Britax approved vehicles list

[snappybadger]

A few months ago I bought a Britax Kidfix SICT for ds to move into when he outgrows his Besafe Izi Combi. Having a look at it today I see that it comes with a list of approved cars and says that the ISOFIX installation may only be used with cars on this list.

I have a Seat Ibiza 2007 plate. The list only has Seat Ibiza 2008 and 2010 on it. Does this mean I shouldn't use the ISOFIX installation? Will it be unsafe to do so?

I am really annoyed as I specifically wanted ISOFIX - okay it's my fault I should have checked before I bought it, but I genuinely didn't expect to have any issues as my car is fairly new and has ISOFIX fittings!

I have tried emailing Britax directly to ask but so far haven't received a reply. Just wondered what others on there think?

If you have a Twitter account, you could tweet your question to @BritaxUK - they are usually pretty quick to respond.

I can't think of any reason why it would be unsafe to use this seat in your car if it has ISOFIX connectors fitted. Since the Kidfix SICT is a booster seat, the ISOFIX connectors are primarily used to keep the seat in a stable upright position rather than as a safety restraint device (many non-ISOFIX boosters just have a hooking mechanism that goes under the seat headrest to keep them in place). Remember that, unlike a Group 1 seat with harness, a child sitting in a booster is restrained by the adult seat belt, not the ISOFIX connectors.

I bought the non-SICT versions of this seat for my twin boys a couple of weeks ago - they are great. The SICT are too wide to fit 3 seats along the back of a Picasso so they weren't an option.

Obviously, check with Britax first but you should be fine.

Good luck

UPDATE: Looking at the Manual (see image attached), the Kidfix XP SICT is fine in the 5 door (2002+) models of the Seat Ibiza (with 1.35m max height limit) - page 44. NB: the year cited is the first year of manufacture, not the year that your particular vehicle must have been manufactured. If it's a 5-door, then your 2007 Ibiza would come within the 2002+ category. I can't think why the XP SICT would be any different to the non-XP SICT.

Thank you so much helicopterdad! Mine is a 5 door so it should be fine. Like you I can't think of any reason why using the ISOfix connections would make it unsafe, if it is safe to use it without!

You're very welcome.
They're great seats. One of my twins insisted on the Zebra print though
Let me know if you need any more help with anything - I have become a bit of a Britax Car Seat anorak!

It probably just means that Britax never had a chance to test the KidFix in that particular model, not that the seat does not fit.

Lol! I quite like the zebra print...mine is just boring plain black. But it was a bargain price so I'm not complaining (as long as I can actually use it!).

Thanks AliceMum it just seems odd that Britax explicitly state that the Isofix fittings must only be used with cars on the approved vehicles list. It makes me assume that it's not safe in other cars/models/years if they are not on the list.

Still I can't really see how it can be unsafe as long as it does fit in my car and it's position isn't affected because of the Isofix connectors for some reason. I guess I won't know for sure until I try it in the car....a job for the weekend I think!

I just went through the online fit finder, it says it should fit in the two outboard rear seats but the vehicle interior does not allow for full headrest adjustment so only suitable up to 135cm. No mention of the Isofix fitting or not.

Just had formal response back from Britax Customer Care team:

"We thank you for your email.

We can confirm that the Britax Kidfix SICT high back booster seat has not been approved to go into your 2007 Seat Ibiza (4 door Stylance). We would not recommend using this car seat in your vehicle as it has not had the testing to confirm that it is safe to use.

We hope this is helpful."

I sent a strongly worded email back saying that no, it was not helpful to find out that a seat I had bought in good faith from a brand leader like Britax was not safe to use in my car!

That's odd isn't it, the fit finder definitely has the kidfix sl and the kidfix sl sict for the 2002-2008 Ibiza but with that warning re height of child. We have a 11 Ibiza and the details are different, there is no warning/height restriction. I have no idea on what basis it would be unsafe.

The Kidfix SICT is different to the Kidfix SL SICT and the Kidfix XP SICT - 1 had rigid ISOFIX and the other SOFT LATCH (as per most US car seats).

There are actually no approved vehicles listed on the Britax website for the standard Kidfix SICT model - www.britax.co.uk/customer-service/support

Where did you buy the seat from and did you get any advice from the seller? You might be able to return it? Is it still in its packaging and perfect condition?

I bought it online from Amazon back in November, so didn't think I'd be able to return it. But I just phoned them up about it and explained the situation and they have agreed it's unusual circumstances and will be happy to take it back from me and do a refund. Great customer service from Amazon. Britax however, I have emailed again to point out that it might be helpful to have approved vehicle lists online for all their models that are still available to purchase, rather than just the latest models!

I had a problem using the fit finder on their website a few months back, where my car had previously listed for the seat I won, and they checked that my car fitted when I won the seat.

When I double checked it a couple of months ago, my car had disappeared from the list. I emailed them and got the same standard response as you, so I laboured the point with them that they had even checked. Eventually they checked with their technical department and sure enough, my car was approved for that seat.

Would it be worth emailing Britax and asking their technical/testing department to double check, as there have been issues with models disappearing from the online fit finder before?

Have you considered the SL SICT Version?

I think that one is on the list for your vehicle subject to the 1.35m max headroom issue.

There is a youtube video of the SL model at the end of this Kidfix review here

The warning about the height might be to do with the shape of your car and the way the pillars bend in by the rear seat.

We used to have a Renault Scenic (the 2003-2009 model) and we had a Britax Evolva for DS. When he was aged about 5, and average height, the headrest was already rubbing on the door pillars. We have changed cars since then, but we would not have been able to keep using the Evolva on one of the outer rear seats because the headrest could not be moved up any higher. The only option would have been to use in on the middle seat in the back.

It's definitely the pillars, although the height warning isn't there for the 08 onwards Ibiza there is definitely a point at which the headrests will not adjust higher. We have 2 hbb and a joie tilt in ours though so the outboard seats are closer to the doors than if we had nothing in the middle seat.

Amazon courier picked up the Britax car seat for return today...the day after I called them - excellent service!

My son is only 15kg right now so still has 3kg to go until he outgrows his Besafe rearfacing seat.

I have a Kiddy World Plus seat which I bought specifically for taking abroad as it's very light and portable. They don't seem to have been reviewed by Which? here in the UK but get good reviews in the US. I'm not sure whether I will just stick with using that once he outgrows the Besafe or whether I'll look for something else.

The only reason I got the Britax Kidfix rather than stick with the Kiddy World Plus was because I wanted an isofix seat ideally. I'll have a look at the SL SICT version you mentioned though HelicopterDad.