Safe and reliable child car seats are available across all price ranges and sizes, but with a growing number of manufacturers and models on the market, parents should seek proper advice before making a purchase. Germany's leading automobile association ADAC and the consumer testing organisation Stiftung Warentest examined 26 new seats, spanning baby carriers through to booster seats for older children, with prices ranging from €70 to over €500. The results were published on Tuesday.
The seats were assessed across five categories: safety, ease of use, ergonomics, harmful substances, and environmental pollutants. The overall verdict was largely positive: six seats received a rating of "good," while 16 were rated "satisfactory", all of which are considered recommendable.
Three seats were rated "adequate," and one baby carrier was given a "poor" rating, meaning it failed the test. On a positive note, ADAC highlighted that none of the 26 seats tested failed due to excessive levels of environmental pollutants.
The highest-rated seat, scoring 1.9, was the Foppapedretti baby carrier with an Isofix base, suitable for children up to around one and a half years old or a body height of 87 centimetres. However, ADAC noted that at €368, this seat comes at a steep price.
Several other seats also received good ratings: a baby carrier from Silver Cross, a seat for babies and toddlers from Cybex, the Kinderkraft Junior, designed for children up to 150 centimetres tall or twelve years of age and notably affordable at just €75, as well as a toddler and child seat from Cybex.
The Kinderkraft Mink Pro 2 baby carrier failed the test outright. During a simulated frontal crash, the carrier detached from its Isofix station, a critical safety failure. Testers had already issued a warning about this seat back in April, and parents who purchased it are entitled to return it.
The testers also warned against relying on a single convertible car seat from birth through adolescence. While that might sound “tempting,” explained test director Sarah Vasconi of Stiftung Warentest, “But not a single one of these combination seats scored higher than ‘satisfactory’ in the test.”
This is because the more growth stages a seat covers, the more complex it is to operate, thereby increasing the risk of incorrect use. The best combination is an infant car seat followed by a well-rated child car seat suitable for toddlers.
The reason: the more growth stages a seat covers, the more complex its operation becomes, and with that complexity comes an increased risk of incorrect installation. The best approach, according to the testers, is to start with an infant car seat followed by a well-rated child car seat suitable for toddlers.
ADAC and Stiftung Warentest also reminded parents that children require a car seat up to the age of twelve who are smaller than 150 centimetres. Additionally, parents must ensure that children under 15 months are only secured in a rear-facing position.
ADAC also advised against making blind purchases online, without consulting a consumer protection organization, noting that many products available on the internet only meet the minimum legal requirements, which are "significantly lower than the standards applied in a consumer protection test." Instead, parents should research models thoroughly beforehand, try out the seat at a specialist retailer, and have it professionally installed.
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