Very well padded so child always looks comfortable.

Sits high on the seat so gives child a good view out.

High sides for good protection but shaped to give plenty of elbow room.

Quite fiddly to fit but does secure very firmly.

Shoulder harness pads are sewn into place which prevents twisting and ensures they are always in the correct position but this also means they cannot be removed for cleaning.

  Crotch pad is very well padded but often gets caught under the child as they get into position – this becomes more of a problem as child gets bigger and heavier to manoeuvre off it again.

Reclines well when forward-facing but when rearward-facing we felt it was too upright for a newborn – would really need a head hugger.

Expensive – there are many seats which do a similar job for less money.

Babyworld verdict: A well finished, good quality car seat which has some versatility and superb padding. We preferred it forward-facing but if you are not going to use it from birth then it is comparatively expensive.

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Mothercare Challenger
Manufacturer: Mothercare Price: £74.99 Suitability: From birth to 18kg Features: Forward and rearward-facing car seat. Padded, three-position shoulder harness with padded crotch strap and one-pull adjuster. Seat reclines. The velour seat covers are removable and machine-washable. Includes a reversible body cushion.

Testers’ comments:

  Lush use of velour fabrics gives seat a very soft, comfy feel.

  Included body cushion adds good support and comfort especially for a young child and removes for an older child.

Thickly padded harness and crotch straps. 

Buckle simple to lock, harness well padded and one-pull adjuster is quick and easy to use.

Seat sits quite high in the car to give child good window vision.

Simple fitting design but a bit fiddly – does require a good long seat belt for rearward facing.

Recline is hard to adjust and fairly minimal.

Not the widest seat so less roomy for a larger child.

Babyworld verdict: This is a compact, comfy seat which is nicely finished and well padded. It has some good added features although they are not the easiest to use. An excellent price.

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Brevi Grand Prix
Manufacturer: Brevi Price: £85.00 Suitability: From birth to 18kg Features: Forward or rearward-facing car seat. Padded two-position shoulder harness with crotch strap and one-pull adjuster. Seat reclines. Covers are removable and machine-washable.

Testers’ comments:

Solid and secure when fitted.

Buckle is very straightforward to use – no complex jigsaw shaping as used on many.

Seems a huge seat for a newborn but good recline means it is comfortable for young babies.

Deep and snug.

Roomy with plenty of space for growth.

  High sides give a protective feel.

Easier to secure forward facing than rearward.

  Seat sits quite low in the car and has high sides which slightly obscure a young child’s vision

Babyworld verdict: A solid, fairly basic car seat which does the job in a no fuss, business-like way. Seat should have a good long life because it seemed comfortable for a young baby but is wide and high enough to accommodate a larger child with ease.

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Maxi-Cosi Priori
Manufacturer: Maxi-Cosi Price: £99.99 Suitability: From 9kg to18kg Features: Forward-facing car seat. Padded, three-position harness with padded crotch strap and one-pull adjuster. Seat reclines and includes two harness storage hooks. Seat covers are removable and hand-washable.

Testers’ comments:

Straightforward to fit firmly.

A good wide seat with plenty of room for growth.

High supportive sides cut away to give good elbow room.

Simple buckle.

Harness storage hooks are an excellent idea – they allow you to secure harness well out of the way while positioning child and this makes life considerably easier.

  Recline adjustment extremely smooth and easy to use.

Shoulder harness pads are sewn into place which prevents twisting and ensures they are always in the correct position but means they cannot be removed for cleaning.

Crotch padding is minimal.

Covers must be hand washed.

Babyworld verdict: This is a good solid seat which feels well made and sits firmly in place. Seat seems more roomy than many and the design ensures the child is secure without being overly constricted. Added features all work smoothly and the harness hooks are a very simple but superbly useful innovation.

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Britax Eclipse
Manufacturer: Britax Price: £99.99 Suitability: From 9kg to18kg Features:  Forward-facing car seat. Padded, three-position harness with padded crotch strap and one-pull harness adjuster. Seat reclines. Covers are removable and machine-washable.

Testers’ comments:

Very easy to fit, with clear instructions on the seat for easy reminder if you swap between cars.

Sat very securely in the seat, no wobbling at all.

Good wide side supports allow plenty of head room and are well padded so child didn’t wake up every time the car turned corner.

Cut away sides provide elbow room.

Sits high in the car so improves child’s vision.

Recline has five positions so is good for a snoozing baby but is quite noisy to adjust.

Shoulder harness pads are sewn into place which prevents twisting and ensures they are always in the correct position but this means they cannot be removed for cleaning and the rubber fabric they are backed with kept catching in the baby’s clothes and made it harder to get him out.

Minimal crotch padding.

Babyworld verdict: A thoroughly nice chair which fits quickly and easily into a very secure position. Child seemed comfortable and secure. The high position and the recline option of this seat works well to help keep the child happy.

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Klippan Suprema
Manufacturer: Klippan Price: £79.99 Suitability:  From 9kg to 36 kg Features: Forward-facing car seat. Padded, three-position shoulder harness with one-pull adjuster. Harness removes so seat can be used with only the car seat belt from 15kg. Back rest removes to convert seat to a booster with arms. Seat covers are removable and washable.

Testers’ comments:

Fits securely.

A well padded, nicely shaped seat which seemed comfortable.

Plenty of head room to accommodate growing child and supportive sides for a younger child.

  Arm rests with open sides below made seat seem more roomy and unrestrictive.

Harness is well-padded and easy to use.

Harness removes for easy use as a booster seat secured with car seat belt.

Backrest removes to leave a useful booster with armrests which older children seemed to like.

No recline.

Babyworld verdict: This is a solid, well made seat which is comfortable and support for a young child but versatile enough to convert to a comfortable, functioning booster seat for an older child – with or without a back rest. Works well through three stages of the child’s development and comes at a very fair and reasonable price.

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Graco Next Step

Manufacturer: Graco Price: £100 Suitability: From 9kg to 36 kg. Features: Forward-facing car seat. Padded, three-position shoulder harness with one-pull adjuster. Seat reclines and includes a padded head support. Harness removes so seat can be used with only the car’s seat belt from 15kg. Arm rests adjust to widen the seat. Adjustable seat belt loops guide car seat belt away from child for added comfort. Seat covers are removable and washable.

Testers' comments:

Fitting is straightforward and once complete, seat is extremely secure and doesn’t wobble one bit.

Harness is simple to use and effective.

Head support and belt guides are useful added features.

Covers and harness pads are very easy to remove for washing.

Suitable for use up to age 11 but back rest does not disconnect from booster seat and although the fold-away mechanism increases the seat width, older children objected to being surrounded by so much of the baby seat and it did all seem a bit much and unnecessary. Younger children treated the adjustment buttons as a toy and could adjust it at will.

Harness clasp does not remove and this makes the seat lumpy for an older child.

Recline is difficult to use as it has to be pre-set before you put the child in and gives a minimal recline.

Babyworld verdict: This is a nice seat with lots of useful features but in practice we found a full-sized seat useable to around 11 was unpopular with the children and really unnecessary. As a harnessed seat with flexibility for use to, say, five it was good.

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