What should I do with my old baby car seat?

Whether your growing child is ready to move on to the next size up of car seat, or you’ve encountered issues that means you can’t use the one you've got, working out what to do with a large piece of complicated moulded plastic can leave many parents scratching their heads.

In February 2022, we surveyed 2,004 parents with a child aged up to five years. We asked those who owned a car seat what they did with it when they no longer needed it. 

• 29% said they kept it in storage
• 16% said they sold it via an online marketplace (such as eBay)
• 15% lent or gifted it to someone else
• 10% donated to charity
• 8% gave it away through a community reuse scheme
• 7% sold it to friends or family
• 7% took it to the recycling centre
• 7% disposed of it in a rubbish tip

Read on for our advice on what you can do with old car seats, including making use of your warranty, handling car seats that have been in a vehicle crash, understanding the life span of a car seat, and whether you should chuck or recycle your old seat.

Looking for your next car seat? Check our expert car seat reviews before you buy

Can I recycle my old car seat?

Baby products, and child car seats in particular, are an area where it’s very difficult to recycle once you’ve finished using them. 

The various materials that make up a car seat – moulded composite plastic, foam, polystyrene, synthetic fabrics – are hard to separate and it’s not always clear if they're even suitable for recycling.

However, according to some manufacturers, it is a possibility. 

In September 2021, Silver Cross launched a recycling service for its car seats, with customers able to book a collection for the car seat to be recycled for free. At the recycling plant, the team use specialist lasers to separate the recyclable materials, which can then be used in the production of other products and packaging across a variety of industries – with absolutely nothing going to landfill. 

Meanwhile, at Maxi-Cosi, Ivan McCullough, QA and product development manager, says:

‘At Maxi-Cosi, recycling is important to us and our customer care department is frequently asked about our policy on this.

‘The great news is that our car seats can be recycled. When a product has come to the end of its use, consumers can take their car seat to their local recycling centre, where they will break it down into separate components and recycle each part separately.'

Do all waste-recycling centres accept child car seats?

We checked with Simon Ellin, then CEO of the Recycling Association, who told us: ‘If your local council waste-recycling centre accepts hard or rigid plastics, then it should be possible to drop off your old car seat for recycling. However, you’ll need to ask at your local recycling tip if it offers this service.’

Ellin explained that car seats are usually made from high-density polyethylene (HDPE) or polypropylene, both of which are recyclable, as well as other materials such as fabrics to make up the cover and harness, and metal that forms part of the seat structure, buckle clip and seat base hooks.

Once you’ve dropped off the car seat at the recycling centre, it should be sent to a processing plant that will put the seat through an industrial shredder. The small pieces of seat then go through a sink tank, which will help to separate out the different polymers or components of the seat.

The plastic parts of the seat that can be recycled will float off, while the metal parts will sink. Any fabric and foam sections will also be separated, although these are less likely to be recycled and will probably be incinerated.

Remember, not all councils will be able to offer this, so check with your local centre first.

‘I believe that manufacturers of baby products need to play their part and take responsibility for providing more awareness and information on how parents can recycle their car seat,’ adds Ellin. ‘For example, clear information in the instruction booklet on what the car seat components are made of, and whether they can be recycled, would be a good start.’

We quizzed Terracycle, an organisation that offers a range of recycling programmes for products that are funded by the relevant companies (for example, Tassimo and Lavazza coffee pods), on other recycling options.

It told us that while it has offered free recycling solutions for car seats in other countries (such as in the United States, where it worked with Walmart to create a car seat exchange), there is no similar scheme in the UK. This is because these programmes are reliant on funding and support from brand sponsors to cover the recycling costs.

It does, however, have a paid-for solution: the Baby Equipment Zero Waste Box.

If you're looking to replace your current child car seat with a model suitable for older children, see our guide on high-back vs backless booster seats.

What is the Baby Equipment Zero Waste Box?

Parents purchase a box that they can fill with a range of baby products including car seats, strollers, booster seats, feeding bottles, potties and other baby products. They then send the box using a prepaid return label to Terracycle to be recycled.

Costs are as follows:

• Small box (25 x 25 x 46cm): £135.10
• Medium box (30.5 x 30.5 x 84cm): £185.76
• Large box (38 x 38 x 100cm): £268.15

As you can see it’s not cheap, but if you’re passionate about recycling products and are prepared to pay, it is an option. 

How do I dispose of my car seat?

It's not uncommon to spot abandoned car seats left on the street next to bins in the hope that they'll get picked up by your council waste disposal services. 

The reality however, is that the rubbish collection trucks will simply leave them on the side of the road if they're left out. The seats need to be dropped off at your local tip, if you want to throw them away.

What should I do with a car seat that’s been in a crash?

You should always replace your car seat if it’s been in a crash. Some manufacturers provide a service that assesses whether you can continue using the car seat, but our recommendation would be to always replace it.

Your car insurance policy should cover the cost of getting a new car seat, but check first as not all of them will. Research in 2018 by Defaqto found that one in four policies didn’t cover car seats.

Can I repair my child's car seat?

If you encounter an issue with your car seat, you may be able to get it repaired, but this will depend on a range of factors – including whether it’s still in warranty and if you still have proof of purchase.

Because of the nature of car seats, and their importance in keeping your baby or child safe, we don’t recommend you attempt to fix yours yourself. If the car seat is faulty and is out of warranty, we’d always recommend you replace it.

Read on to find out what some of the key car seat manufacturers state about getting your car seat repaired.

BeSafe

BeSafe offers a two-year warranty, which starts from the date of purchase. This will cover a replacement or repair if there’s a manufacturing fault.

It doesn’t cover faults caused by general wear and tear.

For more information, visit the BeSafe website.

Britax Römer 

Like other manufacturers, Britax offers a two-year warranty, which provides a right to repair unless Britax is of the opinion that a replacement or return of the product is necessary.

To claim under this manufacturer’s warranty, you must provide Britax Römer with a copy of the dated receipt of purchase, a clear description of the complaint and the defective product and/or photographs of the defective part or product.

Types of defects it will repair include:

• all safety components of your Britax Römer car seat
• seams in the cover
• Velcro.

For more information visit the Britax Römer website.

Cybex

Cybex offers a three-year warranty on its car seats. It states on its website that if your car seat is faulty, you need to refer to the retailer you bought it from.

If you need replacement parts for your Cybex seat, you should also contact your retailer. Make sure you hold onto your proof of purchase.

For more information, visit the Cybex website.

Joie

Joie offers a two-year warranty on its products and recommends you register the product and hold onto the receipt in case you have any issues.

If you require any spare parts, it has a dedicated spare parts website where you can buy items for your car seat (and other baby products), such as new seat fabrics or canopy hoods.

For more information, visit the Joie website.

Maxi-Cosi

Maxi-Cosi offers a two-year warranty on all its products, so if you have an issue with your car seat, it may be covered.

According to its website, Maxi-Cosi states that your first point of contact is the authorised dealer or retailer that you bought the seat from. You’ll need to present your proof of purchase to the retailer, but Maxi-Cosi recommends contacting them first to check what your options are. 

If there's a problem and you need to return the seat, Maxi-Cosi will pay for shipment.  

This is different from getting your car seat replaced if it’s been in an accident (Maxi-Cosi also offer an accident exchange service).

For more information, visit the Maxi-Cosi website.

Silver Cross

All car seats from Silver Cross come with an automatic two-year warranty. If you register your product via the app, you'll receive an additional year for free.

The Silver Cross website states that manufacturing faults and material defects are covered when the product is used correctly and according to the manufacturer's instructions.

You’ll need to retain proof of purchase, and only the original purchaser can make a claim.

For more information, visit the Silver Cross website.

For other car-seat brands, it’s worth checking on the manufacturer's website – details of these can be found on the Tech Specs section of our reviews.

Make sure you register your car seat (online or via your retailer) and leave accurate contact details.

If there’s a recall on the seat, the manufacturer will use these details to contact you about any issues, or provide instructions on what to do with the seat.

Read our guide to the best baby and child car seats to help you pick your next car seat.

Should I buy a second-hand car seat?

There’s quite a large second-hand market for child car seats, particularly the most expensive types and brands.

In our 2022 baby survey, 34% of 2,004 parents with a child under the age of five said they had received or bought a second-hand car seat.

However, buying a pre-owned car seat is generally not recommended, because you cannot always be certain of its history. It may have been in a crash and, while outwardly it looks completely fine, there could be hairline cracks or fractures that could weaken the structural integrity of it, meaning it won't protect your child in a crash.

If you’re borrowing or buying a car seat from a family member or close friend, be sure to quiz them closely on the history of the seat and check or ask the following questions:

• Has it been involved in any type of crash or collision?
• How old is the seat? Avoid a seat that’s older than six years.
• Does the seat have a sticker demonstrating it meets either the R44/04 or R129 regulations?
• Was it bought by the previous owner second-hand or new?
• Do the buckles fasten with a noticeable ‘click’?
• Does the harness look worn or frayed?
• Does it have the instruction manual?
• Does the owner still have proof of purchase?
• Does the seat fit your model of car?

Know your car seat life span

Some manufacturers will specify that you should stop using the car seat after a set amount of time. This can range from five to 12 years, depending on the type of seat.

There are two main reasons for doing this.

First, as soon as a car seat is installed in a vehicle it may be exposed to high temperatures and high levels of light intensity just from being in the car all day. As a result, even high-quality and extremely age-resistant plastics can start to degrade.

Plus, there may also be general wear and tear on the harness and buckle, particularly if they’ve been removed for cleaning.

This means an older, well-used seat may not provide the same level of crash protection as a newer seat.

Second, car seat technology and regulations can move on quite a bit in the space of 10 years. The latest car seat regulation – R129 – was only introduced in 2013, which is less than 10 years ago, demonstrating how much things can change in this time.

What is the R129 car seat regulation?