Foldable car seats for a 3.5 - 4 year old? Hifold, Chicco fold, etc

[ParentOfOne]

Can you help me understand what foldable car seats (so no backless boosters) exist for a 3.5 - 4 year old (96cm)? We'll need it in the UK and Europe. We have a big, bulky, heavy car seat in our car - here we're looking for something more compact when we travel by train and aeroplane, and then need to take taxis, lifts from relatives, etc. We fully appreciate that the more compact ones will not be as safe but are hoping to find a reasonable compromise between bulk and safety.

The most compact one I know of is the Hifold: mifold.co.uk/products/hifold-the-fit-and-fold-booster Many reviewers complain it doesn't seem too safe, but are there actual crash tests?

The Peg-Perego Viaggio 2-3 flex uk.pegperego.com/store/peguk/en_GB/car-seats/all-car-seats/viaggio-2-3-flex/p/IMVF000035DX13DX79 does not fold as small but seem sturdier. 6.7 kg, requires isofix

The Chicco Fold and Go seems very similar to the Peg Perego: www.chicco.co.uk/products/8058664140473.foldgo-i-size-air-100-150-cm.html ; requires isofix

The Urban Kanga is only 3 kg urbankanga.com/en/car-seats/ and doesn't require isofix, but goes only up to 4 years

The Maxi-Cosi Nomad goes only up to 4 years: www.maxi-cosi.co.uk/car-seats/nomad

The Nachfolger is a German inflatable (!) one, but is very expensive and only goes up to 5 years - I wouldn't want to spend €400 to then only use it 18 months or so www.nachfolger.com/en/

A quick search has also brought up this TinySeats I had never heard of: tinyseats.com/uk/privacy-policy

Am I missing anything?

The Hifold seems the most convenient / compact but I'm not sure about safety. Which? has a review but it's behind a paywall: www.which.co.uk/reviews/child-car-seats/mifold-hifold-fit-and-fold-booster

Thanks!

PS The problem with the isofix fitting is that you cannot be sure the vehicle will be compatible. Most modern cars have it, but vehicles like the minivsn from a hotel to the airport sometimes don't.

OK so you have identified 2 different types of seat here:

High backed boosters (the hifold, Chicco and Peg Perego) - to use these, the child is secured with the adult seatbelt and must be either 15kg or 100cm to use, depending on whether it's approved to the R44 (weight based) standard or newer R129 (height based) standard. Ideally, in the car seat industry it's recommended that children are both a minimum of 15kg and 100cm tall. Best practice is to wait until nearer 18kg/105cm or whenever the harnessed seat is outgrown. At 96cm currently, it's likely your little one will need another 6-12 months to reach the 100cm minimum. If they are on a similar centile for weight, they are also unlikely to be 15kg yet, so may be too small for any high backed booster.

Group 1/harness seats (the Nomad, Urban Kanga, Nachfolger) - these use a harness to restrain the child and are suitable up to a maximum of 18kg or 105cm depending again whether the seat is approved to the height or weight based standard. Because of the harness, even height based harness seats have a max weight limit. They say up to age 4, but this is approximate. Some children will fit into them for longer and it's safe to keep using them if they are under the weight and height limit. Your little one sounds on the smaller side for their age, based purely on the height it looks like somewhere between 2nd and 9th centile, so this kind of seat might well last until more like 5 years old. Their weight may change this estimate.

Tinyseats is a hybrid, covering both types and weight/height classes.

So, the high back booster seats:

The Hifold is weight based, so needs a minimum weight of 15kg. No minimum height (but bear the 100cm recommendation in mind). It was included in the 2020 ADAC tests. You can see the results of those through Which? (in English and detailed, but paid) or here for free in German (all further OAMTC links can also be viewed on Which?):
www.oeamtc.at/tests/kindersitztest/kindersitztest-2020-fruhjahr/mifold-hifold-fit-and-fold-booster-38016191

3.5 is not a good safety score (lower is better) - good boosters score under 2, average between 2 and 3. It seems that the side impact protection is basically useless, so it might as well be a backless booster - you say you don't want to look at these, but the Trunki Boostapak might well actually offer a better belt routing over the lap, and the Hifold doesn't seem to offer any advantage in side impact.

Peg Perego has no independent crash test. As it's a high backed booster, the isofix is optional, as the child is secured using seatbelt. But it doesn't look to offer any advantage over a non-travel booster seat to me. You may as well buy a lightweight HBB seat like a Britax Adventure or Joie Trillo.

Chicco Fold and Go is the best option out of all the portable booster seats, with a safety score of 2.5 and the extra strap to keep the lap belt in place, however it has a minimum height requirement of 100cm, so your child is not big enough to use it yet. Again the isofix is totally optional because it's a booster seat.
www.oeamtc.at/tests/kindersitztest/kindersitztest-2020-fruhjahr/chicco-fold-go-i-size-38016380

The harness seats:

Maxi Cosi Nomad / Urban Kanga are very similar types of seat. They fit in more or less exactly same way. There is no crash test on the Maxi Cosi yet but there is one on the Urban Kanga. Maxi Cosi is a trusted company with a good reputation, whereas Urban Kanga are new to the market offering only this travel seat. The Urban Kanga has been out longer so may have more reviews (only really helpful for judging practicality/longevity/comfort, not safety unless the reviewer happens to have been in a crash). From the fitting videos of both, the Urban Kanga has shallower head wings and looks flimsier overall. The Maxi Cosi certainly looks sturdier, but whether that translates into better protection, I'm not sure.

www.oeamtc.at/tests/kindersitztest/kindersitztest-2022-fruehjahr/urban-kanga-uptown-tv107-51135638

The crash test rating is not good; the side impact protection is basically nothing at all (more of a problem for this age group which is why it gets a worse score) and they rate it with a high risk of making an error while using, which is a problem, because if it's not fitted correctly then it's likely to perform worse even than this already not-great score.

Nachfolger is probably the best option safety wise in this category; it's rear facing which confers a significant advantage, particularly compared with low-performing forward facing seats. The downside is the inflation time and the installation is a bit more complex. There are several models; be sure to get the one that does not require top tether. When using without top tether you must brace the seat on the front dashboard which means turning airbags off. This might be inconvenient or unrealistic in some situations. Download the individual instruction manuals to see the differences in fitting.

It's been tested twice as two separate models. The crash test of the original model was downgraded because the top tether hook touched the head of the dummy and they felt this was a risk; the actual performance was 1 point better - 2.3 for frontal, which is a very good score in this category. As you can see, the performance is even better in the newer model. 1.9 for a harnessed seat is fantastic.
www.oeamtc.at/tests/kindersitztest/kindersitztest-2018-herbst/nachfolger-hy5-tt-27988337
www.oeamtc.at/tests/kindersitztest/kindersitztest-2019-fruehjahr/nachfolger-hy5-1-tt-31839924

TinySeats is a bit of an unusual one with the isofix base. Again no crash test on it. It looks heavy. The inclusion of a booster mode seems strange and I wonder why they have done that, perhaps to make it seem like it lasts longer? But once you are in the booster age/stage, you will surely want a lighter and more practical travel option than this. I also wonder if including a booster option compromises on the other modes, it does seem to in most multi-mode seats for everyday use (that have been crash tested). However, great to have another option for rear facing if you want to, and the isofix plus support leg is likely to offer better protection from a frontal crash, though it doesn't look that different from the Urban Kanga for side impacts. As you note, needing isofix may be a problem.

Since your child might not be quite in the weight/height region for booster seats just yet, what about a lightweight standard type car seat? Something like Britax Eclipse (which is additionally plane approved) or Joie Steadi (which has a rear facing option). These are cheaper than most of the folding options so it might not matter that you'll only get a couple of years out of it. Or even the cheaper generic/own brand type supermarket seats by Nania etc - these tend to be pretty flimsy, and average to low on the performance end, but they are light, seatbelt fitted, cheap to buy and they score better than the Urban Kanga. Something like Nania Racer SP or Nania I-Max SP
www.oeamtc.at/tests/kindersitztest/kindersitztest-2019-herbst/nania-racer-sp-34844200
www.oeamtc.at/tests/kindersitztest/kindersitztest-2017-fruehjahr/nania-i-max-sp-21030878

Wow, thank you so much for the very detailed response!

Is there an age - height beyond which a backed booster doesn't offer much advantage over a backless one? Is it because of side protection, does a 3 year old need side protection more than a 10 year old, and so is it pretty much fine if a 10 year old sits on a backless booster like the Trunki?

So the isofix is optional on the Chicco Fold and Go and the Peg Perego? Meaning I can use these two even in a car which doesn't have isofix? I would have been worried that, in a crash, a seat not blocked by isofix might propel the child forward too much.

It seems the best option is probably something like:

The Maxi-cosi Nomad (hoping it is better than the poorly rated Urban Kanga) till he grows to 105ish cm, then
The Chicco Fold n go or the Peg Perego after that

I thought the HiFold would have been safer than a backless Trunki booster, but maybe not so much. Are you aware of tests for the Trunki or similar boosters? If I search the website you linked for "Trunki" or "booster" I don't find much.

I wouldn't consider something like the Britax Eclipse or the Joie Steady because they are too similar to the one we have now, which works great in our car but is a huge pain to carry around in an airport or a train - we were really looking for something more compact and which folds a bit.

The Nachfolger is expensive, and I can imagine inflating it would be quite a faff while a taxi driver is waiting.

You say you're not clear about the advantages of a Peg-Perego over a traditional booster. I was thinking weight (at 6.7 kg it's not a feather but ordinary boosters can be heavier) and bulk, because it folds kind of flat and is easier to carry around. We have taken a few flights with an ordinary car seat in a huge shoulder bag - not fun, with the car seat that you can't place on top of the suitcase trolley, and which keeps swinging from your shoulder.

Agree that Tinyseats looks too heavy (13 kg)

Thanks again!

A high backed booster always offers an advantage over a backless one, even when they get to the maximum age when they don't really need one any more. It just is something else between their head and the side of the car. Bonus points if it's a well designed one with something like energy-absorbing foam in there or a pop out piece on the side to shorten the gap between the door and the seat. But side protection is valuable both for a 3 year old and a 10 year old.

In general terms experts now recommend the minimum weight/height to use a backless booster, including the Trunki type ones is 22kg or 125cm. (Legally, it's still minimum 15kg - the 22kg is more best practice). They work reasonably well for children over this size to correct the belt position (without the head protection obviously) whereas children under this size typically need something more to bring the shoulder belt down. A lot of backless boosters have a little red clip to move the shoulder belt but that doesn't really do anything in a crash. It may help prevent the belt rubbing their neck in day to day use.

Unfortunately no I don't know of a consumer crash test for the bubble bum or Trunki. But they likely wouldn't do well, because backless boosters don't tend to do very well in those tests as they look for side impact protection. There has been some info from America in the last couple of years showing an advantage to the solid piece ones like Trunki in comparison to inflatable boosters like Bubble Bum.

Isofix is always optional on high backed boosters and yes it is optional on these two. The reason is that the seat isn't performing any restraining function at all, only the seatbelt is. The motion of the crash would propel the child forwards; the seatbelt holds them (and the booster seat) back. Isofix doesn't make a difference to the performance of the seatbelt. There is a fear that a very heavy high backed booster could have this pushing forward problem, but that doesn't apply to lighter ones anyway.

The Britax and Joie I mentioned both weigh about 4kg which is substantially lighter than the Peg Perego. I don't think they fold, but many high backed boosters come apart for initial transport to the consumer; there's no reason you couldn't do this for travel. But since it sounds like this might be a couple of years away (you didn't mention your child's weight?) you could wait for further crash test info/new models anyway.

Thank you, super useful! How do you know so much - do you work in the industry?

It's more of an interest really, but I'd like to in the future! I did work in a baby goods shop for a while so I have some experience fitting them, and I have three children of my own.