The Best Car Seats of 2024: Revolutionizing Safety and Convenience

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There are popular car seats out there, but it's hard to know which are the best car seats. It's tempting to rely on word-of-mouth advice when deciding on the right products for your precious baby, but after looking into the specs of different car seat models, you might form your own opinion.

When choosing the best car seat for your family, first consider safety. Then, when you've narrowed it down to the safest options in each category, you can then have fun with other details, like the ease of use, style, price, and the ability to clean and keep the car seat fresh — especially if you're opting for anything other than an infant car seat because you'll be getting years of use out of it.

The Best Car Seats of 2024

• Best Overall: Britax One4Life

• Best Infant Seat: Cybex Cloud G Lux Extend

• Best Convertible Car Seat: Peg Perego Primo Viaggio Kinetic

• Best Rotating Car Seat: Evenflo Revolve 360 Extend

• Best Toddler Seat: Clek Foonf

• Best Booster Seat: Nuna AACE

Proper Installation

The safest car seats are the ones that are installed properly. However, a 2016 National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) report from 2016 found that more than half of all car seats are installed incorrectly. Making things even trickier for parents, laws vary from state to state regarding the proper car seat position for your baby, based on your baby's growth stage. You'll need to brush up on the laws for your state and study up if you're planning a road trip. You'll also want to register that car seat so that in the event of any recalls, you'll know immediately.

Top Signs Your Car Seat Is Installed Incorrectly

1. The car seat harness is too loose. Sure, you don't want your little one to be uncomfortable during a long ride, but it's crucial to make sure the harness is in the correct position and not too loose. If you can place more than two fingers between your little one and the harness, it needs to be tightened.

2. Your baby is forward-facing. Until your baby is age 2 (or meets the top weight indicated by the instructions included with the car seat), your little one should ride rear-facing.

3. The car seat base isn't secure. Make sure when you initially install the car seat that you push down with all your weight to ensure the base is secure and snug in your backseat. The fix? Loosen up the seatbelt to reset the base into the backseat and tighten the seatbelt again.

4. The seatbelt looks funky. It's true — correct seatbelt routing is less intuitive than you'd want it to be, but the main thing is to make sure the shoulder belt is secure around the base of the seat, and the lap belt is the one positioned closer toward your baby. Pay careful attention to the instructions for your car seat, and keep an eye out for stickers on the seat itself that indicate exactly where the seatbelt should be positioned. The chest strap closures should be nipple level, and the crotch strap should be secure to the body. There should be no more than two fingers of space between the strap and your baby. And remember, your baby should not wear a winter coat under the straps—a thin jacket under and blankets atop.

5. The leveling indicators are off: Most car seats now come with some type of leveling or installation indicator. Whether it's a bubble level or a guide on the side of the seat, it's important to make a note of where it should be and where your car seat is.

6. You didn't install through the NHTSA's guidelines: The National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration has an in-depth checklist for installing a car seat — and it is absolutely critical to follow it.

The team at Best Products tested all the car seats on this list, putting our children in these seats. We got down and dirty with them -- literally, we smothered them in pudding and potato chip crumbs to test their cleanability. We reviewed safety data from the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration (NHTSA) and Consumer Reports to determine the performance of these seats in collision conditions. We also read hundreds of reviews and spoke to real parents who use and love these car seats to decide which seats made our list.

Car Seat Types

There are a few different types of car seats to choose from infant, convertible, rotating, toddler, and booster. Depending on your needs, you'll be purchasing a car seat within one of these categories.

• Infant

This is the category in the car seat world where you'll find the model designed to take newborn babies home from the hospital. Infant car seats are rear-facing and designed to keep newborns safe. While some parents choose to start with the convertible car seat and use it in infant mode, other parents choose to have an infant car seat first and then switch to the convertible option when the baby grows out of it.

The cool thing about an infant car seat is that you can easily take it right out of the car with your sleeping newborn resting inside. There are plenty of stroller and car seat combos (aka travel systems) that make this transition seamless. One more thing: By the time your baby hits 12 months, the safest thing to do is transition to a convertible car seat.

• Convertible

Convertibles can typically be used from birth until 2 or 3 years of age. Some can be used up to age 10. It just depends on the make and model. They're designed to be extended rear-facing but can face forward when your child grows out of the rear-facing stage. Usually, the rear-facing capabilities can be used until a child is around 35-40 pounds.

• Toddler

When your baby becomes a toddler, it's time for a forward-facing seat. 3-in-1 car seats are popular in the toddler category, though the models differ. The idea is that the car seat is safe for babies and tots, but it can then transform into a booster. (Sounds pretty "convertible," right?) 3-in-1 (or all-in-one) seats are perfect for toddlers, but they might also include infant and rear-facing capabilities. However, all 3-in-1 car seats offer a booster option, which is where 3-in-1 seats differ from convertible car seats.

If price is a main factor for you in your decision, it's worth noting that convertible car seats are the priciest option because they last the longest. They have all the safety and comfort features found in an infant seat, and yet they extend long beyond the range of the carrier-style car seat. Convertible seats typically feature the most bells and whistles, too, especially our posher picks on this list. Things like a one-handed headrest extension and swiveling base add to the price of these seats but trust us — they're worth it. They last for years of your child's growth, and they're quite an economical purchase when you consider the duration of use. If you're using it for more than one child that's even better.

Ready to shop for car seats now? Buckle up and check out our top choices!

Shop Our Top Car Seat Picks

If you are planning on buying one car seat, and one car seat only, the Britax One4Life offers the most options. It's designed to be used from birth until your child no longer requires a car seat.

The ClickTight feature on this car seat model ensures a safe and secure installation every single time, which is incredibly important because so many parents unknowingly install car seats incorrectly. Rest assured knowing that everyone from dads to grandmas can nail a rock-solid installation, even when you're not around. This car seat can be used with a latch or belt path, but they've designed it so that the belt path isn't just convenient, but every bit as safe as the traditional latch method.

We love that the car seat features SafeCell Impact Protection, which is a hex-shaped technology designed to absorb extra energy and protect the baby beyond federal standards in the case of a serious crash. This car seat also features something rare to find in the United States: an (optional) anti-rebound bar, which offers extra padded protection in the case of a crash. It also has this super groovy v-shaped tether that acts as even more impact disbursement.

One of the easiest-to-adjust car seats out there, the Britax One4Life boasts a 15-position headrest and a nine-position recline with a bubble-leveling indicator. All of the fabrics are machine wash and dry, and not too tricky to remove or replace. Though the dishwasher-safe cup holders can hide gunk, this is true for any small space a child has access to.

Infant car seats aren't only for riding in cars, they also end up as a place you put your child when you need them to be contained when you're at home or out and about. (Though they are not meant for overnight sleeping.) The Cloud G Lux by Cybex gives parents the ability to recline much farther back when the seat is not in the car, allowing for a comfy space for the baby to lay back, which we found to be a boon for parents. It also has a 12-position adjustable headrest and an adjustable, extendable footrest for greater comfort and longer use.

Impressively, this isn't even our favorite part of the Cloud. It has a rigid latch system that takes only seconds to install, and the car seat has both an anti-rebound bar and a load leg that works to disperse impact in the event of a crash. The load leg significantly reduces how much force is felt by the baby's head and neck, protecting the brain and spinal column, and the anti-rebound bar, which is on the opposite side, provides that same support on the rebound of the impact.

If you're installing the car seat without the base, the European belt path that has the shoulder strap wrapped around the back of the seat provides the infant seat with more stability. It has sensorsafe technology which is a device at the chest clip that connects to an app on your phone that tells you if your baby has been left behind in the car, if they've been in the seat too long, if the clip has come undone, and more. The UPF 50+ rated canopy does a spectacular job of keeping the sunlight from making your baby extra crispy in the sun thanks to how oversized it is, and the ventilation works to keep them as cool as possible. When baby mucks it up? It's machine-washable.

Do you have a tall baby? Check out the Peg Perego Primo Viaggio Kinetic makes keeping them rear-facing more comfortable. It was crafted to keep kids rear-facing as long as possible, and since more and more states (like our state of New York) require babies to be rear-facing for at least the first two years, I expect the Primo to be a popular pick. With an astonishing 47-inch height limit and deep seat, it's one of the biggest in its class.

The Peg Perego Primo Viaggio Kinetic has tons of safety features, from its anti-rebound bar to its proprietary kinetic pods that help distribute the impact during side-impact collisions. The seat utilizes two types of foam that work together to keep babies comfortable and keep them as safe as possible. The 10-position headrest is easy to adjust, and the simple style of the latch makes the seat easy to install. If you're installing the seat without the latch, like the Cybex, the Primo has a European belt path that provides additional support in the event of a crash. And also like the Cybex, the fabrics are machine-washable.

The Evenflo Revolve 360 Extend fixes one of the biggest complaints we hear about rotating car seats — that they only work in one mode. The Evenflo revolves in every mode, making it as easy to strap in your 6-month-old as it is your 4-year-old. Given that it's an extended rear-facing seat with a 50-pound weight limit in rear-facing mode, and over a 100-pound limit in forward-facing mode, you'll be grateful for the turn, and so will your back.

The rotation is a wonder when your child is wiggly and squiggly, but also when you have to pull off the zip-off fabric because they've gotten car sick and it's super gross. It's also machine wash and dry, and we were immensely grateful for that. Immensely.

As far as safety mechanisms go, the Evenflo Revolve is no slouch. Like the Cybex Cloud, it, too has Sensorsafe available. The entire frame is steel-reinforced, which does make it a bit on the heavy side, but provides superior protection. You can install the base with either a latch or a belt, so no matter your car, if it fits behind the seat, you can use it.

The Clek is a tank. Full stop. It is consistently lauded as one of the safest car seats on the market. The Foonf is a wonderful example of the brand's commitment to every child's safety. First off, it has crumple-zone technology and its patented REACT energy-management system that acts like the inner lining of an eggshell keeps the yolk from breaking, and distributes force during a frontal impact. Their steel anti-rebound bar reduces seat movement, which helps protect the baby's brain and spine. Their advanced side-impact protection, with deep side wings, and energy-absorbing EPP foam layers helps keep your child safe in a side-impact crash, and the rigid latch makes the installation nearly foolproof.

This is the only car seat on this list where the fabrics aren't machine washable, but they are stain-resistant and can be scrubbed pretty vigorously according to our testing.

Boosters can be hard to choose because kids often find them too confining or too hard to sit on. The Nuna AACE combines a thicker cushion with expanding side wings to make the seat a luxury item for your child. No longer will long rides be filled with complaining about the comfort of the seat. They'll just be complaining about being on a long car ride, period. It has eight positions of recline and 10 headrest positions that automatically adjust the side wings when raised or lowered. The seat has three different depths to keep their legs not only comfortable but appropriately positioned.

It connects via a simple rigid latch, and for the highback booster and regular booster, there's a belt positioner with a color guide that shows your child how to buckle in properly. The fabric is machine washable, but this is for the age of kids where most messes can be wiped off.

How to Clean a Car Seat

Cleaning a car seat can feel like a chore, but it doesn't have to — if you know how to do it right. Make sure to reference your seat's instructions because each one is slightly different. One universal truth is that straps cannot be machine washed, so you just need to use a damp cloth and wipe those off.

1. Get rid of the little things first. First, use a handheld vacuum to remove dirt, crumbs, and anything else icky from the car seat.

2. Spot clean spills. Even perfect tots have spills. Use a carpet cleaning solution to spot clean any stains. For tougher spots, use an inexpensive degreaser and simply pour it on the stain to watch it magically erase it. Then, use a washcloth with water to dab up the degreaser so the chemicals don't sit.

3. Freshen it up. Dip a cotton towel into a solution of water and baby-safe laundry detergent and wash the car seat down. Let it air dry outside. Voilà!

4. Machine wash: Some of the seats have machine-washable covers. Just follow your manufacturer's instructions and get that bad boy cleaned right up.

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