The Best Newborn Car Seats in the UK

Safety in car seats is a priority for all parents. There are a variety of options when it comes to choosing the best car seat for your child.

The Cybex Cloud T offers enhanced side impact protection and a baby-hugging insert. It's the most comfortable new car seat in the UK. It has a one handed recline and 12 positions for the headrest to adjust to your child's growing body.

1. Cybex Cloud T

The Cybex Cloud T is the top car seat that comes with everything you need to take your infant car seat in front seat on journeys from birth right until they reach toddler years. It is the latest addition to the iconic Cybex Cloud range and features innovative reclining technologies that allow your child a flat, comfortable position in the car or when used with strollers as part of a complete travel system. It's also an ISOFIX car seat, which means it can be attached to your vehicle with the base that comes with it. It can be turned 360 degrees to aid in getting your baby in and out.

The car seat itself is constructed of high-quality materials and is available in a variety of trendy colours, including Moon Black, Lava Grey, Beach Blue Plus and Seashell Beige Plus. It's a sleek and sophisticated choice that effortlessly matches the Cybex T line of prams. It also comes with the Newborn Inlay, which is specifically designed for premature and newborn infants. This helps maintain the baby's head in a flat position, decreasing the possibility that their heads will be able to move forward during sleep, causing breathing issues. It can be removed when your child is 60 centimeters in height.

In terms of safety, the car seat provides excellent protection for your child, scoring an impressive 1.7 result in crash tests conducted by ADAC (Allgemeiner Deutsche Automobil-Club e.V). The Cloud T i-Size comes with LSP (Linear Side-impact Protection) to safeguard your baby from being thrown around the seat in the event of an accident and the unique Flexi-Fix harness system that expands when your child grows, ensuring that they will always have a safe fit.

If you're planning to use the car seat as part of a travel set-up with a Cybex pushchair, the revolutionary 180deg rotation means that getting your baby out and in is super easy - no more awkward bending or reaching. The car seat can be positioned in a fully reclined configuration for extra comfort during long car trips. The cost is a bit higher than other car seats for this age group but the features it provides, such as the reclining feature as well as excellent safety features makes it worth the investment.

2. Maxi-Cosi Pebble Plus

Maxi-Cosi's Pebble Plus is one of the most comfortable infant car seats on the market. It is comfortable for infants and easy to use. It is suitable for babies from birth. It can be used either with the Maxi-Cosi FamilyFix, EasyFix base, or with your car seat belt system. The car seat can be used with all pushchairs, including the Maxi Cosi range, Quinny, iCandy, and Bugaboo with adapters. It includes the Baby-Hugg infant head support to allow for a better fit and the position of the child's head and side impact protection.

The Pebble Plus car seat is a member of Group 0+ which means it can be used by children as young as 12 months (45cm – 75cm). It is compliant with the new iSize regulations, which require that children be rear-facing for longer. It is compatible with the 2way Family base, which allows you to switch between rear and forward facing on the same vehicle and also has a handy rotating feature.

It's still a very comfortable seat, but the latest version is a bit more refined. It now has a much-improved baby-hugg that looks and feels super-comfy. The shoulder straps have been cushioned and the headrest has been made adjustable to accommodate the growth of your baby. You can take it off at any point, when you do not want to use it again.

It's a little heavier than some of the other infant carseats, at 4.5kg but should not be a problem when your child is using it most of the time. It comes with a handle to make it easier to carry, and is lightweight enough to be carried into and out of taxis or rideshare vehicles.

It's also a nice-looking seat and you can pick from a variety of patterns and colours to suit your car. It's not the cheapest infant car seat, but it's still very reasonable and worth the extra investment for your baby. It can be a bit difficult to adjust the harness height and length but 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 and down the straps without needing to rethread them.

3. Joie Calmi

If you're looking for a newborn car seat that is user-friendly and can be used by your baby like a cot then you should consider Joie Calmi. This carrycot that doubles as a car seat is R129-certified which means it's made tough with a tough air-conditioned shell and soft cushioning to hold your baby. It features a 3-point harness that's easily accessible with one-pull tightening and softly padded covers. It also has the ability to lateralize your baby's head in the safest position in case of an impact.

The base of this seat is compatible with Joie's Aeria and Finiti pushchairs, which means you can remove it and on the frame easily. It's easy to move even when your baby is asleep, because of the adjustable handle bars. If you're planning to create an all-in-one travel system, the i-Base Encore adapters let you to connect Calmi with Maxi-Cosi or Britax pushchair too.

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 includes an electronic lock that prevents the seat from rotating too quickly, ensuring that your child remains rear-facing for as long as it is possible. It also comes with a large sun canopy that is water-resistant and has 50+ UV protection, as well as a mesh peekaboo that allows you to observe without disturbing the child.

If you're shopping for a car seat online, make sure you choose a store that provides free UK mainland delivery on all purchases and returns within 35 days. John Lewis has a great range of newborn car seats from top brands, such as Cybex, Maxi-Cosi and Silver Cross, and offers free click and pick up to the nearest store (or to an Sainsbury's branch if you're close to one). For all purchases you make, you will also earn Nectar points. Argos is another good choice for a wide selection of car seats, starting at PS55. You can also enjoy free delivery, same-day collection at the store and free returns to any Argos or Sainsbury's retailer that is a participating one.

4. Silver Cross Motion All Size 360

Silver Cross Motion is a new all-in-one vehicle seat from the reputable British brand that is renowned for its high-end pushchairs and prams. Jasper the tester was a fan of it. He said it was "the most stylish of the bunch." My child seemed to be most comfortable during long drives."

This fully rotating R129 compliant car seat is suitable for infants up to 12 years old. It was awarded the ADAC 2022 Autumn Test's award for the top child, baby and toddler car seat. It's also been tested over and beyond regulations to ensure that your child is safe on every journey.

It includes a removable, cozy padding for infants made of soft bamboo fabric. These are super comfortable and breathable, as well as 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 also be adjusted to fit your child's.

The 'green' light that indicates that the car seat is properly installed and is ready to use is an unique feature. This makes it a great option 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 strap that can be used in the rear-facing or forward-facing position.

It's also permanent, so you won't need to wake your baby in order to take them out of the car on longer journeys. However, it isn't travel system-compatible like the Joie i-Spin 360 i-Size or Britax Romer Dualfix Plus i-Size (you must purchase an additional travel bag for this).

The drawback to permanent fixed car seats such as the Axkid One i-size is that they're not as easy to carry around when you're required 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 durable one that can withstand the wear and tear of frequent use. It's worth spending a little more to get a bag that will last for as long as the car seat of your child.