The Best Newborn Car Seats in the UK

Safety in car seats is a priority for all parents. There's plenty of choices when it comes to finding the best newborn car seats by age seat for your little one.

With a soft baby-hugg inlay and enhanced side impact protection The Cybex Cloud T is the best newborn car seat UK. It has a one handed recline and 12 positions for the headrest to adapt to your child’s growing body.

1. Cybex Cloud T

The Cybex Cloud T car seat is the most popular choice for taking your newborn along on trips from the moment they are born until they become toddlers. It's the latest addition to the iconic Cybex Cloud line and features innovative reclining technology that gives your child an ergonomic lie-flat position inside the car and when used alongside a pushchair in the context of the travel system. It is also an ISOFIX vehicle seat, which means it can easily be attached to your vehicle by using the base supplied. It can also be rotated to help get your baby into and out of the seat.

The car seat itself is made of top-quality materials. It comes in a variety of fashionable colors such as Moon Black, Lava Grey, Beach Blue Plus and Seashell Beige Plus. It is a stylish and elegant choice that goes seamlessly with the Cybex T range of prams. It also comes with the Newborn Inlay, which is designed for newborns and premature infants. This helps to maintain an upright position, which reduces the chance that their heads will shift forward during sleep, causing breathing issues. It can be removed once your child is at 60 cm in height.

When it comes to safety the car seat offers superior protection for your child. It scored an impressive 1.7 result in crash tests conducted by ADAC (Allgemeiner Deutsche Automobil-Club e.V). The Cloud T i-Size is equipped with LSP (Linear Side-impact protection) to safeguard your baby in the event of a crash. It also features the innovative Flexi-Fix system that can be stretched to accommodate your child as they expand.

The innovative 180deg rotating system makes it simple to get your baby into and out of the car seat when using it as part of a travel system, paired with a Cybex stroller. No more awkward twisting or reaching. The car seat is also able to be fully reclined for added comfort on long car rides. It is priced at a slightly higher cost than other car seats for this age group, but the extensive list of features including the reclining option and the excellent security features make it worth the money.

2. Maxi-Cosi Pebble Plus

Maxi-Cosi's Pebble Plus is one of the most popular infant car seats available. It's comfortable for babies and easy to use. It is suitable for babies from birth. It can be used either with Maxi-Cosi FamilyFix, EasyFix base, or with your car seat belt system. The car seat can be used with most pushchairs including the Maxi Cosi range, Quinny, iCandy, and Bugaboo, using adapters. The Baby-Hugg infant support is included to ensure the best fit, better laying position, and side impact protection.

The Pebble Plus car seat is a member of Group 0+ that means it is suitable for babies as young as 12 months (45cm to 75cm). It is in line with the new iSize regulations, which require that children remain rear-facing for a longer period of time. It's compatible with the 2way Family base, which allows you to change between forward and rear facing on the same car and has a handy rotation feature.

It's still a comfortable seat, but the latest version has some improvements. It now comes with a more refined baby-hugg inlay which is extremely comfortable and looks great. The shoulder straps are well-cushioned and the headrest is able to be moved up and down as your baby grows. You can remove it at any point, if you don't want to use it again.

It's a little heavier than other infant carseats, at 4.5kg however that isn't a problem if your child is in it for most of the time. It has a handle that can make it easier to carry and is light enough to be lifted into and out of taxis or rideshare vehicles.

It's also a good-looking seat and you can select from a wide range of patterns and colours to match your car. It's not the most affordable infant car seat, but it is an excellent investment that is worth the money for your baby. It can be difficult to adjust the harness's length and height but once you've mastered the art of it, it's easy. You can adjust the straps by pulling down on the back panel, pressing two buttons at the same time.

3. Joie Calmi

If you're in search of a new car seat that is simple to use and holds your baby like a cot, then look no further than Joie Calmi. This carrycot that doubles as a car seat is certified R129, meaning that it's built tough with a sturdy ventilated shell and a plush padding to protect your infant. It features a 3-point harness that's easily reachable with a single-pull tightening device and softly padded covers. It also has lateral positioning, which helps keep your baby's face in the most secure possible position in the event of impact.

This seat's base is compatible with Joie's Aeria and Finiti pushchairs, which means you can remove it and back on the frame easily. It's easy to lift even when your baby is asleep, due to the adjustable handle bars. If you're planning to build a travel set, the iBase Encore adapters let you to connect your Calmi up with MaxiCosi or Britax stroller.

Joie has improved on the design of its previous i-Spin 360, which earned an excellent score in the crash tests of Which? and an A+ rating from ADAC. The most recent model that we tested features a lock that will stop you from rotating the seat to face forward too quickly, making sure your child stays in the rear the longest time possible. It also has a large sun canopy that is water-resistant, with 50+ UV protection and a mesh peekaboo that allows you to check in without disturbing the child.

If you are shopping online for a car seat, you should choose one that offers free delivery to the UK mainland on all purchases. They should also allow returns within 35 days. John Lewis has a great selection of infant car seats with top brands like Cybex, Maxi-Cosi and Silver Cross and offers free click and collect to the nearest store (or to the nearest Sainsbury's branch if you live nearby). On all purchases, you can also earn Nectar points. Argos also has a wide range of car seats at prices starting from PS55. They'll also ship your order free of charge and offer same-day collection in-store and free returns at any Argos store or Sainsbury's branches.

4. Silver Cross Motion All Size 360

The trusted British brand is best known for its high-end prams as well as pushchairs but the Silver Cross Motion all-in-one car seat is making its mark on the market. Our test subject Jasper loved it, calling it "the most stylish of the bunch and also the one that my child seemed to be most comfortable during long journeys."

This fully rotating R129-compliant car seat is able to carry your infant all the way to 12 years of age and was awarded the top rated baby car seats baby toddler, child and car seat award at the ADAC's autumn test in 2022. It's also been tested over and beyond the regulations to ensure your child's safety during every trip.

For babies, it has an adjustable and cozy cushioned insert made of soft bamboo fabrics that's super comfortable and breathable. It's also antibacterial. The body support and head support can be removed as your child grows and the 3 recline and 8 positions for the headrest can be adjusted to suit.

The green light that indicates when the car seat is correctly installed and is now ready to use is an exclusive feature. This makes it a great option for parents who might not be aware of the proper installation and fitting of car seats. It also comes with a convenient stowable strap that can be used in the forward or rear-facing position.

Another major selling point is that it's a constant vehicle fixture which means you don't have to wake your sleeping baby to take out for longer journeys. It's not compatible with travel infant car seat systems like the Britax Romer Dualfix plus iSize or Joie iSpin 360 iSize. You'll need to purchase a separate travel bag.

The Axkid One is a permanently fixed car seat that is permanently fixed. They're not as simple to transport between cars. If you choose to purchase a separate travel bag, pick one that is durable and can withstand the wear and tears of regular use. It's worth paying a bit more to purchase a bag that will last longer than the car seat of your child.