Thule Palm review: a lightweight high-back booster seat that fits smaller cars

The Thule Palm comes with removable side impact protection

How we tested the Thule Palm

• Two months of using the Thule Palm multiple times a week

• Tested with a four-year-old

• Tested in a Ford Fiesta

• Typical journey lengths of between 10 and 40 minutes

My four-year-old used the Thule Palm once a week in his grandmother's Ford Fiesta for what we’ve affectionately dubbed “Nanna Wednesdays”. That means school pick-ups, swimming lessons, supermarket runs and park trips. 

Most journeys were between 10 and 40 minutes, with the occasional longer outing thrown in. This isn’t his primary car seat - we use the Axkid Up in our family car - but it’s far from an occasional spare. We’ve been using it consistently for two months and have been able to compare it to the Axkid Up to see how it fares.

To ensure a thorough test, I scored the car seat on the following criteria: performance, safety features, ease of use, value for money, ease of installation, comfort, and adjustability. I then collated these scores to give the Thule Palm an overall star rating out of five.

Thule Palm: what’s in the box?

• Thule Palm car seat

• Integrated ISOFIX connectors

• Removable side impact protection

• Instruction manual

The Thule Palm comes in three colours

Thule Palm: how does it look?

Out of the box, you get the seat itself, its integrated ISOFIX connectors, removable side impact protection and a manual - that’s really it. No unnecessary extras and no confusing assembly.

Right away it struck me as lighter than I expected for a high-back booster seat, yet it didn’t feel flimsy at all. The plastics are solid and the padding generous. There’s a premium feel to the materials and - unusually for a car seat - it doesn’t look bulky in a small car like a Fiesta. In fact, it looks well-proportioned rather than squeezed in.

Thule’s heritage in outdoor gear shows in the design. The upholstery looks and feels high quality. I chose a lighter colourway, which admittedly shows dirt more quickly, but the overall aesthetic is modern and understated. There are three colours to choose from: soft beige (which I tested), mid grey and black.

It doesn’t scream “baby seat”, which matters when you have a younger sibling keen to feel grown up. It genuinely looks good in the car - and that’s not something I say about many car seats for a four-year-old.

Children are strapped in securely using the vehicle's seat belt

Thule Palm: how easy is it to install?

The Thule Palm uses ISOFIX to secure the seat to the car, with your vehicle’s three-point seat belt holding your child in place. The belt guides are intuitive and, importantly, they actually keep the belt in place - something I haven’t found with every high-back booster seat we’ve used. That alone reduces the risk of incorrect routing.

In my mum’s Ford Fiesta, space is tight and front-seat legroom is non-negotiable, so bulky car seats can quickly become a frustration. The Palm fits neatly without overwhelming the back seat or creeping into the front passenger’s space. Even with the front seat adjusted, there was no noticeable compromise on legroom.

Installing the Thule Palm took less than five minutes. There’s no complicated assembly - you simply need to position the seat, extend the ISOFIX arms and click them into place. Removing it is straightforward too. The ISOFIX has a simple click-and-release system, so you don’t have to press and hold awkward buttons while wrestling the seat out.

Once installed, the Palm feels stable and the ISOFIX keeps it steady even without my child in it. My mum hasn’t complained once about it sliding around when she’s driving solo.

The Palm is slim enough to sit comfortably alongside another car seat, which matters when you have two children sharing the back seat like I do. In wider cars, I can see how three across might be possible but, in a Fiesta, two is realistic and comfortable. And at around 7kg, the Palm is light enough to move between cars without it feeling like a workout.

There are 15 headrest positions to choose from

What are the safety features like on Thule Palm?

The Thule Palm is an R129 i-Size (R129/04), forward-facing-only high-back booster for children between 100 and 150cm tall. As a seat-belt booster, it relies on correct belt positioning rather than a harness, so design and guidance really matter at this stage. At the time of writing, it has not yet received an independent ADAC test rating.

In everyday use, the belt routing is well thought through. The guides keep the shoulder and lap belt sitting where they should and, importantly, the belt doesn’t slip out when my son climbs in or out. I’ve had that happen with pricier seats, and it makes misuse more likely.

At four, my son is right at the start of the 100cm bracket. He’s tall for his age and, crucially, able to sit properly with a seat belt.

The headrest is well padded and incorporates Thule’s removable side-impact protection, which is supportive and adds an extra safety layer without making the seat bulky. It also adjusts smoothly as your child grows, with 15 headrest positions to choose from. You don’t have to uninstall the seat to adjust it, so it’s easy to tweak when needed.

The backrest adapts to match the angle of your vehicle seat, helping it sit neatly against the car seat rather than leaving awkward gaps. In a smaller car like a Fiesta, that makes a noticeable difference.

What’s the Thule Palm like to use day to day?

Here’s where the Palm genuinely shines: it makes independence easy and daily journeys like the school run smooth and stress-free. My four-year-old can climb in, pull the belt across his body and buckle himself in. The open design of the high-back booster seat helps, but the belt guides do a lot of the work. They hold the belt in the correct position rather than letting it ping loose when tension drops.

Usually, we use the Axkid Up, but the Palm is lighter (7kg versus the Up’s 9.5kg) and generally easier to manage. Of course, as with any high-back booster seat, you still need to remind a four-year-old to sit properly. The seat can guide a belt, but it can’t fix slouching entirely. Interestingly, his older brother is worse for that than he is.

There’s no built-in cup holder, which some families might miss, but in a smaller car used mainly for shorter journeys, we haven’t found that to be an issue.

Our mini tester found the Thule Palm very comfortable

How comfortable is the Thule Palm?

For a seat that’s relatively lightweight, it doesn’t feel stripped back. The padding around the head rest and sides is substantial. On both shorter and longer journeys, including 40-minute drives to swimming lessons or days out, my four-year-old was perfectly content. 

The fabric feels breathable enough for everyday use, even on warmer days, and the legroom is appropriate for my son’s age and size. Thule offers an optional footrest, which can add extra support on longer journeys and is removable rather than permanently attached to the car seat. In a small car like a Fiesta, it’s not essential but, in a larger SUV, I’d consider it more strongly. The only downside is that it’s an added £80 extra rather than included in the price.

The Thule Palm doesn’t offer adjustable seat height in the way some competitors do. If you’re coming from something like the Axkid Up, which has a patented HeightControl™ system that lets you raise or lower the entire seat (not just the headrest) as your child grows, you’ll notice the Palm is much simpler. But for most families with children within the 100 to 150cm stage, the available adjustment feels sufficient enough. I don’t foresee needing to replace this car seat before my son reaches the upper height limit either.

The Thule Palm can be bought with a footrest but this costs extra

Is the Thule Palm easy to clean?

The covers are removable and machine-washable, which is a real bonus. They come off without too much wrestling, and refitting them doesn’t feel like a puzzle. Biscuit crumbs, the odd sticky fingerprint and the inevitable post-swimming snack have already put that feature to the test, and it’s reassuring to know it can go straight into the washing machine rather than needing spot-cleaning.

Is the Thule Palm good value for money?

With an RRP of £220, the Thule Palm sits in the more premium price bracket, but it earns its place there. Rather than relying on flashy features or complex adjustability, it focuses on doing the fundamentals well: clear belt routing, straightforward installation and a stable, secure fit.

There are cheaper high-back booster seats available, but many don’t feel as solid or as well finished. At the other end of the scale, some higher-priced seats offer more adjustability than most families will realistically use. The Palm strikes a sensible balance.

The ease of use and strong safety credentials stand out for me, and compared with similar high-back booster seats, the price feels justified. It’s notably cheaper than my regular car seat, the Axkid Up, while offering many of the same practical day-to-day benefits. For a seat that’s used weekly and trusted in a grandparent’s car, it feels like a worthwhile investment.

About the author

Rebecca Roberts is Mumsnet’s home and lifestyle expert and a regular car seat tester. As a mum of two school-aged children, she has navigated every stage of child car seat use - from infant carriers and extended rear-facing seats to high-back boosters - giving her first-hand insight into what genuinely works for busy families.

With over a decade of editorial experience, Beccy began her career editing LJMU’s student newspaper before completing her NCTJ diploma and going on to lead content for ExpatWoman in Dubai. Now at Mumsnet, she combines rigorous product testing with lived parenting experience to create clear, trustworthy reviews that help parents feel confident in their choices.