We looked at the top 5 Car Seats and dug through the reviews from 33 of the most popular review sites including and more. The result is a ranking of the best Car Seats.
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Longer Rear-FacingLet your little one ride more safely as long as possible when you choose this convertible car seat.
Longer Rear-FacingLet your little one ride more safely as long as possible when you choose this convertible car seat.
Experts Included
DWYM Baby and Kids Experts plus
Baby Gear Lab, Best Car Seat Hub, BestReviews, The New York Times, Car Seat Blog, Verywell Family and 2 more. Along with user reviews from Amazon and Walmart.
Pros
"
Best crash test results, rear-facing till 50 lbs, price."
Cons
"The Extend2Fit is wider than some seats making it a bit bulky. If you need to fit three children in the back seat, this might not be the best choice. Also, the fit is great for toddlers but probably won't..."
Convertible Dual-ConfigurationKeep your kid safe as they grow with this two-configuration booster seat.
Convertible Dual-ConfigurationKeep your kid safe as they grow with this two-configuration booster seat.
Experts Included
DWYM Baby and Kids Experts plus
BestReviews, Car Seat Blog, Car Seats For The Littles.org, The Safety Restraint Coalition and 2 more. Along with user reviews from Amazon and Walmart.
Pros
"
This model's ability to convert from a high-back booster car seat into a backless booster makes it a safe choice that will remain useful as your child grows."
Cons
"Made in China. Does not convert to backless booster."
Easy-to-Use BaseCradle your little one in safety and comfort with this secure and easy-to-use car seat.
Easy-to-Use BaseCradle your little one in safety and comfort with this secure and easy-to-use car seat.
Experts Included
DWYM Baby and Kids Experts plus
The New York Times, Baby Gear Lab, Verywell Family, Car Seats Mom, The Safety Restraint Coalition and 1 more. Along with user reviews from Amazon, Target, Walmart and Best Views Reviews.
Pros
"
The Chicco KeyFit 30 performs as well as or better than pricier seats and is measurably safer and easier to use than less expensive ones. Installation is generally a bigger problem for people than seat safety, and the KeyFit 30..."
Cons
"Coarse fabric, heavier, hard to install without the base."
Long-Lasting ComfortGet the seat that grows with your kid when you choose this long-lasting vehicle safety accessory.
Long-Lasting ComfortGet the seat that grows with your kid when you choose this long-lasting vehicle safety accessory.
Experts Included
DWYM Baby and Kids Experts plus
Tom’s Guide, Parenting Pod, Truly Mama, The Safety Restraint Coalition and 1 more. Along with user reviews from Amazon, Bed Bath & Beyond, Walmart and Target.
Pros
"
Narrow width makes it easy to stack. Foldable for travel."
Cons
"Many parents have complained that the seat is hard to install, and the angle may not be good for smaller babies. Also, some kids may outgrow the seat early – and the seat itself is relatively heavy, at over 27..."
Why we recommend these car seats?
Don't just take for granted what one reviewer says. Along with our own experts, DWYM analyzes the top expert reviews of the leading products and generates a score you can actually trust.
12
Products Considered
We identified the majority of the car seats available to purchase.
5
Products Analyzed
We then selected the leading and most popular products for our team to review.
In addition to our expert reviews, we also incorporate feedback and analysis of some of the most respected sources including:
Tom's Guide, Parenting Pod, Truly Mama, The Safety Restraint Coalition, Car Seat Blog.
198,430
User Opinions Analyzed
We also incorporate user reviews from the leading retailers including
Our experts reviewed the top 5 Car Seats and also dug through the reviews from 33 of the most popular review sites including and more. The result is a ranking of the best of the best Car Seats.
DWYM is your trusted roduct review source. Our team reviews thousands of product reviews from the trusted top experts and combines them into one easy-to-understand score. Learn more.
Look for the DWYM seal for products that are the best in their category.
This car seat is optimized to keep your child in a safe, rear-facing position for a long time. Rated for up to 50 pounds rear-facing and 65 pounds forward-facing, this convertible seat features a 10-increment adjustable headrest for your growing child.
What other experts liked
First and foremost, it supports rear-facing all the way up to 50 pounds and has a really large overall weight range, going all the way down to 4 pounds (making it a great option for preemies), and up to 65...
Included with this seat are Fuss Free Harness Storage Pockets, 2 crotch strap positions, a steel reinforced frame, InRight LATCH system, two cup holders, and a machine washable cover. The Simply Safe Adjust harness moves the harness and headrest height...
At 22 pounds, the Graco seat is lighter than the Britax’s 28.4 pounds, which means the Graco is slightly easier to move around. It also has a much higher rear-facing weight limit than the Britax Marathon ClickTight—50 pounds versus 40—meaning...
50 lbs. rear-facing weight limit—a leader for Graco’s convertible line! 4-position leg extension for rear-facing comfort. 10-position headrest with no re-thread harness. Harness Storage pockets on both sides of seat for storing buckle tongs out of the way. 2 crotch...
Impressive crash test results in real-life crash settings. 6-recline positions and 10-headrest positions. Rear-facing position for children weighing up to 50lbs. Built-in installation features to ensure an easy and secure fit.
The Extend2Fit is wider than some seats making it a bit bulky. If you need to fit three children in the back seat, this might not be the best choice. Also, the fit is great for toddlers but probably won't...
It’s not nearly as easy to install as the Britax ClickTight system, but our testers were able to achieve a sufficiently tight installation without too much difficulty.
Lacks a lockoff device for installations with seat belt. Seat takes up more space rear-facing when the legrest panel is extended. Tightening the harness takes some effort and is not as smooth and easy most other Graco convertibles. Harness strap...
Challenging rear-facing installation via seat belt. Parents have noted difficulties with the square shaped cup holders. Harness and straps may be a struggle to tighten.
This booster seat switches between high back and backless to accommodate children between 40 and 120 pounds. With three layers of side impact protection, this seat also features soft, nap-friendly materials.
What other experts liked
This model's ability to convert from a high-back booster car seat into a backless booster makes it a safe choice that will remain useful as your child grows.
It includes lower LATCH anchors to keep the booster seat attached to your car when not in use, and uses awesome Cool Flow fabric that is highly breathable and does a great job preventing sweaty backs. It also has an easily adjustable headrest that goes very high (10 settings) without...
10 position headrest. Can be installed with lower LATCH connectors. Lined with EPP foam. External side impact cushions. Adjustable SecureGuard™ Belt Positioning Clip helps position lap belt properly. Two removable, dishwasher-safe cup holders.
The Highpoint is a very nice booster that’s easy to use. We’re particularly fond of the plush cover, the lower anchors, and the consistent vehicle seat belt fit that it offered to our young passengers.
Converts from a high back to a backless booster seat incredibly easily. The stylish, soft and breathable material of the seat makes for a comfy ride. Britax is one of the top brands for safety and is shown by many of the features available on this seat, such as the...
Yes, it's expensive, but it also has tons of safety features and fantastic durability and versatility. The only thing it's missing is a steel-reinforced frame, but that helps keep it from tipping the scales over 20 pounds.
Seat covers are not machine washable. Higher up the price range. The process of converting the seat from a high back to a backless seat is simple, however some users have indicated that it required quite a bit of force and they had the feeling that it was going to...
What We Liked: This car seat is optimized to keep your child in a safe, rear-facing position for a long time. Rated for up to 50 pounds rear-facing and 65 pounds forward-facing, this convertible seat features a 10-increment adjustable headrest for your growing child.
What We Liked: This booster seat switches between high back and backless to accommodate children between 40 and 120 pounds. With three layers of side impact protection, this seat also features soft, nap-friendly materials.
What We Liked: With a special leveling base, this car seat will keep your baby in the correct position effortlessly. This seat also includes a newborn positioner to correctly support those extra-delicate bodies.
What We Liked: This multi-configuration car seat is designed to last a full 10 years as your child grows. With a reinforced steel core, durable materials, an infant insert and 12-position headrest, this seat can easily handle years of use.
Peg Perego Dual-Stage System Primo Viaggio Car Seat
What We Liked: With a dual-stage cushion system that gives newborns extra support and transitions seamlessly to a comfortable ride for infants, this rear-facing seat is designed for children weighing 4-35 pounds. This seat also features an integrated anti-rebound bar in the base.
Our Car Seat Buying Guide
Choosing the correct car seat is one of the most crucial decisions a parent can make for their child. A good car seat should support the fragile parts of your child’s body. It should also have soft materials on the surfaces the child will be touching to ensure comfort during car rides.
There are three general types of car seats: rear-facing seats for younger children, forward-facing seats and booster seats for older children. Some car seats are convertible and can switch between rear- and forward-facing. There are also all-in-one models that can also be booster seats.
Rear-facing seats cradle and support the fragile spinal columns of newborns and infants throughout a ride and in the event of a crash. A rear-facing configuration is the safest for all children until they outgrow the car seat’s rear-facing size and weight ratings.
Besides configuration, two other important considerations you should have in mind when choosing a car seat are ease of use and whether the car seat fits your vehicle. You should be able to install your car seat correctly every time, without any uncertainty.
DWYM Fun Fact
Car seats were around for almost 30 years before the first ones geared toward safety were released into the market in 1962. Prior to that, car seats were designed simply to keep a child contained in the car or to help them better see out the windows.
The Car Seat Tips and Advice
Test out your car seat in your vehicle before buying it, or make sure you can return it if it doesn’t work to your liking.
The configuration of your car may not accommodate some car seats, so do a little research before buying.
Keep in mind where in the car the car seat will be so you can ensure it is cleaned regularly.
As your child gets older, let them participate in the shopping process by letting them pick colors and patterns on your next model of car seat. This will give them a closer connection to the seat.
Danielle Smyth is a writer and content marketing expert based in New York. She has been writing on business and finance, home and garden, DIY, travel and tourism, and a variety of other topics for over a decade, and she holds a Master of Science in Publishing from Pace University. Danielle loves working on product reviews and helping others find the highest quality items and the best values. As a parent, she appreciates the importance of choosing the right kid and baby items at the right price, and hopes to help other parents do the same.
DWYM simplifies the research process by aggregating the reviews of the top product review sites. The result is the DWYM Score which represents the overall true rating of a product based upon a 1-10 scale.
For the Car Seat category, we analyzed 33 of the most popular reviews including reviews from and more. The result is a ranking of the best Car Seats.
