Award-winning car seats for 2024

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We’ve looked at the best buys in a range of categories, including infant, child and multi-stage seats, to help you make an informed decision that’s right for your family.

All the car seats you see here have been tested with children of the appropriate age, from newborns to toddlers and older children, with real-life families providing their feedback on ease of use, value, comfort, safety features and more to help our expert judges pick 2024's award-winning car seats.

See the winners in:

Infant car seat

Key features we tested/judged — Safety features, adjustability, quality and design, installation, comfort for baby, ease of use, worth the money.

Gold — Cybex Cloud T i-Size and Base T, from £429.90

Why it's a winner: The Cloud T's easy-to-use features, plush fabrics and excellent safety credentials really impressed both our testers and expert judges, with parent tester Ellie particularly rating the comfortable recline, clear instructions and breathable fabrics. Safety wise, judges also noted the enhanced side-impact protection and good ADAC test result. It also impressed with its great longevity and innovative recline — the seat height extends to an impressive 87cm (approximately 2 years old) and its novel recline system flattens the backrest and leg rest simultaneously, providing an ergonomic lying position for your baby. Our parent testers also reported that it's simple to install, the alarmed ISOFIX leg beeps when it's incorrectly positioned and the base has a smooth 180 degree rotation making it easy to put the seat in and take out of the car.

In the words of parent tester Jess, who tested this with their 4 month old: "The car seat is extremely well designed, with some really nice touches which make parenting easier. I love how simple it is to adjust the headrest, extend the harness or pop the extendable sun shade on. It also clips so easily in and out of the car and the rotating mechanism is velvety. My daughter seemed really comfortable in the seat, the padding is really soft and cushioned on both the seat interior and also the straps."

Buy from: Natural Baby Shower, John Lewis

Silver — Joie i-Level Recline and i-Base Encore, £385

Best for: Newborn comfort.

In the words of parent tester Vikki, who tested this with their 2 month old: "It is incredibly easy to use the rotating feature and effortlessly connect the car seat to the base. It's simple to use the recline feature and the car seat is very comfortable, well-padded and secure for my baby."

Buy from: Natural Baby Shower

Bronze — Maxi-Cosi Pebble 360 Pro & FamilyFix 360 Pro Base, £479.98

Best for: Parent-friendly features and easy use.

In the words of parent tester Tui, who tested this with their 4 month old: "The car seat looks sturdy, secure and well-made, while feeling light and easy to carry and handle. I like how easily adjustable the head rest is, the straps are extremely easy to tighten for a secure but comfortable fit and clicking the harness into place is quick and easy to do. While driving, the seat seemed very comfortable and my youngster was snoozing in no time, with the seat providing an ergonomic fit without letting his head slump forward."

Buy from: Kiddies Kingdom

Multi-stage car seat

Key features we tested/judged — Safety features, adjustability, quality and design, installation, comfort for baby/child, ease of use, worth the money.

Joint Gold — Maxi-Cosi Mica 360 Pro, £349.99

Maxi-Cosi Mica 360 Pro product shot - Gold winner

Why it's a winner: Taking your child from 0-4 years, this impressive multi-stage seat from Maxi-Cosi stood out due to its great safety features, comfort, style and, most of all, its parent-friendly features that make it extremely easy to use. Our testers found installing the seat to be simple and straightforward as the ISOFIX bars adjust individually and the support leg beeps if it's not in its correct position, making it easy to fit safely. The seat also comes with an array of features that make it easy to put your baby in and take out of the seat, including the innovative slide-out base, easy-to-use harness and a one-hand 360-degree rotation which can be used in any of the 5 recline positions. Our parent testers were also really impressed by how well the seat performed with children of different ages, as parent tester Hannah told us, "both my 4 month old and 3 year old sat comfortably in the seat and it was really easy to adjust for either of them to use it."

In the words of parent tester Rebecca, who tested this with their 5 month old and 2 year old: "We were very impressed with the overall quality and performance of the car seat. It's extremely easy to adjust, with most adjustments able to be made with one hand. It's clear that it's a true 0-4 year car seat and that the safety and comfort is consistently of high quality in the full ranges of stages and purposes."

Buy from: John Lewis

Joint Gold — Axkid Minikid 4, £480

Axkid Minikid 4 car seat product shot - gold winner

Why it's a winner: The Minikid 4 from Axkid impressed both our parent testers and judges due to its exceptional safety credentials. It offers extended rear-facing (ERF) travel for children up to 7 years of age and it has also passed the extremely rigorous Swedish Plus Test. Not only is it very safe, the Minikid 4 also has some great features that make it comfortable for children, including impressive legroom for an ERF seat, multiple recline positions, and great quality seat padding, which offers a good balance of firm cushioning and soft materials. A real standout feature of the Minikid 4 is its dynamic headrest technology which automatically adjusts to the child's size for optimal positioning of the shoulder straps and safety. Our experts felt this was a great choice for kids of multiple ages, as parent tester Laura said: "Although it's on the more expensive end of car seats, it is well worth the money for such a safe, high quality seat that will last through many stages."

In the words of parent tester Stephanie, who tested this with their 8 month old, 2 year old and 5 year old: "My children fit securely and comfortably in their car seat, making use of the support cushion and the different reclining positions. My 5 year old said the seat is super comfortable and soft and had absolutely no complaints about legroom. My 2 year old and 8 month old both look very snug in the seat. The quality of the seat is fantastic, it feels very sturdy and the fabrics are soft and well-cushioned."

Buy from: Kiddies Kingdom, Natural Baby Shower

Silver — Cybex Sirona Gi i-Size, from £299.95

Sirona Gi i-Size product shot - silver winner

Best for: Comfort and luxury finishes.

In the words of parent tester Emily, who tested this with their 6 month old: "This definitely feels like a luxury product and it's certainly a good price for what you get. The design is beautiful and the seat is so cosy with a lovely feel. It stands out in terms of durability and working with multiple stages; our 6 month old is very happy in the seat and will still be using it when she reaches her 4-year-old sister's age."

Buy from: John Lewis, Natural Baby Shower, Mamas & Papas

Bronze — Kinderkraft i-360 i-Size, £169

I-360 i-Size Kinderkraft product shot - bronze winner

Best for: Easy adjusting for use with children of different sizes.

In the words of parent tester Sandra, who tested this with their 7 month old and 5 year old: "It is so versatile – you can adjust the seat to fit the other child within seconds. The fabrics are nice and soft, it has great padding and the extra inserts for all ages are well made and soft, but still firm. The seat itself is deep and it's easy to find the most suitable recline position. It's also probably one of the easiest seats I have installed in the my car."

Buy from: Kinderkraft

Shortlisted: Cosatto All in All i-Size Ultra | Graco Turn2Me i-Size R129 | Joie Elevate R129 | My Babiie Dani Dyer i-Size Stone Spin

Child car seat

Key features we tested/judged — Safety features, adjustability, quality and design, installation, comfort for child, ease of use, worth the money.

Gold — Silver Cross Discover i-Size, £175

Why it's a winner: This luxury car seat offering from Silver Cross really stood out due to its plush, temperature-regulating bamboo fabrics, easy-to-adjust features and a clever extendable legrest. Judges felt these features help make it a super comfortable seat for children, while parent tester Sarah said "it is far, far more padded and comfier than any other seat we've used for my 4 year old." Its 10 position headrest, 4 recline options, removable inserts and adjustable thigh support means that it really will adapt to your child as they grow, and can be used from 4 to 12 years. As well as enhanced side-impact protection, the seat can be fitted with or without the integrated ISOFIX system, which, according to our testers, is really easy to do.

In the words of parent tester Sarah, who tested this with their 4 year old: "I do feel that the car seat justifies the price tag. I love that it reclines and the leg cushion extends. It looks premium and very well made. It really does tick all of the comfort boxes, the padding feels so soft and snug and the adjustable thigh support is a really genius touch. Everything is easy to adjust with a simple push and pull of a handle, even with a child sitting in the seat already."

Buy from: John Lewis

Silver — Kinderkraft Junior Fix 2 i-Size, £69

Best for: Excellent value.

In the words of parent tester Pooja, who tested this with their 4 year old and 6 year old: "This car seat is definitely worth the money, I would pay more for it! I liked the design of the seat, the quality seems excellent and both my children find the seat comfortable, supportive and secure. The seat is spacious and I like how easily adjustable the head rest is. I really like that it will last both of my children up until the age of 12."