The Best Newborn Car Seats in the UK
Car seat safety is a top concern for every parent. There's a wealth of options when it comes to locating the ideal car seat for newborns for your little one.
The Cybex Cloud T offers enhanced side impact protection, as well as a baby-hugging insert. It's the best new car seat UK. It comes with a single-handed recline and 12 headrest positions that adjust to your child's growing body.
1. Cybex Cloud T
The Cybex Cloud T car seat is the premium option for bringing your baby to the road from the time they're born until toddlers. It is the latest addition to the iconic Cybex Cloud range and features innovative reclining technology that lets your child a lie-flat ergonomic position in the car or when used with strollers as part of an entire travel system. It is also an ISOFIX vehicle seat, so it can easily be attached to your car using the base provided. It can also be rotated to help get your baby in and out of the seat.
The car seat itself is constructed of top-quality materials. It comes in a range of stylish colours such as Moon Black, Lava Grey, Beach Blue Plus and Seashell Beige Plus. It is a stylish and sophisticated option that matches perfectly with the Cybex T range of prams. It also comes with the Newborn Inlay, which is specifically designed for premature and newborn infants. This helps to maintain the baby's head in a flat position, decreasing the chance that their heads will shift forward while sleeping, causing breathing issues. This can be removed when your child is at a height of 60 cm.
The car seat is an excellent option for safety as it scored an impressive 1.7 in crash tests conducted by 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 which stretches as your child grows, ensuring they always have a secure fit.
The innovative 180deg rotation system makes it simple to get your baby in and out of the car seat when you use it as part a travel system, with a Cybex stroller. No more awkward twisting or reaching. The car seat can be positioned in a fully reclined posture to provide extra comfort on long car journeys. The price is slightly higher than other car seats in this age but the features it provides, such as the recline feature and superior safety features make it worth the investment.
2. Maxi-Cosi Pebble Plus
The Maxi-Cosi Pebble Plus is one of the most popular infant car seats around. It's easy to use and comfortable for infants. 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 can be used with all pushchairs, including the Maxi Cosi range, Quinny, iCandy, and Bugaboo, using adapters. The Baby-Hugg infant seat is included for 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 can be used with infants from birth until 12 months old (45cm - 75cm). It meets the new i-Size regulations which require children to remain in the rear for a longer period of time. It is compatible with the 2way family base that allows you to switch between forward-facing and rear-facing within the same vehicle. It also has an excellent rotating feature.
Like the previous version, it's a comfortable seat and the latest edition includes some improvements. It has a new, improved baby-hugging inlay that looks and feels great. The shoulder straps have been padded and the headrest is adjustable to fit your baby's growth. You can remove it at any time if you don't want to use it any more.
It's heavier than other newborn carseats at 4.5kg but shouldn't be a problem when your baby is using it for the majority of the time. It comes with a handle to make it easier to carry, and is light enough to be lifted into and out of taxis or rideshare vehicles.
It's also a good-looking seat, and you can choose from a variety of colors and patterns to fit your car. It's not the cheapest infant car seat, but it is still a great investment that is worth the cost for your child. It can be difficult to adjust the harness length and height however once you get the hang of it, it's a breeze. You simply pull down on the back panel and press together two buttons to adjust the height or down the straps without needing to rethread them.
3. Joie Calmi
If you're looking for a newborn car seat that is user-friendly and can be used by your baby like a cot then look no further than Joie Calmi. This carrycot that doubles as a car seat is R129-certified meaning that it's built tough with a sturdy ventilated shell and a plush cushioning to cradle your infant. It has three-point harnesses that are easily accessible via a single pull tightening mechanism and softly cushioned covers. It also features lateral positioning, which helps keep your baby's face in the safest possible position in the event of an impact.
The seat's base is compatible with Joie Aeria and Finiti strollers, which means you can easily pop it on and off the frame. It's easy to move even when your baby is asleep, because of the adjustable handle bars. If you're planning to create an all-in-one travel system, the iBase Encore adapters permit you to pair Calmi with Maxi-Cosi or Britax pushchair as well.
Joie has improved on the design of its previous i-Spin 360, which earned an excellent score in the crash tests of Which? and a Good rating from ADAC. The model we tested comes with an electronic lock that prevents the seat from turning too fast, ensuring that your child is rear-facing as long as possible. It also comes with a large sun canopy that's water resistant and provides 50+ UV protection, and has a mesh peekaboo window to allow you to check in without disturbing your child.
If you're looking to purchase a car seat online, ensure you select a retailer which offers free UK mainland delivery on all purchases and returns within 35 days. John Lewis has a great selection of baby car seats with top brands like Cybex, Maxi-Cosi and Silver Cross and offers free click and pick up to your local store (or to the nearest Sainsbury's branch if you're nearby). For all purchases, you can also earn Nectar points. Argos is another option for a broad selection of car seats, with prices starting at PS55. They'll even deliver your order for free and offer same-day collection in-store and free returns at any Argos store or Sainsbury's branch.
4. Silver Cross Motion All Size 360
Silver Cross Motion is a new vehicle seat that is all-in-one from the reputable British brand that is known for its top pushchairs and prams. Jasper who was our test subject, was a fan of it. He said it was "the most stylish of the bunch, and my baby seemed to find it most comfortable on long drives."
This fully-rotating R129-compliant car seat can take your newborn all the way up to 12 years old and was awarded the top baby toddler, child and car seat award at the ADAC's 2022 autumn test. It has also been tested above the rules to ensure that your child is protected during every trip.
It comes with a removable, cosy cushioned insert for infants made of soft bamboo fabrics. These fabrics 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 be adjusted to fit your child's.
The 'green' light that indicates when the car seat is properly fitted and is ready for use is a unique feature. This makes it an ideal choice for new parents, who may not be familiar with the correct installation and fitting of car seats. It also has a handy harness that can be used in either the rear or forward facing position.
best infant carrier car seat 's also an ongoing fixture, meaning you won't have to wake your baby up to get them out of the car for longer journeys. But, it's not travel system-compatible, like the Joie iSpin 360 iSize or Britax Romer Dualfix Plus i-Size (you must purchase an additional travel bag for this).
The drawback to permanently fixed car seats like the Axkid One i-size is that they aren't as easy to carry around when you need to transport them between different cars. If you do choose to purchase a separate travel bag for your car seat, be sure it's a durable one that can keep up with the wear and tear of frequent use. It's worth paying a little extra for a bag which will last longer than your child's car seat does.