CARS.COM — After testing for crash performance, ease of use and vehicle fit, Consumer Reports has named the five best-performing convertible car seats. These top-scoring convertible car seats cost as little as $45 to as much as $300, proving that a higher price doesn't necessarily mean a higher level of safety.
Related: Car Seat Checks
Convertible car seats are used in a rear- or forward-facing position and can be used with kids of various sizes. This seat has a five-point harness and a tether strap that's used mainly in the forward-facing position.
To rate car seats, Consumer Reports' team uses crash-test results, ease of use and vehicle fit for assessment. The five convertible seats with the best overall ratings are:
- Chicco Nextfit ($300)
- Britax Marathon ClickTight ($265)
- Evenflo SureRide/Titan 65 ($100)
- Cosco Scenera Next ($45)
- Graco Contender ($140)
Click here for Consumer Reports' full test results (subscription required).
Consumer Reports is also now recommending that parents move their child to a rear-facing convertible seat no later than 1 year old. Federal guidelines currently state that parents should move their little one into a rear convertible after their child exceeds the height or weight limit of the rear-facing infant seat; for many kids, that's well before age 1, but smaller babies may be within the height and weight limits of the infant seat even after they turn 1.
Consumer Reports crash-tested infant car seats in 2014 and found that the child-sized crash-test dummy's head struck the simulated front passenger seat's seatback, which could harm the child. With the rear-facing convertible crash tests, the same-size test dummy's head didn't touch the seatback. This difference in test results led Consumer Reports to make its new age recommendation for rear-facing convertible use.
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