Car seats on test - please read

[BonyM]

I recently read the "Which" report on baby and child car seats and was shocked at how few of them performed well.

Apparently the results are based on a front-end crash at 30mph (and if results are so poor at this low speed I shudder to think what they would be like at higher speeds).

Thought I would share this with others - description .

Not sure if link will work as it may be password protected. If not, I'll try to cut and paste.

Yep, it's password protected

No - doesn't work.

Can't cut and paste either, but top scorers for safety were:

From birth:
Britax cosy tot premium, Maxi cosy Cabrio and Mothercare Travel Tot
Bottom were: bebe confort Iseas safe side, Britax first class SI and Mamas and Papas Navetta carrycot

From 9kg -
Top: Britax duo isofix and Maxi cosi Priori (although maxi cost not great in front crash.
Bottom: Chicco Zenith, Meggi combi and Mothercare Runner.

From 15kg -
Top - Britax Kid
Bottom - Mamas and Papas Passaggio.

From the report:

Now for the Good News

Fortunately, it?s not all scare stories for parents. We?ve tested a range of different types of seat (only a couple of them were carrycots), and there are models that offer good protection to babies and young children of all sizes. But you still have to choose with care.

Children should be entitled to the same protection as adults in a crash. That?s what we think, but cars are generally designed with seat belts to fit adults, and are crash tested using the European New Car Assessment Programme (EuroNCAP) crash conditions.

The standards for child seats, on the other hand, are much lower than Euro NCAP?s. To meet the compulsory standard (called ECE R44.03), a child seat must be able to withstand a low-speed front crash test, equivalent to around 30mph, without a child sustaining any serious injury. There?s no requirement for a side-impact crash at all.

We don?t think this is enough, so we use the same severe EuroNCAP-derived crash situations used to assess adult protection. This means, for example, a front crash at about 40mph and also a side-impact test.
On the up

Last year, of a total of 62 models tested for a consortium of European consumer groups (including Which?), only five were rated good overall. This year, eight of the 27 new models we tested were rated as good. (The table includes models tested last year which are still available.) The signs are positive, with at least some of the seat makers taking notice and giving serious thought to better protecting children.

However, you still need to choose wisely. Even though all the seats pass the compulsory safety standard, there are big differences in the protection they offer in a crash. For example, a child in the seat with the highest overall score, the Maxi Cosi Rodi XP, would be unlikely to suffer any serious injury in either the front or side crashes. But use some of the other seats and your child could suffer horrific injuries in the same sort of crash.

The Chicco Zenith, Meggy Kombi and Mothercare Runner seats all scored a worst in the front crash test. This means that a child would almost certainly have chest, neck and head injuries in the 40mph front crash.

how about the Urban Detour Peninsula infant carrier any idea where it ranked??

It's not mentioned munz, sorry. Looks like the report's just been updated since my last post!!!!:

Best Buy guide
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Safety standards for child seats continue to rise, so some of the seats we recommended last year are no longer Best Buys. Of course, using any child seat is better than using none at all, and last year?s Best Buys still offer much better protection than other seats on the market.

We don?t consider price when choosing Best Buys, as we recommend only the safest seats.
Babies from birth to 13kg (birth to around 18 months)
Britax Cosy Tot Isofix

The Britax Cosy Tot Isofix, £180 from John Lewis and Mothercare, is the first Isofix seat for babies in the UK. It has a rear leg support that rests on the car floor (see features explained), which means this seat is only semi-universal and won?t fit in all cars, even if they have Isofix fittings. Check whether it?s suitable for your car before buying one.

Britax Cosy Tot Premium

Hot on its heels is the Britax Cosy Tot Premium, £95 from John Lewis and Mothercare, which is the non-Isofix version of the Cosy Tot. It has very clear instructions and offers excellent head support.

Maxi-Cosi Cabrio

Two other models follow those closely.

The Maxi-Cosi Cabrio, £75 from Halfords, is easy to use and does well in all our crash tests.

Mothercare Travel Tot

The Mothercare Travel Tot, * £40 from Mothercare, does well in our crash tests and is quite easy to use, though it is slightly more difficult to feed the belt through this seat than on some others.

• Mothercare also supplies the Travel Tot Deluxe, which is a seat of the same basic design, but which comes with a higher-specification trim and costs more.

Children from 9kg to 18kg (from around nine months to about four years old)

For this group of seats, it?s been more difficult choosing Best Buys, as the standards in this group are generally not as high as for other weight groups.

Britax Duo Plus Isofix

The Britax Duo Plus Isofix, widely available for £190, is by far the best seat in this weight category when used in Isofix mode. Its performance is acceptable when fitted using belts, but not up to Best Buy standards.

Mamas & Papas Pro Tec

If your car doesn?t have Isofix fittings, the Mamas & Papas Pro Tec, £130 from independent stores, is the best of the belted options in this group. It fits in most cars. Safety is on a par with the Duo Plus, but it?s not quite as easy to use.

Children from 15kg to 36kg (from about four years to 11 years)

Seats in this category don?t have integral harnesses but use the car?s own belt to secure both the seat and the child.

Concord Lift Protect

The Concord Lift Protect, £75 from independent stores, is easy to install and gives excellent head and leg support.

Concord Lift Evo

The Concord Lift Evo, £90 from independent stores, is very easy to use and gives children a good view.

Maxi-Cosi Rodi XP

The Maxi-Cosi Rodi XP, £85 from Halfords, was our best seat in this category in 2004, and is still competitive. It?s very easy to use and does well in our safety tests.

Britax Hi-Liner

The newcomer Britax Hi-Liner, £55 from Boots, John Lewis, Mothercare and Toys R Us, is very easy to use and matches the Maxi-Cosi and Concords for safety.

Britax Kid

The Britax Kid, £70 from Toys R Us, remains a good choice, and is the most comfortable seat in this group.

So it looks like the Britax Hi-Liner is the best one for older kids then? It's cheaper than the others and matches both Concorde and Maxi Cosi Rodi for safety - can someone tell me if there's any reason why I shouldn't buy one of those? (I'm so paranoid)

Bear in mind they didn't test every seat available in uk so some not listed may well be fine too. Yes, there are some to avoid if you are buying new but most of the middle ones were much of a muchness. Bony M, aren't there others on the Not Recommended list like the Britax Cruiser and Ranger which can use an adult belt from 10.5kg and Trio which converts from harness to adult belt ?

Also bear in mind the report will be redone in the next few months for publication in the sumemr and no doubt the results will vary.

A detailed summary of the findings is here