The 10 best car seats for 3-year-olds, tested by parents

Finding the best car seat for a 3-year-old can be tricky. At the age of three, your child will have likely outgrown their baby car seat and now they need the very best car seat that will be suitable for their weight and height as well as being safe and secure enough to harness a wriggling three-year-old.

While car seats for 3-year-olds will not come as part of a complete travel system like your infant carrier may have, they're still packed with handy features such as multiple recline options and easy adjustability. There are now even rear-facing toddler car seats that go up to age four, which you may prefer.

It is unlikely you will need to remove a car seat for 3-year olds from the car as frequently as you do with a newborn car seat, but it is still important to consider how easy it is to install and how much it weighs. Also consider how long it will last because your little one will need to be in a car seat up until 12 years of age so a car seat that will grow with your child is important.

The best car seats for 3-year-olds at a glance:

•Best overall car seat for a 3-year old: Joie Elevate 2, £80
•Best car seat for 360 spin: Silver Cross Motion All Size 360 Car Seat, £325
• Best car seat for longevity: Joie Bold Group 1/2/3 Car Seat, £180
• Best forward-facing car seat: Cosatto Zoomi Car Seat, £99.95
• Best car seat for adjustability: Nuna TODL Next Car Seat, £330

What are the safety standards for UK Car Seats?

In the UK, it's a legal requirement for children to use a car seat until the age of 12 or 135cm in height, so a car seat for your three-year-old is a must. It is also important that children 15 months or under are rearward facing.

However, car seats for children are determined by their weight, rather than their age, under ECE R44 regulations. All of the below stage groups would be suitable for a three-year-old:

Group 0+/1 car seats: Suitable from birth to 18kg, approx. four-years-old.

Group 1 car seats: Suitable for children 9-18kg, approx. nine months to four years old.

Group 0+/1/2 car seats: Suitable from birth to 25kg, approx. six-years-old.

Group 1/2/3 car seats: Suitable for children 9-36kg, approx. nine months to 12 years.

Group 2/3 car seats: Suitable for children 15-36kg, approx. three to 12 years old.

You should only use a children's car seat if your car's seat belt has a diagonal strap, unless the seat is either fitted using ISOFIX anchor points or has been designed specifically for use with a lap seat belt.

Be sure to double-check that your chosen car seat is suitable for the model of your car before purchasing.

What is R129?

The R129 safety standard was introduced in 2013 and is newer than ECE R44. The R129 safety standard refers to i-size seats and it is considered the safest standard with improved head and neck protection. As part of the standard, side impact test results are assessed. However, you need to use ISOFIX with any i-size car seat.

At present, you can legally use either ECE R44 or R129 safety standards car seats, however, the R129 is likely to be safer and subject to more rigorous testing.

How to choose a car seat for a 3-year-old

If you're buying a new car seat for a growing three-year-old, the first thing you will want to consider is safety and we would recommend choosing stage Group 1/2/3 and up.

The lower group stages will only be able to be used for a limited amount of time at this age before you need to buy a new car seat. So you wouldn't be getting the best value for money.

Group 1/2/3 are classed as multi-stage car seats, they're designed to carry your child from birth to the booster-seat stage, adapting to each stage with the necessary safety features. They are initially more expensive compared to other car seats on the market, but they can be used until your child is too old – talk about futureproofing!

A five-point car seat safety harness should come with adequate padding and most of these seats will fit children up to 18 or 25kg.

If your child is already over 15kg, we would recommend choosing a Group 2/3 car seat instead. This seat will lift your child up to use the vehicle seat belt and comes with a high back and side padding for safety and impact protection. Depending on the age of your child, you may also want to look into the best car seats for 4 year olds.

As well as the safety elements, you should consider the features that are important to you in a car seat, as well as any handy add ons like a car seat organiser. For example:

• 360 spin: This function is top of the list for many parents as it makes getting squirming children into their seat much easier without needing to break your back in the process.

• Extended rear-facing: A rear-facing car seat is a legal requirement until 15 months but a lot of parents are now on the hunt for a car seat that can be used rear-facing for longer.

• Weight: You might want to consider how heavy the car seat is to carry, for those times when you need to swap cars or remove the car seat.

• Ease of installation: You won't be moving the car seat a lot for a 3-year-old but it is worthwhile considering how it is installed in the car, for example with the seat belt, a top tether or ISOFIX, and also how easy it is to do.

• Comfort: Your 3-year-old will appreciate a comfortable seat and might be quite vocal about it if they are not comfortable.

• Longevity: Take into account how long the car seat will last and if it can convert to a booster seat. If your little one is already near the weight or height limit consider a car seat for a five-year old, or one which grows with your child.

How we chose the car seats on this list

Our product recommendations are based on a combination of real-world testing from our burgeoning army of mum testers and the extensive knowledge of our experienced editorial team and product specialists. Where we can, we also consult experts who specialise in the field to ensure you get the right advice along with the right product, and we listen to what you say as well.

Once we’ve recruited our pool of testers we ask them to consider four areas while testing, including usability, design, quality and value for money. They also are asked to provide feedback on their experience with the product and whether they would make any changes to improve it.

Find out more about how we test and what considerations we take into account in our testing process.

Our thriving mum community on our Facebook group #mumtribe also often hold great insights as to which products mums really like best and why, helping us highlight the products that meet what you really want.

For the essential products, our annual Mother&Baby Awards shortlist the top products tested, and you can find full reviews from our mum testers provided on the product page. The winners and runners-up for each category then will appear in our top picks article for that product, along with other products that were rated highly by our team.

When it comes to testing car seats for 3-year-olds we considered various things such as budget, safety, longevity, weight, ease of use, type of installation and comfort.

It was also important to ensure that all car seats featured fit into the current safety standards of ECE R44 or R129 and in some cases car seats will have undergone ADAC testing. ADAC is an auto insurance company that rigorously tests car seats, especially testing frontal collision impact and side collision impact. ADAC tests surpass standard EU regulations, and the tests they carry out are extreme exceeding those of the European Standards approval system.

The best car seats for 3-year-olds

Car seat for 3-year-olds Buying Guide:

Car seat safety and law

It is a legal requirement for children under 12, or under 135cm, to use a car seat. Car seatlaw also explains that you can choose a car seat for your child based on their height and weight. Height based seats are known as i-size seats, and they can be both forward and rear facing, however, children under 15 months must be rear facing. To use a height based seat in the UK, it must be EU standard approved, and show an 'E' in a circle to indicate it is an R129 standard.

If you choose to use a weight based seat, this must follow the ECE R44 standard and it also impacts the type of harness or belt you can use for your child. Typically children under 18kg must use a five-point harness, however, some seats have a harness suitable for use up to 25kg.

It is also important to consider the way a car seat is installed in the car. All seats must be used in cars with a diagonal strap unless specifically designed for use with a lap seat belt, or if they are fitted with ISOFIX. You must also deactivate front airbags before fitting a rear facing baby seat in a front seat.

Types of car seats suitable for a 3 year old

There are lots of car seats on the market and many are suitable for a 3-year old. When it comes to choosing a car seat it is important to consider safety and ensure you choose a seat by either weight or height. However, you will also want to consider the following:

360 spin function: It might be easier for your little one to get into and out of their car seat if it has a 360 degree spin function.

Longevity: Some car seats will last up to 12 years old and may convert into a high-backed booster seat. This will save you needing to buy another car seat when your little one gets bigger.

Group: Consider which group car seat is suitable for your 3 year old. Group 0+ are rear-facing car seats suitable for babies up to 15 months, or up to 13kg. A Group 1 car seat can be rear facing, or forward facing and is suitable from 9-18kg, which is about 9 months to four years. Group 2/3 car seats are also rear or forward facing and they are high-backed booster seats suitable from 15-36kg which is about 4 years to 11 years.

Rear or forward facing: Depending on the weight of your little one, most group car seats have an option for rear or forward facing. It is advised by the NHS to keep your child rear facing for as long as possible.

Comfort: Ensure your little one is comfortable when travelling so consider any extra padding, or ventilation. Your child will enjoy being snuggly with a car seat blanket but it's best to start with a comfortable car seat.

Can a 3-year-old sit in a booster seat?

This completely depends on your child's weight and height.

Based on new safety regulations launched in 2017, Group 3 car seats i.e. new booster seats on the market, are limited to children who are taller than 125cm, weighing more than 22kg.

The average height and weight of a three-year-old in the UK would fall below these requirements, so it's likely they would not be able to use a booster seat.

It's recommended that you should keep your child in the lowest stage group possible as these provide the best safety features.

FAQs

What is ISOFIX?

ISOFIX-compatible car seats have two arms that lock onto small metal bars located in the seat of your vehicle to anchor the car seat into place.

Great for seamless installation with no seat belt threading necessary, they also come accompanied with install indicators, so you can be sure it's correctly connected.

Most new cars since 2013 have a pair of ISOFIX anchor points, but it's worth checking if this is the case with your own car if you want to make the most of it.

What is i-size?

i-Size is a European car seat safety standard that was launched in 2013, which started with the ECE R44 car seat standard, based on a child's weight. However, the R129 car seat standard is the most up-to-date safety standard for car seats and is based on a child's height.

Can you buy a second hand car seat?

It is not advisable to buy a second hand car seat. Childcarseats.org.co.uk say you should not buy a second hand car seat because you cannot be sure of the car seat's history and whether it has been in an accident. It may look fine but there could be hidden internal damage. Also, for a car seat to be legal it must fit the current safety standards, either R44 or R129, and an older car seat might not adhere to these. Also consider, where the instructions are available so you can ensure you are installing the car seat correctly.

If a family member offers you a second hand car seat, you can accept it but check you know its history, that it comes with instructions and it is not too old for current safety standards.

Eleanor Weaver is the Deputy Homes & Garden Product Editor and has been a writer for titles such as Mother&Baby and Yours. In her role, she has researched and recommended the best products for parents, from breast pumps to toys, nursery décor to car seats. She's also kept a keen eye on celeb mums and influencers to share what they've been using to help make parenting that little bit easier.