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Car seats

123 car seats - Britax or Joie?

9 replies

LolaLollypop · 13/01/2020 09:25

Hi all. Looking for some first hand experience with either of these two seats please. Have whittled it down to these two. I want a 123 seat with Isofix for my toddler.
Both of these are similar price with similar reviews and spec. Any advice for the final decision?

Thanks

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LolaLollypop · 13/01/2020 09:26

Sort to clarify- it's the Britax Evolva or Joie Bold 123

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BertieBotts · 13/01/2020 12:52

There is quite a big difference between these two seats! You would be better off comparing the Joie Bold with the Britax Advansafix IMO.

The Evolva is seatbelt fitted only, with "isoflex" ie the isofix isn't the actual fitting method, it just helps hold the seat in place when it's in booster mode. Seatbelt fitting is good if that's the only option you have, but if you have the option to use a top tether installation, it's much safer and better to do so with a forward facing seat.

The weight limit of the Evolva harness is 18kg and it will expand about to the size of a child just outgrowing age 3-4 clothing. After this you must remove the harness in order to raise the headrest and use the seat only as a booster. So depending on the size of your toddler, this might push you into booster use before you necessarily want to use it.

The Bold OTOH has a harness weight limit of 25kg and it expands to the full height of the seat which means you should definitely get to that 25kg weight limit (or as far as you like towards it until you feel your child is safe in a booster seat.) This means for an average child you can keep them in the harness up to about 6-7 years, ifyou want to. For a child who is small for their age possibly older than this, for a child who is large for their age, it will probably only last until about age 5, but this is much better than a standard 123 seat with 18kg harness limit, which larger than average children will outgrow at age 3 or sometimes more like 2.5.

The fitting of the Bold is a bit more complicated. You must use isofix, top tether and seatbelt all at the same time. This means it's a very safe and secure install, but it can be a bit complicated to do.

I'd just add two more points about 123 seats in general - are you aware these type of seats are considered a bit of a compromise in terms of safety? Generally it's better to get a separate Group 1 harnessed seat, and then a high backed booster later. This is because the requirements of the two kinds of seat are quite different and trying to meet both in one seat often results in safety compromises. Top tether and isofix does go a good way to relieving this, but since you can get a very good quality high backed booster for about £30-40, it might be a false economy. I would say the Joie Bold is an exception to this (because of its unique harness weight capacity) and the other exception would be a child fairly close to the end of the Group 1 weight category for whom purchasing a standalone Group 1 seat feels a waste.

Secondly, it is worth noting that it's possible to buy car seats in groups 1 and 2 which face against the direction of travel, which is a much safer alternative for young children if they can tolerate it. Particularly if your child is near the beginning of the Group 1 weight class/just moving out of their baby seat, I'd highly recommend this.

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LolaLollypop · 13/01/2020 13:26

Thanks @BertieBotts that's really helpful. My daughter is already in a Group 1 Maxi Cosi Pearl but we have a new baby on the way so she'll need an upgrade so the baby can go in the newborn seat.

I'm going to go into a few stores tomorrow to check out the Joie Bold, Britax Advansafix and also the Maxi Cosi Titan. I definitely want a seat with the proper Isofix base. I'm going to buy one and hopefully have it fitted in store so that should eliminate any fiddlyness!

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BertieBotts · 13/01/2020 13:33

OK, that sounds good. I would definitely recommend a seat with top tether, if you have a top tether in your car.

When you look at them in store, take your DD with you, and see where her head/shoulders are in relation to the headrest and harness as she is now. Then you can see how many slots or how far it can be adjusted up and get an idea of how it will grow with her. Generally these types of seats are outgrown by physical size before weight, so there is not much use in looking in her red book to estimate when she'll be 18kg as this is likely to be a red herring.

I'll see if I can find any safety results on those for you.

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BertieBotts · 13/01/2020 14:13

OK, looks like they have all been tested :) I also found another option to look at: GB Everna-Fix, which is comparable to the others for safety. However this isn't very well stocked in the UK and looks like only Boots online and Uber Kids stock it. So might be no use if you want it fitted for you.

In order of overall safety (best result to worst) however none of these perform poorly, they are all overall good:

Britax Advansafix IV R
GB Everna-Fix
Britax Advansafix III
Joie Bold
Maxi Cosi Titan Pro

Where they differ from this/notes:
Advansafix 4: Gets the "best" rating due to the seatbelt hook in booster seat mode. It's not the best one for side/front impacts overall, but still high up (2/5)

GB Everna-Fix: Best result for side impact by some way, but the worst for stability in the vehicle.

Advansafix 3: This gets the best result for frontal impacts, and is the most stable when installed. In side impacts less good.

Joie Bold: Again, the only one which will harness past that age 3/4 height limit. (Not counted in this score, but may offer increased safety due to this). Does least well on frontal impact overall, but good on side impacts.

Maxi Titan Pro: Front and side impact protection not as good as the other seats, but still OK. Not far behind Joie overall.

If you want to look up the individual scores, the website is www.oeamtc.at/ - use the search box for the car seat name and click on the result that says "Kindersitztest". Use Google Chrome to translate to English. With scored items, lower number = better.

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LolaLollypop · 14/01/2020 12:36

@BertieBotts thanks again for all your info. I took these notes with me when I went car seat shopping earlier and have gone with the Britax Advansafix IV.

Much appreciated!

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BertieBotts · 15/01/2020 10:13

Lovely :) I really like that seat. I am considering it for DS2 if we have another baby and he needs to vacate the Joie 360! Actually if you have a minute, could you do me a small favour? I would love to know how high the shoulder harness is from the seat base when it's at it's highest setting, and how high the bottom of the headrest is in the highest setting in booster mode. If it's a pain to measure, don't worry, because I will eventually get around to doing it in-store when DS is a bit older. I was just curious and then I could put it on my spreadsheet (Blush) now.

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LolaLollypop · 15/01/2020 11:07

@BertieBotts might be best for you to get those measurements in store if that's OK? To change to booster mode I'd have to change the 5 point harness function and as I've only just had it fitted and am also 35 weeks pregnant with no2, I don't want to risk not being able to put it back! Smile

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BertieBotts · 15/01/2020 11:08

Absolutely no worries at all - it was just a thought if you had it in the box. I had forgotten you said upthread you wanted it fitted by the store.

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