Car Seats

The Chicco Fit360 is a rotating convertible car seat designed for use from birth (4 lb.) to the early school years (65 lb.) It offers parents and caregivers the simplicity of turning the car seat toward them for easy harnessing, and allows for a single installation, whether you’re using the seat rear-facing or forward-facing. The seat also includes plenty of parent-friendly features designed for long-term use, including a no-rethread harness, 15 adjustable headrest positions, and removable cup holders. The seat base features a lock-off, which can streamline both a LATCH and seatbelt installation for a secure fit, but the LATCH connectors are standard hooks rather than push-on, which can be more difficult to use. The Chicco Fit360 offered excellent crash protection in our rigorous crash tests. It comes standard with flame-retardant chemical-free fabrics. 

This seat may be a good choice for: 

• Families looking to switch from an infant car seat
• Families looking for one installation between rear-facing and forward-facing use
• Families who don’t need to move their car seat between multiple cars
• Families looking for a rotating seat to simplify harnessing

A seat that includes features that help achieve a secure installation either rear- or forward-facing and using either the LATCH system or the vehicle belts. Nuna’s True Tension doors help secure the seat without having to use a lot of muscle, particularly with seat belt installations. The Rava’s price may be a deterrent for some, but at least it has performance that may warrant the price.

A seat that performs well all-around. The City Turn’s rotation feature is limited to rear-facing mode only, and doesn’t simplify vehicle installation to one installation. The seat needs to be reinstalled when changing orientation. This seat allows for extended rear-facing to 50 lbs. 
 

Joie Chili Spin SI is a rotating convertible car seat designed for use from birth (4 lb.) to the early school years (65 lb.). The rotation feature makes child buckling and unbuckling easy, but it has a major limitation: Even though it spins 360 degrees, you’ll still need to reinstall the seat when it’s time to switch from rear-facing to forward-facing. Overall, the seat is easy to use, though it’s somewhat heavy and bulky and uses a lot of additional padding, some of which is required for use until the child weighs 40 lb. The Joie Chili Spin features a no-rethread harness, two cupholders, push-on LATCH connectors, and a seatbelt tensioner and lock-off. CR’s child safety experts found that in rear-facing position, the seat may be too upright in some vehicles for an infant, even though the recline indicator says the position is in range. The Chili Spin SI scored very well in our rigorous crash tests, offering a high level of crash protection.

This seat may be a good choice for: 

• Families looking to upgrade from an infant car seat
• Families looking for a rotating seat to simplify harnessing
• Families who don’t need to move their car seat between multiple cars

For such an expensive seat, the Nuna Revv has limited use. With its 40-lb harness capacity limit, most children will need another forward-facing harnessed seat before they can switch to a booster per best practice recommendations. LATCH installation is only available up to 30 lbs in both configurations. The Revv’s saving grace is its ability to get a secure installation in most vehicle types with either the lower anchors or seat belt in rear-facing and forward-facing configurations. Also, the seat’s swivel feature works well. Note that the top tether must be attached at all times, even when the Revv is installed rear-facing.

The Britax Grow with You ClickTight is a top-rated seat with excellent overall performance combining ease of use, booster fit, and fit-to-vehicle. The ClickTight technology is easy to use to help provide secure installations. It is a heavy and bulky seat, however, that may not be best if you’re moving it between vehicles often.

The Evenflo Maestro Sport is a top performing seat at a value price. It has a lower, 50-lb. harnessed weight capacity, meaning the transition from harness to booster is required sooner than most other combination seats. LATCH use is allowed for the full harness weight range and installation with LATCH is excellent.

The Chicco OneFit LX is an all-in-one car seat for children 5 to 100 pounds that transitions from harnessed mode to booster mode as your child grows. In CR’s tests, the Chicco OneFit LX provides excellent crash protection and secure installation in both rear-facing and forward-facing positions and with either LATCH or seat belt installations. Adjusting the harness is simple, but adjusting the crotch strap means you’ll need to first remove the seat pads, cup holders, and buckle cover, which is not as ideal. 

CR’s testers note that the seat is bulky and fairly heavy at 26 pounds. The seat’s weight has some drawbacks beyond making it harder to move the seat between cars, too: because the seat is on the heavier side, your child will only be able to use the seat inLATCH install mode up to 35 pounds in the rear-facing position, since the LATCH system has a weight limit that includes the weight of the car seat and the child rider. 

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 
   

The Chicco OneFit Max is an all-in-one car seat for children 5 to 100 lb. that transitions from harnessed mode to booster mode as your child grows. In CR’s tests, the Chicco OneFit Max provides excellent crash protection and easy, secure installation in both rear-facing and forward-facing positions with either LATCH or seat belt installations. However, the manufacturer recommends using the seatbelt and tether strap for installation when forward-facing, rather than the LATCH system. CR child passenger safety experts recommend rear-facing until a minimum of age 2, although the OneFit Max allows forward-facing at age 1 year.

The OneFit Max’s longer seat shell provides slightly more legroom for your child when rear-facing than the OneFit LX, though the rear-facing limit is still 40 lb., the same as the LX model. Given the longer seat shell on the Max, we found that it takes up more room in the back seat, and the booster mode may be a better fit for older children whose legs may bend over the front edge more naturally than younger kids with short legs. (Not being able to bend their knees over the edge of the seat commonly results in kids slouching in boosters and a poor lap belt fit.) 

CR’s testers note that the seat is bulky and fairly heavy at 27 pounds, making it harder to move the seat between cars. The OneFit Max may also not be a great fit for cars with smaller backseats or short seat cushions, as the seat base overhang may exceed the car seat’s max allowance of three inches. 

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 
• Those who want a roomier rear-facing experience for their child
   

The Graco TrioGrow SnugLock all-in-one car seat accommodates children weighing 5 to 100 lbs., and transitions from rear-facing harnessed mode all the way to front-facing highback booster mode as your child grows. This all-in-one car seat also performs very well in CR’s  ease-of-use and vehicle installation tests. But it’s worth noting that the external side-impact features may limit its compatibility in certain vehicle seats, depending on whether there are deep vehicle seatback bolsters. They may also impact the comfort of adjacent passengers if seated next to the car seat.

It’s also important to note that, the Graco TrioGrow SnugLock’s performance in CR’s independent crash testing limits its overall score in our ratings. Based on CR’s crash test results and the seat’s rear-facing lower anchor weight limit, CR recommends installing the TrioGrow with the lower LATCH anchors (as opposed to a seat belt installation) when in the rear-facing position. Our recommendation is not to use the seat belt for installation until you’re ready to turn the car seat around to the forward-facing position at 40 lbs. 

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)
• Anyone who needs a simple and straightforward installation process, thanks to the easy-to-use SnugLock tensioner
• Families who need a seat that’s easy to move between multiple cars
• Cars with a small back seat
   

The Graco Turn2Me is a rotating all-in-one car seat for children 4 to 100 lb. that transitions from a harnessed car seat to a high-back booster as your child grows. In CR’s tests, the Graco Turn2Me provides good crash protection, and we found it easy to use, with a revolving feature you can operate with one hand. It’s worth noting, though, that the Turn2Me’s rotation feature is limited to rear-facing mode only, and the seat will need to be reinstalled when changing orientation from rear-facing to forward-facing. Additionally, when in rear-facing mode, the recline may be too upright for small babies. 

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 process, thanks to the push-on LATCH connectors and seat belt lockoff
• Caregivers with limited mobility who may appreciate a rotating car seat

The Joie Saffron SI all-in-one car seat is well-labeled and easy to use, and offers excellent crash protection in CR’s tests. It can accommodate children from 4 to 120 lbs. and transitions from rear-facing harnessed car seat all the way to forward-facing backless booster seat as your child grows. But CR’s testers found that there are many additional layers of pads for parents to keep track of (and to trap crumbs and snacks in), and many of the removable pads are required for different stages of the seat’s use. The Joie Saffron’s side-impact feature design may also limit which seating positions it can be installed in, if your car has vehicle seatback bolsters that are on the larger side (in fact, our testers think that back seat passengers seated next to the Joie Saffron are likely to bump into the side-impact features on this car seat). On the plus side, this seat is lighter than many other all-in-one car seats, which makes it easy to move between vehicles as needed, and it features push-on LATCH connectors and a seat belt tensioner to help make a secure installation easier.

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)
• Anyone who needs a simple and straightforward installation process, thanks to clear labeling on the seat itself
• Cars with a small back seat
• Parents of preemies over 4 lbs
   

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 

The Graco Extend2Fit all-in-one car seat is designed for all stages of use, converting from a rear-facing harnessed infant seat to a forward-facing harnessed seat and highback booster, and accommodating children from 4 lbs. to 100 lbs. This all-in-one car seat provides excellent crash protection in CR’s tests. One notable feature on the Graco Extend2Fit is its leg extension panel, which slides out from under the seat to provide additional legroom in rear-facing mode. Combined with this car seat’s higher weight limit, this feature may encourage riding in rear-facing mode for longer, which is the safest way for young children to ride. Harness storage pockets on the side panels of the Extend2Fit can make it easier to get your child into the seat without having to move straps out of the way. When forward-facing, the Graco Extend2Fit is easy to secure with either the vehicle seat belt or the lower anchors. However, when rear-facing, you may need to use a rolled towel wedged underneath the car seat to achieve the proper recline for a newborn to 3-month-old on some vehicle seats. 

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)
• Anyone who needs a simple and straightforward installation process, thanks to the push-on LATCH connectors 
• Families who need a seat that’s easy to move between cars
• Cars with a small back seat