Graco 4Ever DLX

The Graco 4Ever DLX is an all-in-one car seat for children 4 to 120 lb. that transitions from harnessed mode to booster mode as your child grows. In CR’s tests, the Graco 4Ever DLX provides excellent crash protection, and we found it easy to use. While they’re not dealbreakers, this seat does have some finicky design features: Certain pads and accessories are optional, or only designed for use up to a certain weight limit, while others, like the cupholders, are required for use, so it’s important to closely follow the manual when installing this seat. In our fit-to-vehicle tests, we found it somewhat difficult to open the seat belt lockoff while a seat belt was routed, and it took some effort to effectively tighten the LATCH straps: there’s no tensioning arm provided. When switching to booster use, the harness and components are stored neatly in a compartment on the seat, eliminating the need to disassemble the seat.

This seat may be a good choice for: 

• Families who want to purchase an all-in-one car seat (as opposed to using an infant seat for the first year and then switching to a convertible seat) 
• Families who don’t need to move their car seat between multiple cars
• Anyone who needs a simple and straightforward installation, thanks to the push-on LATCH connectors and seat belt lockoff 

Ease of use: Overall, the Graco 4Ever DLX was easy to use and has some convenient features, including push-on LATCH connectors, a seat belt lockoff, an easily removable cover to facilitate cleaning, a no-rethread harness, and harness storage for booster use. The seat also offers a lot of flexibility, transitioning from a harnessed seat to a high-back or backless booster. 

Fit-to-vehicle LATCH: This Graco 4Ever DLX scored moderately well in our tests for fit-to-vehicle using LATCH, but it took several attempts and some effort to secure the installation effectively in various vehicles in our test fleet. We also noticed that the side-impact protection pods on the outside of the car seat bump up against some vehicles’ seatback bolsters, which can prevent a flush installation with the vehicle seat in some vehicles. 

Fit-to-vehicle Belt: This Graco 4Ever DLX  scored moderately well in our tests for fit-to-vehicle using seat belt installation, but it took several attempts to get a secure fit and the seat belt lockoff mechanism was very difficult to open once a seat belt was inside. In forward-facing mode in some vehicles, you may need to remove the vehicle’s head restraint to get a good installation when using some of the taller harness positions. 

Booster fit:  The 4Ever DLX does a very good job at positioning both the lap and shoulder belt correctly for booster-aged children. It may be wobbly in some center seats and may need to be moved sideways to access the belts in others. If your car’s back seat has significant side bolsters, this car seat may have compatibility issues, as the car seat’s own fixed side-impact bolsters may interfere. 

Crash protection: In CR’s crash test protocol, the Graco 4Ever DLX seat performed very well and did not exhibit significant structural integrity issues.

Additional Information

Good to know: All child car seats sold in the United States are required to meet government safety standards. 

About our testing: Consumer Reports’ child car seat tests are not designed to test compliance with federal standards. Rather, we evaluate car seat performance under conditions designed by our experts that go beyond the required federal safety standards. 

Consumer Reports’ independent car seat crash test program has been carefully designed to simulate the forces encountered during a crash, while replicating some of the real-world factors that might impact a car seat’s performance. Our testing aims to determine which car seats could provide an extra level of safety when compared to other models in the same category. 

Basic, Better, or Best: CR rates the child car seats we crash test on a scale of Basic, Better, and Best, based on the additional margin of safety they may provide. Read about how we test car seats to learn more about our crash test protocol.

The Graco 4Ever DLX is part of the Car Seats test program at Consumer Reports. In our lab tests, Harnessed Car Seat models like the 4Ever DLX 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 between modes and installation features such as LATCH connections, belt paths, top tethers and booster guides.

Forward facing fit-to-vehicle: A rating of how compatible, easy and secure a child car seat can be correctly installed in the forward-facing direction. This rating is a combination of the LATCH system and belt ratings that are available individually on the model page.

Rear facing fit-to-vehicle: A rating of how compatible, easy and secure a child car seat can be correctly installed in the rear-facing direction. This rating is a combination of LATCH system and belt ratings that are available individually on the model page.