to avoid contact with the door in a crash.

360 degree or swivel car seats

If you're looking for a swivel baby car seat – that's a car seat with a rotating base – you'll be pleased to know there are now more models than ever that have this feature. 

Some child car seats have a swivel base to help you put your child into the seat, as you can turn it towards the car's door. Others have a swivel base to make it easier to switch between rearward-facing and forward-facing. The degree of swivel also varies – some can turn 360 degrees, others turn 180 degrees.

Some car seats have a mechanism to stop them being turned forward-facing too early, but others don't. If there is no way to stop the seat being turned to face forwards too early, it lost marks in our tests because of the potential for misuse. 

Get more advice on buying the right seat by reading our guide to 360 car seats that swivel.

Toddler car seats and the benefits of extended rear-facing car seats

Babies can move up to a forward-facing Group 1 seat when they reach 9kg, but we think this is far too early because their bodies may not be strong enough to withstand the forces they'd experience in a front-on crash if they're facing forward. 

It's safer to leave a baby rear-facing until they're at least 13kg or 15 months old - preferably longer. Many parents turn their child forward-facing too soon, risking more severe neck and brain injuries in a crash. 

Extended rear-facing car seats, that let you keep your child rear-facing until the age of four/18kg/105cm, are common, and crash tests show they're much safer.

Find out more about rear-facing baby car seats and extended rear-facing toddler car seats, or see our toddler car seat reviews.

What to think about before you buy a baby car seat

Download our checklist to make sure next time you visit a store you're getting asked the right questions.

Your child's age, height and weight

Make a note of your child's height and weight, as this will determine what seat you’ll need to buy. Record the weight in imperial and metric units – people often use pounds and ounces, but car seats are approved for weight groups in kg. Noting down your child's weight in both units will prevent mistakes when converting from one to another. Measure their height in centimetres.

If you’re changing from one seat group to the next, height or weight aren’t the only factors. Check the position of your child's head in relation to the top of the seat. You should change from a rear-facing i-Size baby seat or group 0+ seat when the crown of your child's head is level with the top of the seat. A child’s delicate head is exposed to more severe injuries in a crash if it pokes up above the top of the seat. 

The number of children you already have

If you're going to have more than one child in your car, make sure multiple seats will safely fit across the rear seat of your car. Most cars can fit two child car seats but, if you've got three children and a small car, you could have issues.

Whether your car has Isofix points

Isofix is designed to make installing your car seat quick and easy, and all new vehicles feature the system. You simply click the Isofix connectors on the base of your seat into the Isofix anchor points in the car.

These anchor points are metal bar connectors built into the chassis of your car. They are often hidden behind the car's seat padding.

Once the Isofix connectors are clicked together, the car seat is secured by a third point – a support leg that comes built into the seat or seat base, or a top tether (a strap that attaches to a mount somewhere behind the rear seat). Both of these work to stop the car seat tipping forward in an accident.

Find out more about the differences in our guide to Isofix car seats.

The height of front-seat passengers

Tall passengers in the front, and a car seat in the back generally don't make a good combination. If you've got a car seat with a base that uses a support leg, or an extended rear-facing model, check you can still use the front passenger seat, especially if you have a partner who is particularly tall.

Airbags

You should never put a rearward-facing baby seat in front of an active passenger airbag and make sure the child restraint doesn't rest against the door where side airbags are fitted, or against the airbag panel. You can turn off passenger airbags in some cars.

Headrests

The car's headrest shouldn't interfere with the child car seat. The head rest shouldn't touch the seat and the car seat should sit flush against the back of the vehicle seat. You may need to pull the car's headrest well out of the way or remove it entirely. If the headrest gets in the way and cannot be removed, you may not be able to use a child car seat in that seat.

Length of seatbelt stem

Many new cars have buckles quite close to the seat, but older cars often have the buckle on a longer stem. 'Buckle crunch' happens when the length of the stem means the seatbelt buckle bends around the shell of the car seat when fastened. This results in a weak connection and puts pressure on the buckle – it could break or come undone in an accident. 

Seatbelt length

Some seatbelts aren't long enough to go around a rearward-facing infant carrier (Group 0+ car seat). You can sometimes avoid this by using Isofix connectors (if your car and seat have them) to attach the seat.

Underfloor storage compartments

You shouldn't use a base or car seat that has a support leg in a car that has an underfloor storage space in the passenger footwell. The lid of the storage compartment isn't strong enough to withstand the forces the support leg will put on it in a crash. 

Top tether anchor points

Some cars or car seats offer tether strap options as an alternative to a support leg. Top tether straps should only be fixed to a tether anchor point designed to withstand the force of a child car seat pulling away from it in a crash. Headrests aren't designed to do this. Some top tether anchor points are unhelpfully placed in the middle of the boot of the car, which can stop you putting luggage in there.

Will the car seat be used in other cars?

You need to know whether the cars you most commonly use have Isofix mounts or whether you'll need a seat that you can fit using the seatbelt. Think about the cars used by grandparents and childminders, and if they will use your seat. Not all car seats fit in all cars.

How much should I spend on a car seat?

You can spend as little as £20 up to hundreds of pounds. Our advice would be to get the best you possibly can.

We crash test each car seat we review, and it's very rare we see a cheap car seat that provides enough protection to become a Best Buy.

Many parents don't want to pay hundreds for a first-stage car seat, but a £300 extended rear-facing Best Buy car seat, that will last until your baby is four years old, works out around 20p a day over the life of the seat.

Group 2/3 seats can be cheaper and, as your child gets older, they can withstand the force of a crash a bit better, so this is where you can save money but still get a decent high-backed booster seat.

The best baby or child car seat brands

In February 2022, we surveyed 2,004 parents who have a child aged up to five years. The data below is based on those who owned a car seat.

In the table below, logged-in Which? members can view and compare which car seat brands have the most Best Buys or Don't Buys. If you're not a member join Which? to reveal the brand results.

Where to buy a baby or child car seat

Argos, Asda, Halfords, and John Lewis are the some of the most searched-for baby and child car seat retailers at the time of writing. We've included links to these retailers because of their stock availability, best-value price or delivery options. Each seller also has a customer score of 70% or more in our best baby and child shop survey.

• Argos stocks several car seats for infants, toddlers, and children from birth to 12 years old, including brands such as Graco, Maxi Cosi, and Joie Baby. Prices start around £30 for child car seats, with baby car seats starting from £55. Argos offers same-day in-store collection at selected Sainsburys for free, offers free returns to any Argos store within 30 days of purchase, and you can collect Nectar points with each purchase, too.
• George at Asda stocks a good range of popular baby and child car seats for all groups, ages, and seating positions. Prices start from £35 for both child and infant seats. George at Asda offers free online returns within 100 days of buying, free next-day click-and-collect at UK stores, and they've introduced a clothes recycling scheme that can get you a 10% off voucher for select online products.   
• Halfords has a wide variety of own-brand and branded baby and child car seats. Prices for baby car seats range from £69 to £250. High-backed boosters start at £29, while booster seats start at £15. Halfords also sells car seat bundles which includes additional accessories, such as sunshades and baby mirrors. Next day delivery is free for all orders over £20 and you can return an unwanted items within 28 days. 
• John Lewis offers over 100 different car seats and accessories from popular brands such as Cybex, Joie Baby, Maxi Cosi, and Silver Cross. With most choices costing between £50 and £200, you'll qualify for free standard UK mainland delivery. You can also return any unused items to the store within 35 days. 

If possible, try to buy your car seat from a retailer with a fitting service and trained fitters. You may be able to phone up and make an appointment. The store should also be able to take the seat out to your car after you've bought it and fit it properly there. Our guide on how to fit a baby or child car seat has more details.

To see which baby equipment retailers are rated highly by Which? members, read our expert guide on the best and worst shops.

Dangers of second-hand car seats

Second-hand car seats will have wear and tear that could affect the safety protection. The harness, for example, could have been cleaned with harsh chemicals that can make the fabric deteriorate, or the seat could have been involved in a crash and weakened. These are things you can't tell just by looking at the seat.  

Older seats may not comply with the latest safety regulations, or have gone through updated safety tests, or might be missing the instruction booklet that tells you how to install and adjust the seat safely.

What should you do with your old car seat?

Once your child no longer needs their car seat, you may struggle to know what to do with it. Some choose to hold onto it for a second child, others may give to a family member and some might throw it away.

Find out whether you can fix a broken car seat, advice on buying or selling second-hand car seats and how to recycle your old car seat by reading our guide on what to do with an old car seat.