Nuna Rava Next

The Nuna Rava Next is a convertible car seat designed for use from birth (5 lb.) to the early school years (65 lb.). As the updated version of the Nuna Rava, the Nuna Rava Next contains new side-impact protection pods and pads, though some of this padding can feel excessive and hinders the seat’s ease of use, according to our testers. Many of the pads must be removed before installing the seat, and then put back in place, as most pads are required for use, including when forward-facing. This seat allows for extended rear-facing use up to 50 lb., making it a good choice for families looking to keep their child rear-facing for longer, which CR experts say is the safest way for children to ride. Nuna’s True Tension doors help secure the seat and increase tension without having to use a lot of muscle, particularly with seat belt installations, which is the manufacturer’s preferred installation method. There’s no recline level indicator, just a recline position indicator, which can make it difficult to determine if your child is at the appropriate recline angle for their age. Per the manual, you’ll need to adjust the recline position “if your child’s head falls forward,” which could lead to a wide margin of error when determining the right recline. 

This seat may be a good choice for: 

• Families looking to switch from an infant car seat
• Families who don’t need to move their car seat between multiple cars
• Families looking to extend rear-facing use
• Families with a smaller vehicle

Ease of use: The Nuna Rava Next scored fairly well in our ease of use tests, but our testers found that two factors could complicate its installation: the lack of a rear-facing recline indicator, and the fact that multiple pads and inserts first need to be removed to access the belt paths to install this seat. The tensioning mechanism helps with getting a secure fit. The manufacturer prefers a seat belt installation method.

Fit-to-vehicle LATCH: Our testers were able to get a secure installation with the Nuna Rava Next using the LATCH system across both forward- and rear-facing positions, though it takes some effort to tighten the LATCH straps, even with the True Tension lockoff. The tether is required for forward-facing installations. Rear-facing LATCH use is limited to children weighing under 35 lb.

Fit-to-vehicle Belt: Our testers were able to get a secure installation with the Nuna Rava Next using the seat belt across both forward- and rear-facing positions. Nuna’s True Tension lockoff helps increase seat belt tension, and is very easy to use, but accessing the belt path is tricky, as you’ll need to open the cupholders, remove multiple layers of covers and padding to route the seat belt—and then replace them.

Crash protection: In CR’s crash test protocol, the Nuna Rava Next performed very well and did not exhibit significant structural integrity issues.

The Nuna Rava Next is part of the Car Seats test program at Consumer Reports. In our lab tests, Harnessed Car Seat models like the Rava Next 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.