Safest Consumer Reports Car Seats – Our Top 4 for 2021
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Of course, you want to keep your child as safe as can be, and this includes trips in the car. Yes, there are lots of car seats out there, but not all are made with the same quality materials and not all are held to the same standards.
We understand car seat safety ratings here at Kid Sitting Safe and always consider the ratings provided by Consumer Reports in our child car seat reviews.
So for this review we are looking exclusively at the safest car seats rated as "Best" by Consumer Reports for crash protection, ease of use and fit to vehicle. We've picked out our choice of the safest car seats meeting this Consumer Reports standard across the following types of seat:
Safest Consumer Reports Car Seat: Reviews
Chicco KeyFit 30 Infant Car Seat
This is one of the best and highest rated car seats to go with for safety. According to Consumer Reports, it is indeed one of the very safest car seats for infants and babies out there at this time.
Weight and Size
The Chicco KeyFit 30 Infant Car Seat comes in at roughly 17 pounds and is 27.5 x 17 x 24 inches. It’s a moderately sized car seat that will work fine for most infants.
Features and Benefits
The Chicco KeyFit 30 Infant Car Seat has plenty of good features. For one, it comes with the classic 5 point harness design to keep your kid safe and secure within the car seat. If the baby is a newborn, you can take advantage of the head and body supports which come included. Keep in mind that this car seat is made for kids between 4 and 30 pounds in weight.
This car seat feature a 2 position carry handle with a soft touch grip for comfort. It’s also compatible with Chicco strollers for easy travel. Furthermore, it comes with a super cinch latch, ride right bubble levels, and is easy to install thanks to the recline leveling foot. There is a reason why this is the number one rated car seat in the USA.
Considerations
The lining is not that durable. Also, the top tends to slide down when it should stay in place.
Chicco NextFit iX Zip
This is quite an advanced and fancy car seat to go with, as it is made for small and large babies, infants, and toddlers, it is very durable, and yes, very safe too. According to Consumer Reports, this is one of the safest car seats to have if you and your baby are involved in a car accident, thanks to its LATCH system.
Weight and Size
The Chicco NextFit iX Zip comes in at 21 x 19 x 29.5 inches and weighs 25 pounds in total. Yes, it is quite big and heavy.
Features and Benefits
The Chicco NextFit iX Zip does have lots of features worth mentioning, almost too many. It comes with a recline sure 9 position levelling system for an accurate fit and position in the vehicle. It also has a dual Ride Right bubble level to verify the seat angle.
Furthermore, it comes with premium connectors and a SuperCinch fastener for easy and secure installation. The LockSure belt system also helps ensure a tight and secure fit.
The Chicco NextFit iX Zip also has a 9 position easy to adjust headrest and a no-rethread harness. In addition it has a removable insert for babies under 11 pounds.
Safe weight limits for this car seat are rear facing up to 40 pounds and in a forward facing configuration up to 65 pounds. It is also compatible with strollers from the brand name, has a reclining canopy, and a sturdy handle too.
Interested to learn more? Check out our detailed Chicco NextFit Reviews.
Considerations
The Chicco NextFit iX Zip is quite heavy and hard to carry due to this.
Evenflo Big Kid AMP Booster Car Seat
According to consumer safety reports, when it comes to booster seats for children, this is one of the safest possible options to go with, not to mention that it has some other good features too. It is rated a Best Bet Booster by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
Size and Weight
The Evenflo Big Kid AMP Booster Car Seat comes in at 8.2 pounds and its dimensions are 16.5 x 19 x 33 inches. So, it is not particularly large or heavy, which is a bonus no doubt.
Features and Advantages
The Evenflo Big Kid AMP Booster Car Seat is a high back booster seat, but easily converts into a no-back booster seat for convenience. The high back version is meant for kids between 30 and 110 pounds, and the no-back configuration for children between 40 and 110 pounds. It’s a convenient option because it comes with a one hand height adjustment feature.
It comes with belt guides so you can easily install it in your car, plus it helps to create the right angle for the car seat belt to keep your child safe. It has an energy absorbing foam liner for comfort and shock absorption, plus the pad is machine washable. There are also 2 drink holders built into it. This is one of the best booster seats we've come across that we didn't feature in our Booster Seat Reviews.
Considerations
The pad is not that durable, especially when it goes in the washer.
Graco Milestone All-in-1 Convertible Car Seat
The Graco Milestone All-in-1 Convertible Car Seat is tested to adhere to several different child safety standards, as well as car safety standards. Graco is always high on the list for safety in consumer reports and the manufacturer features highly in our Best All-In-One Car Seat Reviews.
Size and Weight
The Graco Milestone All-in-1 Convertible Car Seat comes in at 20 pounds and its dimensions are 21 x 17.5 x 21 inches.
Features and Benefits
This is a good car seat to go with because it can be used as a rear facing car seat for kids between 5 and 40 pounds, as a forward facing car seat for kids between 20 and 60 pounds, and as a booster seat for kids between 30 and 100 pounds.
It is easy to modify, so there is no issue there. It has a 4 position recline for safety, so it is easy to position right. It also comes with the classic 5 point harness to secure your child in place. It is very easy to install thanks to the one click latch system, plus it also has removable head and body supports for newborns.
Considerations
Most people agree that it is a good car seat but is not the easiest to work with in the rear facing position.
Conclusion
When it comes down to it, these 4 car seats have the best Consumer Reports ratings for safety, plus they are also easy to use. If you want to keep your child safe in the car, we would recommend going with any of the above options.
