The Best Newborn Car Seats in the UK

Car seat safety is a top priority for any parent. There are a variety of options when it comes down to choosing the best newborn car seats for your child.

The Cybex Cloud T offers enhanced side impact protection as well as a baby-hugging inlay. It's the best new car seat UK. It comes with a single-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 to the road from the time they're born until toddlers. It's the newest addition to the renowned Cybex Cloud range and features innovative reclining technologies that give your child a flat, comfortable position in the car when used in conjunction with a stroller as part an entire travel system. It's also an ISOFIX vehicle seat, which means it can easily be attached to your car using the base provided. It can be rotated to assist you in helping to get your child into and out of the seat.

The car seat itself is made from high-quality materials and comes in a range of stylish colours that include Moon Black, Lava Grey, Beach Blue Plus and Seashell Beige Plus. It's a sleek and sophisticated option that is seamlessly matched with the Cybex T line of prams. It also includes the Newborn Inlay for newborns and premature babies to ensure a secure, flat position that reduces the risk of their heads flopping forward during sleep, which can cause breathing difficulties. This can be removed when your child is at a height of 60 cm.

The car seat is a fantastic option for safety, since it scored a dazzling 1.7 in crash tests conducted by ADAC (Allgemeiner Deutsche Automobil-Club e.V.). The Cloud T Kinderkraft ONETO3 I-Size Child Car Seat - Black Pushchairs & Prams comes with LSP (Linear Side-impact Protection) to prevent your baby from being thrown around in the seat in the event of an accident and the revolutionary Flexi-Fix harness system that stretches as your child grows, ensuring they always have a secure fit.

The innovative 180deg rotating system makes it simple to get your baby in and out of the car seat when using it as part of a travel system, with a Cybex stroller. There is no more awkward twisting or reaching. The car seat can be positioned in a fully reclined configuration to provide extra comfort on long car journeys. The price is slightly higher than other car seats for this age but the features it has, including the reclining feature and excellent safety features make it worth the investment.

2. Maxi-Cosi Pebble Plus

Maxi-Cosi RodiFix i-Size High Back Booster Seat Pebble Plus is among the best newborn car seats available. It's a comfortable seat for babies and simple to use. It's suitable from birth and can be used with the Maxi-Cosi FamilyFix or EasyFix base or in conjunction with the seat belt system in your car. The car seat is compatible with all pushchairs, including the Maxi-Cosi range and Quinny, iCandy and Bugaboo (using adapters). The Baby-Hugg infant seat is included for the best fit, better laying position, and side impact protection.

The Pebble Plus is a Group 0+ car seat, which means it is suitable for use for babies ranging from birth to 12 months old (45cm between 45cm and 75cm). It is in line with the new iSize regulations that require that children remain rear-facing for longer. It is compatible with the 2way family base, which allows you to change from forward-facing to rear-facing within the same vehicle. It also has a handy rotating feature.

Similar to the previous version, it's a comfortable seat and the new version includes some improvements. It now comes with a more refined baby-hugg inlay which is super comfortable and stylish. The shoulder straps are padded and the headrest is able to be moved up or down as your baby grows. It is also able to be removed at anytime if you wish to stop using it.

It is a little heavier at 4.5kg than some other infant carseats, however this shouldn't be an issue when your baby spends the majority of the day in it. You can use it with a handle for easier transport, and it's light enough to get it in and out of rideshare vehicles or taxis as well.

It's also a stylish seat that is stylish. You can pick from many different colours and designs that will fit your car. It's not the most affordable infant car seat, but it's an excellent investment and is worth the extra cost for your child. It can be tricky to adjust the length and height however once you've mastered the art of it, it's easy. You simply pull down on the back panel, and squeeze together two buttons to move up or down the straps without needing to rethread them.

3. Joie Calmi

Joie Calmi is the ideal newborn car seat for a newborn baby. It's simple to use and is a great cot-like baby sitter. This dual-use carrycot and car seat is R129-certified which means it's made tough with a tough air-conditioned shell and soft cushioning to cradle your little one. It features a 3-point safety harness that can be adjusted with just a single pull, and softly cushioned covers. It also has the ability to lateralize your baby's head at the most secure position in case of an accident.

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 move even when your baby is asleep because of the adjustable handle bars. If you're looking to make a travel set, the iBase Encore adapters let you to pair Calmi up with a MaxiCosi or Britax stroller.

Joie has improved the design of its earlier i-Spin 360, which earned the highest test score in Which?'s crash tests and a good rating from ADAC. The model we tested has an electronic lock that prevents the seat from turning too quickly, ensuring that your baby remains rearward-facing as long as possible. It also comes with a large sun canopy that is water-resistant, with 50+ UV protection, as well as a mesh peekaboo to allow you to check in without disturbing the child.

If you're shopping for a car seat online, ensure you select a retailer that provides free UK mainland delivery on all purchases and returns within 35 days. John Lewis offers a wide variety of infant car seats from top brands like Maxi-Cosi, Silver Cross and Cybex. Click and collect is free to your local branch (or Sainsbury's if you are nearby). On all purchases, you can also earn Nectar points. Argos is another good choice for a broad selection of car seats, with prices starting at 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

Silver Cross Motion is a new vehicle seat that's all-in-one from the trusted British brand, which is known for its top pushchairs and prams. Jasper the tester loved it. He said it was "the most fashionable of the bunch." My baby seemed to be the most comfortable during long drives."

This fully rotating R129 certified car seat is suitable for babies all the way to 12 years old. It won the ADAC 2022 autumn test's award for the top baby, toddler and child car seat. It's also been tested above and beyond regulations to ensure your child will be safe throughout every trip.

For babies, it has an easy-to-remove and comfortable padding made of soft bamboo fabric that's comfortable and breathable. It's also antibacterial. The body insert and head support can be removed when your child grows. You can also alter the recline and headrest positions to accommodate.

The 'green' light that indicates when the car seat is correctly installed and is now ready to use is a unique feature. This makes it an ideal choice for parents who are new to the family, and may not be familiar with the correct installation and fitting of car seats. It also comes with a handy stowable strap that can be used either in the forward or rear-facing position.

It's also an ongoing fixture, meaning you won't need to wake your baby to take them out of the car for longer journeys. However, it's not travel system-compatible, like the Joie iSpin 360 iSize or Britax Romer Dualfix Plus iSize (you need to buy an additional travel bag to do this).

The downside to permanently fixed car seats like the Axkid One i-size is that they aren't as easy to carry around when you have to transport them between different vehicles. If you do choose to buy an additional travel bag to carry your car seat, ensure that it's a sturdy one that is able to withstand the wear and tear of frequent use. It's worth paying a bit more to get a bag that will last longer than the car seat of your child.