iCandy Peach 8 review: is this premium travel system worth the price tag?

Our verdict

The iCandy Peach 8 is a premium travel system designed to do much more than simply get your baby from A to B. With its luxurious finish, generous features and ability to convert from a single pushchair into a double or twin stroller, it's particularly well suited to growing families who want a travel system they can use for years.

Mum-of-two Gemma tested the Peach 8 with her six-week-old baby over two weeks, using it every day for dog walks, trips to the supermarket and longer walks across parks, grass and gravel. She also used the integrated buggy board with her three-year-old, giving her a chance to see how well the Peach 8 works for a family with children at different stages.

Her first impressions were certainly positive. “The pushchair looks very smart and feels luxurious,” she says, adding that it feels like it has “gone above and beyond a standard pushchair” thanks to features such as the built-in buggy board. She was also impressed by the quality of the materials, describing them as “really good and durable”.

The Peach 8's flexibility is one of its biggest strengths. Gemma found the carrycot easy to use with her newborn and particularly valued the extendable adapters, which created enough room for her three-year-old to use the buggy board. The seat can also be switched between parent-facing and world-facing, while the travel system is compatible with a car seat for those early days when moving a sleeping baby from car to pushchair is part of everyday life.

There are a few areas where Gemma felt the Peach 8 could be improved, particularly when it came to folding the frame and manoeuvring with the carrycot fitted. However, these niggles didn't outweigh the positives for her.

For growing families, its ability to accommodate a newborn while offering plenty of flexibility for an older sibling makes it a versatile option that can adapt as family life changes.

Gemma used the iCandy Peach 8 carrycot with her newborn for long walks

What’s the difference between the iCandy Peach 7 and Peach 8?

If you're already a fan of the iCandy Peach 7, the Peach 8 isn't a complete reinvention of the travel system, but it does introduce several thoughtful updates that make everyday use a little easier.

The biggest change is the new collapsible carrycot. Unlike the rigid carrycot on the Peach 7, the Peach 8's carrycot folds flat, making it much easier to store and transport - particularly useful if you're short on boot space or don't want a bulky carrycot taking up room at home.

The Peach 8 also introduces memory buttons, allowing the carrycot or seat unit to be released with one hand. On the Peach 7, you need to press and hold buttons on both sides at the same time, so this is a small but useful improvement when you're trying to juggle a baby and everything else.

Ventilation has also been significantly improved. The Peach 8 has 1,300cm² of ventilation, more than double the 592cm² offered by the Peach 7, thanks to additional ventilation panels at the head and foot of the carrycot. There's also a larger sun canopy on the newer model, offering extra coverage for sunny days and naps.

Other updates include a flip-flop-friendly brake with a colour indicator, making it easier to see at a glance whether the brake is on or off, as well as refreshed recycled fabrics and a new cut-and-sew finish.

So, while the Peach 8 retains the features that have made the Peach range popular,  including its ability to convert from a single to a double or twin - the updates are largely focused on making the system easier to store, use and adapt to everyday family life.

How we tested the iCandy Peach 8

Gemma tested the iCandy Peach 8 for two weeks with her six-week-old baby, using it every day and sometimes twice a day.

She used the Peach 8 for longer walks around local parks, including areas of grass and gravel, as well as for regular supermarket trips and daily dog walks. Gemma also tested the integrated buggy board with her three-year-old, giving her the opportunity to see how well the Peach 8 worked with both a newborn and an older sibling.

Most of her testing was carried out with the carrycot attached, although she also tried the car seat, seat unit and buggy board to assess how adaptable the travel system would be as her children grew.

Once testing was complete, Gemma scored the iCandy Peach 8 against eight key criteria: performance, quality and durability, ease of use, value for money, safety and stability, ease of folding and unfolding, comfort, and adjustability and storage.

What’s in the box?

Gemma tested the iCandy Peach 8 complete bundle with the Cocoon 360 car seat and base, which comes with a generous selection of accessories. Here's everything included:

Included with the iCandy Peach 8:

• Pushchair chassis

• Seat/carrycot frame

• Seat fabric

• Carrycot fabric and mattress

• Canopy

• Bumper bar

• Rain cover

• Footmuff

• Elevator adapters

• Car seat adapters

• Changing bag with changing mat

• Cup holder and attachment

• Parasol and attachment

• Sun screen cover

Gemma was particularly pleased with the rain cover, saying she found it “easy to take on and off”. She also found it offered good coverage, adding that it “fully covered my baby and the seat” when the car seat was attached to the pushchair.

The Peach 8 is also available as a pushchair and carrycot complete bundle without the car seat and base, or as a complete car seat bundle with the Cocoon 360 and base, as tested by Gemma.

How easy is the iCandy Peach 8 to assemble?

Unlike some compact pushchairs that arrive almost ready to go, the iCandy Peach 8 takes a little more time to put together. Gemma spent around an hour assembling it herself and found the process fairly straightforward overall.

She followed the picture instructions provided and didn't need any additional tools, as everything required was included. Her main criticism was that the instructions could have been clearer. “I could have done with a brief written paragraph underneath each picture,” she says, which would have made some of the steps easier to follow.

So, while assembly isn't particularly complicated, it's worth setting aside a little time to put the Peach 8 together rather than expecting to have it ready for its first outing straight out of the box.

The Peach 8 comes in eight stylish colourways, with Gemma testing the warm Coffee Bean shade.

How does the iCandy Peach 8 look?

The iCandy Peach 8 certainly has the premium look you'd expect from a high-end travel system. Gemma tested the Coffee Bean colourway and was impressed by both the design and the quality of the materials.

“The design and colour are both very smart looking,” she says. She also felt the materials were “really good and durable”, while the leather-look handlebar provided a comfortable, secure grip when pushing.

The Peach 8 is available in eight colourways. The Signature range includes Black, Grey, Porcini and Taupe, while the Editions collection features Coffee Bean, Biscotti, Coco and Pecan. Each colourway is paired with its own chassis finish, giving parents plenty of choice whether they prefer something classic or a little more distinctive.

The Peach 8 also benefits from several design updates over previous models, including an extended canopy, refreshed detailing and recycled outer fabrics. It's the kind of pushchair that attracts compliments, but the design isn't just about appearances. The materials feel hard-wearing and well thought out, which is reassuring when you're using it day in, day out with a young family.

Gemma used the Peach 8 with her newborn in the compatible car seat, making it easy to move from car journeys to walks without wake-ups

How sturdy is the iCandy Peach 8?

Gemma put the Peach 8 through its paces on daily dog walks, using it across a variety of surfaces including pavements, grass and gravel. Overall, she felt it was a sturdy and dependable travel system, particularly when it came to suspension and stability.

“I feel like it has good suspension to be able to deal with all terrains,” she says. While she did notice some jolting over exposed tree roots during testing, she generally found the Peach 8 handled different surfaces well and remained comfortable for her baby.

The five-point harness also impressed her. Gemma describes it as “very secure and sturdy” while still being easy to adjust. She particularly appreciated how straightforward it was to use when she was in a hurry, adding that the ease of fastening “doesn’t compromise on safety”.

As a parent of a six-week-old, safety was naturally a priority, and Gemma was reassured by how secure her baby felt in the seat and carrycot. “Once secured, my child can’t slip out of the straps,” she says. “I’m happy and certain that they are strong enough.”

The footbrake performed well during testing too. Gemma used it on hills and felt confident that the pushchair would stay firmly in place when parked. “The brake does its job nicely,” she says, adding that she was happy it wouldn't roll, even on steeper inclines.

While the Peach 8 is a substantial travel system at 18kg, that extra weight contributes to a reassuringly solid feel. Parents looking for something lightweight may prefer a more compact travel system like the Nuna Triv Next, but for Gemma, the Peach 8 felt robust and secure enough to cope with the demands of everyday family life.

How comfortable is the iCandy Peach 8?

Comfort is one area where the Peach 8 scored highly. Gemma's six-week-old son seemed very settled in the pushchair and often fell asleep while out and about.

“My baby looks very cosy in the pushchair and often falls asleep,” she says. “He’s happy to be in it.”

The spacious carrycot is suitable from birth and is approved by The Lullaby Trust for overnight sleeping, while improved ventilation panels at the head and foot help with airflow. Once your baby is ready for the seat unit, there are four recline positions, although it doesn't lie completely flat, so the carrycot is needed for newborns.

Gemma felt the Peach 8 should suit children from birth “up until possibly four years”, thanks to its roomy seat and 25kg weight limit. She also found it comfortable to push, although the carrycot did make the pushchair feel quite bulky when tackling kerbs. “It wasn't that easy to lift the front half of the pushchair up,” she explains.

The adjustable handlebar is useful for parents of different heights, too. Gemma is 5ft 3in while her husband is 6ft 4in, and both could adjust the handlebar to a comfortable height when pushing.

The Peach 8 bundle comes with plenty of useful extras, including a changing bag, cup holder, footmuff, parasol, rain cover and sun screen.

How adaptable is the iCandy Peach 8 for different ages?

Adaptability is one of the Peach 8's biggest selling points. It's designed to grow with your family, starting out as a single pushchair and converting to a double or twin when you need it. The seat can also be used parent-facing or world-facing, while the pushchair is compatible with a car seat.

Gemma used the Peach 8 with her six-week-old baby while her three-year-old made use of the built-in buggy board. She found the carrycot straightforward to attach, particularly when using the extendable adapters.

“I did use the extendable adapters as without these I feel like you use a lot of space in the basket below,” she explains. They were also important for Gemma because they allowed her to use the buggy board with her older child. “For me, the buggy board is a necessity with a newborn and a three-year-old.”

The adapters were easy to fit, although Gemma felt using the same frame for the different configurations could make switching between them less convenient than on some other travel systems. “That's probably a slight downside to it,” she says.

The seat can be switched between parent-facing and forward-facing positions, too. Gemma found this easy to do, although she only tested the change once as she was mainly using the carrycot during testing.

If you're expecting another baby, the Peach 8 can be converted into a double or twin pushchair by adding the Peach 8 Converter Base Kit. This provides the additional frame and adaptors needed to add a second carrycot or seat, so you can create configurations for two babies or a newborn and older child. You'll need to purchase additional carrycot or seat fabrics depending on the configuration you want.

For Gemma, the built-in buggy board was particularly useful for managing a newborn and a three-year-old, while the option to add a second seat or carrycot gives the Peach 8 plenty of scope to grow with a family.

What’s the iCandy Peach 8 like to use day to day?

The Peach 8 is a substantial travel system, but Gemma found it straightforward to use for everyday outings, from dog walks to trips to the supermarket.

She found it easy to steer overall, although it wasn't quite as effortless when pushing one-handed. Manoeuvrability was also one area where she felt there was room for improvement, particularly with the carrycot attached. “The pushchair felt a bit stiff when using the carrycot part to bump it up a curb,” she explains.

On uneven ground, Gemma found the suspension did a reasonable job, although it wasn't completely bump free. She noticed the pushchair jolted when she encountered exposed tree roots on grass, rather than gliding smoothly over them. On more straightforward surfaces, however, she was happy with the ride and felt “the suspension does its job”.

The Peach 8 fitted comfortably through all the doorways Gemma used, which is worth noting given its larger travel-system design. The car seat was also fairly easy to attach, although Gemma initially found the connection a little confusing. “It almost just sits onto the frame without any ‘clicks into place’,” she says. “For a while I thought I was doing it wrong.”

For everyday storage, the 10kg basket is generously sized and easily accommodated a changing bag, although Gemma felt it could be “very slightly deeper”. For supermarket trips and everyday essentials, though, she found there was plenty of room.

How easy is the iCandy Peach 8 to fold and unfold?

Folding the Peach 8 wasn't quite as straightforward for Gemma as she'd hoped. She found the frame “a bit stiff” when folding and needed to put her foot on the buggy board to keep the pushchair steady while pushing the handlebar down, even with the brake on.

Unfolding also took some getting used to. Gemma found that pressing the grey release button didn't work unless she first pushed the frame back together. “This took me a long time to work out,” she says, adding that she eventually watched a couple of videos to figure out the right technique.

Once folded, the Peach 8 does lock into place, although Gemma wasn't completely convinced it always stayed in the locked position. She found she needed to push the frame back together again before she could unfold it.

On the plus side, the Peach 8 can stand upright when folded, although it rests on its handlebar and rear wheels. Gemma noticed that this meant the handlebar was in contact with the ground, which could potentially cause some wear over time.

The Peach 8's folding mechanism is therefore one of the areas where Gemma felt there was room for improvement. It becomes easier once you know the technique, but compared with a lightweight pushchair designed for quick folding, it takes a little more effort and patience.

Despite its size, the Peach 8 folds neatly into the boot, and Gemma found it easy enough to lift in and out of the car.

How well does the iCandy Peach 8 fit in a car boot?

Despite being a fairly substantial travel system, Gemma was pleasantly surprised by how little space the Peach 8 took up in her car boot. She also found it manageable to lift in, which is useful when you're regularly loading and unloading a pushchair.

“I was very happy with how little space this takes up in my boot,” she says. In fact, there was still enough room for her German Shepherd to travel alongside it, which is a pretty good test of how much space the Peach 8 leaves for everything else.

The Peach 8's folded dimensions are 29 x 70 x 61cm, so while it isn't a tiny fold, Gemma's experience suggests it can still work well in a family car without taking over the entire boot.

How easy is the iCandy Peach 8 to clean?

For a pushchair that's likely to see its fair share of food spills, muddy walks and general baby-related mess, the Peach 8 is refreshingly easy to clean. Gemma found that the fabric sections can be zipped off and put in the washing machine, making it easier to give the pushchair a proper clean when needed.

“I have only washed this once so far and it has come out looking good as new again,” she says.

That's particularly handy with a travel system that's designed to last from newborn through to the toddler years, when mess is pretty much inevitable.

Is the iCandy Peach 8 good value for money?

At £1,699 for the complete bundle with the Cocoon 360 car seat and base, the Peach 8 is firmly at the premium end of the travel-system market. However, Gemma felt the price was justified by the quality, features and longevity.

“I feel the price for this pushchair is perfect for its quality and features,” she says. Having used another pushchair for three years that was slightly cheaper, she felt the Peach 8 offered something extra in terms of its finish and overall appearance, adding that her previous pushchair “doesn't hold the 'luxury looks like this one does”.

There's also plenty included for the money, from the carrycot, footmuff and changing bag to the rain cover, parasol, cup holder and car seat adapters. The Peach 8 can then adapt from a single to a double or twin pushchair, so there's potential for it to stay in use as your family grows.

For parents looking for a travel system that feels premium and comes with a good selection of accessories as standard, Gemma's experience suggests the Peach 8 offers plenty for the price. The upfront cost is high, but its ability to work from newborn through to around four years old – and potentially for a second child – gives it a longer lifespan than a pushchair you'll quickly outgrow.

About the author

Tammy Jacks has over 20 years of experience in the publishing industry, holding key roles such as Managing Editor and Health & Beauty Editor for Woman & Home magazine in South Africa, and Assistant Editor for Living and Loving - a parenting title focused on children's health and development. She has also contributed to various lifestyle publications (including magazines, journals and newspapers) and edited books for fitness influencers and health professionals.

As a researcher and writer, Tammy specialises in children's development, wellbeing and safety, particularly focusing on car seats, having written extensive guides for Mumsnet on rear-facing car seats as well as car seat regulations in the UK.

Her expertise in this area is informed by both professional knowledge and personal experience as a mother. As a keen runner and cyclist Tammy has also reviewed numerous baby travel products with her daughter in tow, including strollers and pushchairs, child bike seats, all-terrain prams and the best running buggies on the market, thus offering valuable insights into safety, comfort, and convenience for families.