Cosco Apt 50

While this seat doesn't include the latest-and-greatest features, it is a reasonably priced seat that is straightforward to use forward-facing. Rear-facing installation can be a challenge especially when installing with a seat belt.

Consumer Reports’ car seat crash test, developed in 2014, provides comparative performance information on which car seats could provide an additional margin of safety.  All child seats sold in the United States are required to meet government safety standards, and Consumer Reports’ tests are not designed to test compliance with those standards.  Rather, we evaluate the seats’ performance under conditions designed by our experts to simulate certain crash scenarios, and rate them on a scale ranging from “basic” to “best.”  The test conditions have been carefully designed to simulate the interior environment and forces encountered during a crash in contemporary vehicles. For more information on our crash test protocol, please click here.

The Cosco Apt 50 is part of the Car Seats test program at Consumer Reports. In our lab tests, Convertible Car Seat models like the Apt 50 are rated on multiple criteria, such as those listed below.

Ease of use: Our judgment of how easy each seat is to use including the clarity of labels and instructions, adjustments of clips and buckles, the transition of the seat from rear facing to forward facing and installation features such as LATCH connections and top tethers.

Rear LATCH: Rear-facing installation using the LATCH system. A rating of how compatible, easy and secure a child car seat can be correctly installed in certain test vehicles. This rating is based on a rear-facing installation using the LATCH system.

Rear belt: Rear-facing installation using vehicle seat belts. A rating of how compatible, easy and secure a child car seat can be correctly installed in certain test vehicles. This rating is based on a rear-facing installation using the vehicle belts.