The Best Newborn Car Seats in the UK

Safety in car seats is a top priority for all parents. There's a wealth of options when it comes down to choosing the best newborn car seat for your child.

Featuring a cosy baby-hugg inlay and enhanced side impact protection The Cybex Cloud T is the best newborn car seat 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 premium car seat that includes everything you need to take your newborn on adventures from birth through to their toddler years. It's the latest addition to the iconic Cybex Cloud range and features innovative reclining technology that lets your child a lie-flat ergonomic position in the car when used with strollers as part of an entire travel system. It's also an ISOFIX car seat which means it can be attached to your vehicle using the base supplied. It can even be rotated 360 degrees to assist in getting your child in and out.

The car seat is constructed of high-quality materials, and it comes in a variety of stylish colors including Moon Black, Lava Grey and Beach Blue Plus. It's a sleek and sophisticated choice that seamlessly matches with the Cybex T line of prams. It also comes with the Newborn Inlay for newborns and premature babies that helps ensure a safe, near-flat position that reduces the risk of their heads moving forward during sleep, potentially leading to breathing difficulties. This can be removed once your child is at least 60 centimeters in height.

When it comes to safety the car seat offers excellent protection for your child, scoring an impressive 1.7 result in crash tests by ADAC (Allgemeiner Deutsche Automobil-Club e.V). The Cloud T i-Size comes equipped with LSP (Linear Side-impact protection) to safeguard your child in the event of a collision and the revolutionary Flexi-Fix system that stretches to fit your child as they grow.

If you're planning to use the car seat as part of a travel system that includes a Cybex pushchair, the revolutionary 180deg tilt means getting your baby in and out is easy. No more awkward reaching or twisting. The car seat is capable of fully reclined to provide extra comfort during long car journeys. It's slightly higher price point than other car seats for this age group, but the wide array of features like the reclining option and excellent safety features make it worth the money.

2. Maxi-Cosi Pebble Plus

Maxi-Cosi's Pebble Plus is one of the best car seats newborn newborn car seats on the market. It is comfortable for infants and simple to use. It's suitable for infants from birth. It can be used with the Maxi-Cosi FamilyFix or EasyFix base, or with your car seat belt system. The car seat can be used with a variety of pushchairs, including the Maxi Cosi range, Quinny, iCandy, and Bugaboo, using adapters. The Baby-Hugg infant support is also included to provide the best fit, better laying position, and side impact protection.

The Pebble Plus car seat is classified as a Group 0+ that means it is suitable for infants as young as 12 months (45cm between 45cm and 75cm). It's compliant with new iSize regulations, which require that children sit in the rear for longer. It's compatible with the 2way Family base, which allows you to switch between rear and forward facing in the same car and also has a handy rotating feature.

It's still a very comfortable seat, but the new version has a few improvements. It's now got a better baby-hugg inlay that is super comfortable and stylish. The shoulder straps are padded and the headrest can be adjusted up or down as your baby grows. You can take it off at any time, when you do not want to use it anymore.

It is a little heavier at 4.5kg than other infant car seats on sale carseats, however it shouldn't pose a problem for a baby who spends the majority of the day in it. It comes with a handle to make it easier to carry, and is lightweight enough to be carried to and from taxis or rideshare vehicles.

It's also a nice-looking seat and you can pick from a wide selection of colours and patterns to suit your car. It's not the most affordable infant car seat cheap car seat, but it's still a great investment and is worth the extra money for your baby. It can be tricky to adjust the harness height and length but once you've mastered the art of it it's fine. Simply pull down on the back panel and press two buttons to move up and down the straps without needing to rethread them.

3. Joie Calmi

If you're in search of a new car seat that's user-friendly and can be used by your baby like a cot, then look no further than Joie Calmi. This dual-use car seat and carrycot is R129-certified. It's made tough with a tough ventilated outer shell and soft padding to hold your baby. It has a three-point safety harness that can be adjusted with a single pull, and softly cushioned covers. Plus, it features an lateral position to keep your baby's head at the most secure position in the event of an accident.

The base of this seat is compatible with Joie's Aeria and Finiti pushchairs, meaning you can take it off and back on the frame with ease. It's easy to move even when your baby is asleep due to the adjustable handle bars. If you're looking to make a travel set, iBase Encore adapters allow you to pair Calmi together with MaxiCosi or Britax stroller.

Joie has improved on the design of its previous i-Spin 360, which earned the highest test score in the crash tests of Which? and an A+ rating from ADAC. The model we tested has locks to stop you from rotating the seat too quickly, ensuring that your baby remains rearward-facing as long as possible. It also boasts a large sun canopy that's water repellent and provides 50+ UV protection, and includes a mesh peekaboo window that lets you observe without disturbing your child.

If you are shopping online for a car seat, you should choose a retailer who offers free delivery to the UK mainland on all orders. They should also allow 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 the nearest Sainsbury's branch if you're nearby). With every purchase you make, you will also earn Nectar points. Argos is another option for a variety of car seats, with prices starting at PS55. They'll also deliver your order free of charge, offer same-day in-store collection and free returns at any Argos store or participating Sainsbury's branches.

4. Silver Cross Motion All Size 360

The reliable British brand is most well-known for its high-end prams and pushchairs however, the Silver Cross Motion all-in-one car seat is making a name for itself. Jasper, our tester, loved it. He said it was "the most fashionable of the bunch, and my baby seemed to find it most comfortable on long drives."

This fully rotating R129-compliant car seat can carry your baby all the way to 12 years of age, and won the best baby toddler, child and child car seat award in ADAC's 2022 autumn test. It's also been tested over and beyond regulations to ensure your child will be safe throughout every trip.

For babies, it has a removable and cosy padding made of soft bamboo fabrics that's super comfortable and breathable. It's also antibacterial. The body and head support can be removed as your child grows and the 3 headrest positions and recline can also be adjusted to accommodate.

A unique feature is the built-in 'green light' that signals that the car seat is secured and ready to use, making it a great option for new parents who aren't familiar with the proper way to install and set up car seats. It also comes with a harness that can be used in either a rear or forward facing position.

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

The Axkid One is a permanently fixed car seat. They're not as easy to move between cars. If you decide to buy a separate travel bag for your car seat, ensure that it's a durable one that is able to withstand the wear and tear of frequent use. It's worth paying a bit more for a bag that can last as long as the car seat of your child.