Car Seats

Best Car Seats

Overall Score

Kiddy Evolution Pro

Currently the only infant seat offered by Kiddy in the U.S. The Kiddy Evolution Pro was discontinued as of March 2016; some samples may still be available at retail.

CR Expert Take

How did it perform in our expert lab testing?

Overall Score

The Overall Score for this model is derived from our expert lab test results.

Current Range of Tested Infant Car Seats

What goes into the Overall Score?

EXPERT LAB TESTS

Ease of use

4 / 5

Fit-to-vehicle LATCH

3 / 5

Fit-to-vehicle belt

3 / 5

Fit-to-vehicle carrier-only

N / A

Maximum weight (lbs.)

Crash protection

Basic

Pros

Harness adjustment does not require rethreading harness
Push-on LATCH connectors

Cons

Crash protection
Could not obtain sufficient recline for a child less than 9 months old in many installations
Difficult to release LATCH belt
Difficult to release vehicle seat belts.

CR's Take

In Consumer Reports new crash tests, three tested samples of the Kiddy Evolution Pro car seat had their "lie flat" feature release and extend to its lie-flat position, when tested with both a 22lb and a weighted 30lb dummy. That change in position caused the harness to loosen. This could provide a lesser margin of safety when compared to other models subjected to the same test protocol. Though the child-sized dummy remained within the carrier and harness, the loose harness could jeopardize the seat’s ability to effectively retain and protect a child in any subsequent impacts occurring during a crash event.

As required of all car seats sold in the U.S., the Kiddy Evolution Pro must comply with all applicable Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards, and the manufacturers self-certify to such compliance. The federal standard is designed to ensure an essential level of crash protection. CR’s evaluation of infant car seats is based on how each seat’s performance compares with that of similar models in our 35 mph frontal crash tests. Given the results for the Kiddy Evolution Pro, we believe there are better choices that could provide a greater margin of safety in certain crash conditions similar to those simulated in our tests.

Detailed Test Results

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.

About

The Kiddy Evolution Pro is part of the Car Seats test program at Consumer Reports. In our lab tests, Infant Car Seats models like the Evolution Pro are rated on multiple criteria, such as those listed below.

Maximum weight: The maximum weight of a child that a model will accommodate.

Ease of use: Includes the clarity of instructions, installing the seat, adjusting harness positions, placing a child in the seat, securing the harness, and removing the child.

Fit-to-vehicle LATCH: A rating of how easy it is to securely and correctly install each seat using the LATCH system in a variety of vehicles and how well the seats fit each vehicle once installed.

Features & Specs

Features

Load leg

LATCH connections

Push-on

Harness height adjustment

External

Harness tension adjustment

Single Pull Front

Base recline level indicator type

Ball with dual age ranges

Base recline level indicator position

Under Carrier

Carrier recline level indicator type

Line

Carrier recline level indicator position

Both Sides

Adjustable base

Yes

Belt lockoff

Adjustable crotch strap

Handle restriction

Yes

Carrier use without base

Yes

Spanish language instructions

None

Specs

Weight range (lbs.)

4-35

Height range (in.)

37" or less

Carrier weight (lbs.)

Seat/base weight (lbs.)

Base width (in.)

Carrier width (in.)

Overall length (in.)

Good small car fit

Price & Shop

Kiddy Evolution Pro

Price

Description

CR Expert Take

Overall Score

What goes into the Overall Score?

EXPERT LAB TESTS

CR's Take

Detailed Test Results

About

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