Graco Evo Mini

Product: Graco Evo Mini

Price: £179.99, exclusive to Mothercare

Age Range: From birth to approx 3 years (0 - 15kg)

Manufacturer’s Description: The go anywhere stroller. Sleek, slim, cool and light weight - the pushchair for when on the move. Size does matter!

Rating: 5/5 stars

Review: We have been testing the Graco Evo Mini for the last four weeks. We were very excited when it arrived, and I posted lots of photos showing what was in the box & what it looked like put together.

As I posted on my blog a few weeks ago, our first impressions of the Graco Evo Mini were very favourable; the pushchair was very easy to put together, with clear & concise instructions (there is nothing scarier than a thick book of an instruction manual!), and seemed to be very easy to use.

In the box you get: the main frame, rear wheels on the back axle, front wheel, rain cover, hood, and instruction manual.

Putting it together is really simple and quick; all of the parts simply clip together like a ridiculously easy puzzle. It's impossible to get it wrong!

I liked this pushchair immediately - the seat is so well padded and comfortable that I have no concerns about my 7 week old baby girl using it, and I love the fact that the seat can lie flat, so it is suitable from birth. I think that it is an appealing design, and the Grenadine orange/red colour is very attractive and suitable for either a boy or a girl. Unisex colours are great for large purchases such as a pushchair, as they enable you to reuse it again in the future for another child, whatever the sex.

We have certainly put the Evo Mini through its paces over the last month, taking it off-roading at the otter sanctuary, around an Easter Egg trail in the woods, on the beach, over snow & ice, and we even drove it across the gangplank onto a boat for a ride up the River Waveney - all in addition to the usual pottering around the neighbourhood and shops, of course.

Since the Evo Mini is suitable from birth to approx three years, we have been able to test it with our newborn baby Lydia, and her older sister Georgiana, who is almost two.

Georgie loves to walk a lot of the time, but she definitely enjoyed the comfort of the Evo Mini when she used it. I took her on a few outings in it while carrying Lydia in a wrap sling, and each time she seemed very happy with her mode of transportation! Georgie is quite tall for her age, but has loads of space to grow into the pushchair; I can see us still using it for her for at least another year.

Lydia has clocked up a lot of hours in the Evo Mini since we received it, and must find it a very comfortable ride as she has slept and slept and slept! The suspension is excellent, especially for such a lightweight buggy, which makes it quite a smooth ride even on the wide variety of rough surfaces we took it on.

The pushchair is incredibly easy to push, even Georgie can push her little sister along in it on the pavement... although Daddy had to help with the steering, there was a lot of crashing involved when she tried to go solo with it! Joking aside, an adult can easily push the Evo Mini one handed over any smooth surface such as pavements or around the shops. It handled surprisingly well over the snow, beach, rough tracks and icy pavements - although these situations all required two hands on the handlebar! The lockable front wheel helped to keep the pushchair on track in the icy weather.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZfpVPPEY1RQ

One of the back wheels did develop an annoying squeak after we took it onto the sandy beach in Cornwall, but a squirt of penetrating oil fixed the problem and as this could happen to any pushchair I don't really count this as a negative against this particular stroller. In fact, I would be lying if I said it hasn't happened to one of our pushchairs before.

At just 6.2 kg, the Evo Mini is very light weight and compact - I have gotten very used to slinging it around with one hand, in and out of the car boot. This is an ideal pushchair for people with small cars, or those who travel on public transport a lot - it even fits in the boot of a mini! We have a large people carrier and the Evo Mini is positively swallowed up by the car. I also tried it out in my dad's car boot, and it squeezed in with plenty of extra space for our shopping.


You can fit a lot in the shopping basket, which is a really important feature for me! I don't drive so being able to carry a lot of shopping or bags is really useful when I go out on my own with the girls. Unlike a lot of pushchairs, the basket is still easily accessible when the pushchair is in lie flat mode, which we have found very useful over the last few weeks. James and Georgie had some fun finding out how many toys they could fit in the basket in this video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ZPPxm3711c

Here is a another quick video, showing the other great features of the Graco Evo Mini. In this video you can see how easy it is to fold, fit the rain cover, use the sunshade, and adjust the backrest:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wq4YRxv9LiM

The one-handed fold is really easy to use; there are two buttons on the handlebar, which you squeeze and slide as appropriate, before pushing downwards to collapse the frame. If the rain cover is in the basket, a little bit of pressure can be required just to get the frame to clip shut, but you can still do this with one hand. Opening it up is really quick, perfect when you need to get going in a hurry. The pushchair will fold with the rain cover attached to the hood, which is useful if you know you are going to be getting it out of the car in the rain and want to be able to attach it before you fold it up to leave the house.

As well as protecting the Evo Mini very well from the rain, the cover also does a great job keeping your little one sheltered from the wind. It completely covers the whole of the hood and rear of the pushchair, instead of just hooking on the front of the hood, meaning that the child inside is very well protected. We were out in some very strong winds whilst in Cornwall and Suffolk on our travels this month, and it has done a great job keeping Lydia snug and warm.

During the past month, quite a few of my family members have given the Evo Mini a push, and all have reported back favourably! The only niggle anyone mentioned was that it doesn't have a window in the hood for you to keep an eye your child. Although this doesn't bother me too much, I can see that it could be annoying to some parents.

Overall, I think the Graco Evo Mini deserves a solid 5 stars. I would certainly recommend this pushchair to anyone looking for a long-lasting good quality buggy, especially if they intend on using public transport a lot. It may be light weight, but it is still sturdy, comfortable, suitable from birth, and doesn't seem to make many compromises on features in order for it to be so compact and usable.

This review was originally posted at Mama Geek. To see the original review, complete with photos and videos, head to:

http://mamageek.co.uk/2013/04/21/review-graco-evo-mini/

This is a light weight and easy to fold single buggy. It’s been great for us, especially on days out as it’s so small to fit in the boot of the car, and easy and quick to fold and unfold.

As soon as we opened the box and put the buggy together, we were really impressed with it. Even my husband who is not really interested in prams commented that it did look really good quality and a great piece of kit. He was also very happy with how quick it was to put together, it only took a few minutes and didn’t take a lot of concentration to do. That was also a relief for me, as I still remember how much of a pain our double buggy was to put together.

It comes in two colours. Grenadine, which is shown above, is the colour we were sent. The other is a turquoisey shade called Latigo Bay which is also lovely. I really like the bright colours, it looks nice and cheerful – a big difference from my normal black and grey pushchair.

It weighs 6.2kg and it really does feel very light weight, easy to pick up and lift and also feels very light when pushing so it is easy to steer and can be pushed easily with one hand.

The wheels are quite small and are plastic rather than being tires like my usual buggy, so I wondered how this would compare and whether it would be a problem. It was absolutely fine, as the buggy is very light it did not really need heavy tires for the steering and the ride felt very smooth and pleasant, unlike some of the cheaper umbrella single buggies I have tried which give you quite a rattly feeling as you push it along the pavement. The only time I had a bit of difficulty was with pushing it over gravel, but even that the buggy coped fairly well. Overall you really can tell it is well made and good quality.

The seat was very comfortable for my toddler. It has plenty of padding and he was very happy to sit there and also comfortable enough to sleep. We had to adjust the length of the straps quite a bit to accommodate him and once that was done, he was fine. It does recline to lie flat, but as my toddler is a bit older at 20 months, he doesn’t prefer to do that. It is easy to change the positions if you want to.

I was also really impressed with the size of the basket under neath the buggy. It does seem to be bigger than many I have seen. You can easily fit in all the children’s bags and coats with no problem. I managed to fit everything in that was needed for my three boys on days out, and it did not feel like a squash everything fitted in comfortably.

I really like the buggy and would recommend it for anyone looking for a good light weight single.

The next thing for me will be to try it out with a buggy board on the back and see how well that works.

I have had this pushchair for a month now and I am happy to say it is the best stroller I have ever had.

I normally opt for a pushchair instead of a stroller because I find them heavy to push and their baskets are never very big.

The Graco Evo Mini is a stylish and lightweight stroller, weighing just 6.2kg, even with my 3 year old in it, it pushes like a dream. The frame itself is very sturdy and the three rubber wheels make the pushchair glide.

The seat is a generous size and well padded so suited for babies of a young age.

It is easy to recline with the toggle on the back of the seat and because it uses a toggle systems there are numerous positions for the seat to be in. It lies virtually flat so I would say a newborn could use it if not in it for a long time.

The hood is huge so provides great coverage, however my one gripe there is that there isn't a window in the hood for viewing your little one.

The basket is really spacious, it is surprising how much you can fit in there!! Great for shopping!!

I really love the raincover, easy to put on and it fits so well, it still allows your child to see everything that is going on too.

A really great feature of this pushchair is the one hand fold, simple to do and it folds compactly.

My only other problem with the Evo Mini is that the handle height isn't adjustable, this is something I normally look for in any pushchair because I am short in height but don't let this put you off because it isn't a major problem, the handle is still comfortable to hold!!

I can't recommend this stroller enough, it really is evolutionary :)

We have been using the Graco Evo Mini for a few weeks now, and I have to say that I absolutely love it! We have the pushchair in the Grenadine colour, which is a bright and cheery colour. The Evo Mini is a 3-wheeled pushchair, and is so so easy to use. It has a super lightweight frame and folds up so small, it is convenient to store. It's compact size makes it easy to fit into the boot of the car too, even when it is full of shopping bags! I have put the Evo Mini in the car, taken it onto the bus, travelled on the train with it, and taken it on long walks. Every trip has been a huge success! My daughter is 8 months old, and she really loves it. The seat is well padded, making it very comfortable for baby. I also have a 3 year old (13kg) who also sits comfortably in the Evo Mini and really likes it! The shopping basket is huge in my experience! I have never had a pushchair with such a large basket! The large hood shields the sun nicely and apparently blocks the wind too (according to my 3 year old!!) The frame folds and unfolds easily too. The rain cover is quick to attach to the frame and keeps the water out more than sufficiently!

I could go on and on, but I want to keep this short enough for you all to read without losing interest! I would recommend the Graco Evo Mini to anyone, especially as it is suitable from birth all the way up to 15kg!

We are loving the Graco Evo Mini, and are looking forward to taking it to many places throughout the warmer months!

I've had this pushchair for a month now and have to say hands down it is my favourite! ive found it difficult to find a pushchair suitable for both my two year old and 6 month old without one of them being uncomfortable. The padded seat means that both can sit comfortably. my two year old has plenty of room and my 6 month old can sit happily without slipping about.
it is a lovely size to get around using all forms of transport. it folds small to fit in a car boot and doesnt take up much room on buses and trains which is massively important to me. the basket is huge for a stroller and is accessible even when the pushchair is fully reclined. the large hood is perfect for blocking the sun and the raincover fits perfectly without any difficulty attaching.
it is so easy to fold so would be great for grandparents who struggle when taking kids out

i would definitely recommend for anyone looking for a lightweight but sturdy pushchair without comprimising on comfort. Great value for money

I am lucky enough to be a Graco Ambassador, which means I get to review their products. I have recently been sent a Graco Evo Mini pushchair in Latigo Bay to test.

It is a forward facing stroller, which is really light weight (6.2kg). The Evo Mini can be folded and unfolded with 1 hand. It locks closed easily as long as the basket is empty and the seat is down. If the rain cover (which is included) is in the basket, you can still lock it closed, but it's a bit of a squeeze. The pushchair does fold down to a small size though, and it will stand against a wall once folded - as long as the brake is on. It is not freestanding.

I love the fact the seat's recline adjusts via a toggle. This means you can position the seat exactly where your child likes it - not just upright, lay down or in between the two. (My son likes to see the world, but not fully upright).

The Evo mini is really easy to assemble. It literally took me 5 minutes and required no tools. The basket is large and has plenty of storage space, even when the rain cover is in there.

I have used it with my 20 Month old toddler son (15kg) and my 7 Month old daughter (9kg). Both were comfortable in it. My son is happier sat up, and his head was over the top of the seat unit. (This is the case with almost all of the strollers he has used though, and he is VERY tall for his age).

The hood is really strong. It isn't flimsy at all and the open-close action is kind smooth and strong. (no flimsy blowing back here). The hood is removable too, though I prefer the look of the pushchair with it in situ.

The raincover is easy to fit and folds back down easily after use. The safety warnings are all at the back of the cover, so not visable from the front or sides - a big plus in my opinion.

The footplate on the pushchair turns "inside-out" - this means baby's legs have somewhere to rest when the stroller is in the recline position. It doesn't look as good when it's out, but it is a great feature if your toddler likes to have their feet up at nap time.

The Evo Mini is suitable from birth, although it does not recline completely flat. The harness is well padded though, as is the seat. I would have felt comfortable using it when my babies were newborn. The 3 wheels are all rubber, and the front one can be locked, or used in swivel mode. The handle height isn't adjustable. I am 5 foot 9 and it was just about right for me.

I genuinely loved using the Evo Mini. It is easy to push, takes corners easily - thanks to it's 3 wheel design and it manages steps and unevensurfaces with ease. The brake took a little getting used to, but once you know to put a lot of pressure on it, it's fine. There isn't a lot of suspension on it, but it doesn't feel like a rickety, bumpy ride either.

With an RRP of 179.99, the Evo Mini is the perfect 2nd pram. It is ideal for holidays, grandparents or for leaving in the boot. It looks amazing. The metal chassis looks much better in the flesh than it does online. I'd visit a Mothercare store to see it in the flesh if you're not convinced. It looks much more expensive than it was.

My hubby is a bit of a snob when it comes to prams, and this is one of the few prams he has happily pushed. All told, I like the Evo Mini. The only thing which would have got it extra marks would have been making it freestanding and having a matching footmuff available.

I give it 4.5/5


The Evo Mini is available to pre-order from Mothercare now.