Maxi-Cosi Emerald 360 Pro car seat review
Find out what reviewer Sarah and her 2 children thought of the Maxi-Cosi Emerald 360 Pro car seat, a seat designed for use with your children from birth to 12 years
4.6
In a nutshell
A solid, long-lasting car seat with a smooth 360° swivel and a unique slide-out base making access a breeze, although it may be better suited to toddlers and up rather than young babies
What we tested
- Ease of installing
5.0
A star rating of 5.0 out of 5. - Comfort
4.0
A star rating of 4.0 out of 5. - Safety features
4.8
A star rating of 4.8 out of 5. - Style
4.5
A star rating of 4.5 out of 5. - Durability
4.8
A star rating of 4.8 out of 5. - Worth the money
4.7
A star rating of 4.7 out of 5.
4.6
Pros
- Suitable from birth to 12 years
- 360° rotation
- Seat slides out
- Easy-in harness
- Extra safety features
- Colour-coded installation
Cons
- Very heavy
- Bulky
- Expensive
- Can’t be used as part of a travel system
Maxi-Cosi is a baby and parenting brand renowned for designing car seats and pushchairs which focus on comfort, style and safety. The Maxi-Cosi Emerald 360 Pro is a Group 0+/1/2/3 car seat, which means you can use it as your child grows, from birth right up until they are 12 years old, rather than buying a new car seat at different stages.
As well as rotating 360°, the seat slides in and out for easier access thanks to its unique SlideTech™ integrated base. The Emerald 360 Pro seat meets the i-Size safety standard and includes features such as G-CELL panels and AirProtect® Safety Cushions for side impact protection. Coming in at £399.99, it's definitely an investment, but works out at fantastic value if this is the only car seat you ever need to buy!
We tested the Maxi-Cosi Emerald 360 Pro with children of different ages to help assess how well the seat performs as your child grows.
About our parent tester
Sarah Tooze tested the Maxi-Cosi Emerald 360 Pro with her 10-month-old baby and 6-year-old daughter on a mix of nursery/school runs, long weekend drives and everyday car journeys.
Sarah has been an automotive journalist for 17 years so she tested the Emerald 360 Pro in two of the latest electric SUVs, the Polestar 3 and Polestar 4, as well as her family’s SEAT Ibiza hatchback.
How easy is it to install?
The Maxi-Cosi Emerald 360 Pro is super easy to install — it takes just 30 seconds to click the two Isofix connectors into the Isofix slots in the car, and set up the support leg. What I particularly liked is that everything is handily colour-coded – the connectors are yellow so it’s easy to see where you are placing them and there are green/red indicators to show whether the seat and support leg are secured correctly or not, and an indicator for the child’s age and height setting.
How does the Maxi-Cosi SlideTech™ sliding base perform?
The SlideTech base is the Maxi-Cosi Emerald 360 Pro’s standout feature — there’s currently nothing else on the market like it. You simply pull out a lever on the side of the seat, turn the seat 90 degrees and then pull the seat out towards you. Once your child is strapped in you push the seat back and swivel it rear-facing. This can really take away the strain on your back as there’s no need to stoop into the car and it was a more comfortable experience for my baby too.
How well does the Maxi-Cosi Emerald 360 Pro car seat work for your baby?
My baby appeared comfortable in the car seat but the seat base is not as padded and moulded as our original Silver Cross Motion All Size 360 car seat. I also found the headrest was too big for her.
I tried the newborn inlay which can be used up until 75cm (about 1 year old) or until your baby outgrows it and, although her head was cushioned better, her body was too big for the inlay and I couldn’t do the seatbelt up.
Is it easy to adjust the Maxi-Cosi Emerald 360 Pro car seat for different ages?
Pretty easy. As my eldest child is 6, I needed to convert the Maxi-Cosi Emerald 360 Pro from the baby/toddler set up to a booster seat. You’ll need to do this by the time your child weighs 17kg (about 4 years old). Until then, you can either keep your child rear-facing using the harness and support leg (which is the safest way for them to travel) or at 15 months you can put the seat forward-facing, using the harness and support leg.
I was able to convert the Maxi-Cosi Emerald 360 Pro car seat into a booster in about five minutes, having watched the video on the Maxi-Cosi website. The harness tucks away behind the cover at the back of the seat so there’s no need to worry about removing it and misplacing it. Similarly, the buckle lies flat and the material can be pulled over it and tucked in, along with the strap for adjusting the harness.
The support leg can be easily folded away under the seat by pressing buttons on either side of it. The only tricky part was getting the springs out of the shoulder pads and making them lie flat as it wasn’t clear in the video where they clip in once removed.
How well does the Maxi-Cosi Emerald 360 Pro car seat work for your older child?
My 6-year-old daughter found the seat comfortable on long journeys and she liked the fact that one of the shoulder pads can be removed from the harness and attached to the car seat belt so the seat belt doesn’t dig in.
She is currently 115cm tall and the seat has plenty of room for growth for the next few years but it’s hard to tell whether it will be roomy enough when she gets to 12 years old.
How practical is the Maxi-Cosi Emerald 360 Pro car seat for daily use?
My eldest has no trouble getting in and out of the booster seat and can clip in the seatbelt herself, which always helps!
When I tested it with my baby I found the 360° swivel works well in a tight parking space and I’m a big fan of the harness because it actually stays open while you’re strapping your baby in and it’s easy to pull the cord for a snug fit.
I needed to use the car seat in different cars as I also review cars, but if I had the choice I would keep it in one. It’s not a very portable seat as it weighs 15.58kg (slightly more than our Silver Cross Motion All Size 360, which weighs 14.4kg). It’s also bulky and took up a lot of space in our hatchback, although it is compatible (you can use the tool on the Maxi-Cosi website to check if it will fit in your car). It was fine, however, in an SUV.
What are the straps like on the car seat?
Other car seats I’ve used either have nothing to hold the straps out of the way or some small loops which are too fiddly to bother with, whereas the shoulder pads on the Maxi-Cosi Emerald 360 Pro have springs inside which make them stay upright before you strap your child in. If you’re looking for this feature, it’s worth noting that the latest version of the Silver Cross Motion All Size 360 also has a sprung harness.
Loosening the straps of the Maxi-Cosi Emerald 360 Pro is effortless as instead of feeling around for the release button inside the seat it’s clearly marked in grey — another example of Maxi-Cosi’s parent-friendly colour-coding.
How easy is it to recline and adjust the Maxi-Cosi Emerald 360 Pro car seat?
There are five recline settings (compared to three with the Silver Cross Motion All Size 360) and while it's easy to adjust, I kept it fully reclined all the time as our baby often naps in the car, even on short journeys.
I found that her head sometimes fell forwards when she was asleep. In that respect, I much prefer her sleeping in our Joie i-Level infant car seat which has a near lie-flat position. If you’re using the newborn insert with the Emerald 360 Pro, Maxi-Cosi requires you to keep the car seat in the fully reclined position.
The headrest has 15 adjustable height positions, which are easy to alter.
What are the key safety features of the Maxi-Cosi Emerald 360 Pro car seat?
The Emerald 360 Pro meets the latest i-Size safety standard (R129), which is something I look for when choosing a car seat rather than the older R44 standard.
It comes with a G-CELL side impact protection system, which means that in the event of a side collision the force of the impact is spread throughout the car seat, reducing the risk of your child being injured.
With some car seats, side impact protection can add to the bulkiness of the seat but G-CELL is integrated. It’s also reassuring that my eldest child can benefit from this technology as some traditional booster seats are much more basic.
Maxi-Cosi also has an Accident Exchange Service, which will advise you whether your car seat needs replacing if it’s been in a car accident. If it does, you can exchange the seat for a brand new one either via your insurance company or Maxi-Cosi directly.
How easy is it to clean the car seat?
You can wipe the seat down with a damp cloth for everyday messes, or take the cover off and put it in the washing machine up to 30°C for a more intensive clean.
What’s in the box?
- Car seat
- Newborn inlay
How sustainable is the Maxi-Cosi Emerald 360 Pro car seat?
All Maxi-Cosi’s car seats are made with sustainable, 100% recycled Eco Care fabrics. It says that the entire production process of its Eco Care fabrics uses 75% less energy, 85% less water and emits 75% less CO2. The fabrics of each Emerald 360 Pro contain 70 recycled PET bottles (500 ml).
Is the Maxi-Cosi Emerald 360 Pro car seat worth the money?
At £399.99, the Maxi-Cosi Emerald 360 Pro is an expensive seat, costing nearly £75 more than the Silver Cross Motion 2 All Size 360 (currently on sale for £325). However, with the Maxi-Cosi Emerald 360 Pro you get the benefit of the seat sliding towards you which is a worthwhile investment. The car seat’s longevity also means it is good value in the long run if you can afford the initial outlay.
Where can I buy the Maxi-Cosi Emerald 360 Pro car seat?
It's available at Maxi-Cosi, Mamas & Papas and Kiddies Kingdom.
MadeForMums verdict
Personally, I would prefer to use an infant car seat that lies flat and that can be fitted to a pushchair during the newborn stage, like the BeSafe Go Beyond or Joie i-Level. But, after that, I would be tempted to switch to the Maxi-Cosi Emerald 360 Pro for the benefit of SlideTech™and being able to use the seat as my child grows.
Read more: