The Best Newborn Car Seats in the UK

Safety in car seats is a top concern for all parents. Thankfully, there's an abundance of options when it comes down to choosing the best newborn car seat for your little one.

With a cozy lightweight baby car seat-hugg insert and enhanced side impact protection, the Cybex Cloud T is the best newborn car seat (my response) UK. It also has a one-handed recline adjustment and more than 12 headrest positions that adapt to your child's growing body.

1. Cybex Cloud T

The Cybex Cloud T car seat is the most popular choice for bringing your baby with you on your journeys from the moment they are born until they become toddlers. It's the newest update to the legendary Cybex Cloud line and features innovative reclining technology that gives your child an ergonomic, flat position in the car and alongside a pushchair in the context of an overall travel system. It's also an ISOFIX vehicle seat, meaning that it can easily be attached to your car by using the base that comes with it. It can be rotated to assist you in helping get your baby into and out of the seat.

The car seat is made of top-quality materials and comes in a range of fashionable colors, including Moon Black, Lava Grey and Beach Blue Plus. It's a stylish and sophisticated choice that seamlessly matches with the Cybex T line of prams. It also comes with a Newborn Inlay for newborns and premature babies which helps to ensure a secure, nearly flat position that reduces the possibility of their heads flopping forward while they sleep, potentially leading to breathing difficulties. This can be removed once your child is at least 60 centimeters in height.

In terms of safety, the car seat provides excellent protection for your child. It scored an impressive 1.7 result in crash tests by ADAC (Allgemeiner Deutsche Automobil-Club e.V). The Cloud T i-Size comes with LSP (Linear Side-impact Protection) to prevent your baby from being thrown around the seat in the event of an accident and the unique Flexi-Fix harness system that expands as 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 ensures that getting your baby in and out is easy. No more awkward twisting or reaching. The car seat can also be placed in a fully reclined position to provide extra comfort on long car trips. It is priced at a slightly higher price point than other car seats for this age group, however the numerous features, including the option to recline and the excellent security features make it worth the investment.

2. Maxi-Cosi Pebble Plus

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

The Pebble Plus car seat is a Group 0+ that means it is suitable for babies as young as 12 months (45cm to 75cm). It meets the new i-Size guidelines that require children to remain rear facing for longer. It is compatible with the 2way family base, which allows you to switch between forward-facing and rear-facing on the same vehicle. It also includes an easy-to-use rotating feature.

It's still a very comfy seat, but the new version is a bit more refined. It comes with a brand new, improved baby-hugging inlay that looks and feels great. The shoulder straps are cushioned, and the headrest can be moved up and down as your baby grows. It can also be removed at anytime if you wish to stop using it.

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

It's also a good-looking seat and you can pick from a wide range of colours and patterns to fit your car. It's not the cheapest car seat for infants, but it's still very reasonable and is worth the investment for your baby. Once you've mastered it and adjust the size and height is a breeze. You can adjust the straps by pulling them down on the back panel, and pressing two buttons at the same time.

3. Joie Calmi

Joie Calmi is the ideal newborn car seat for a newborn baby. It's easy to use, and can be used as a cot for baby. This dual-use carrycot and car seat is certified R129, which means it's built to last with a sturdy ventilated shell and plush cushioning to hold your baby. It comes with a 3-point safety harness that is adjusted with a single pull, and softly cushioned covers. It also has lateral positioning to keep your baby's head in the most secure position in case of an accident.

The base of this seat is compatible with Joie's Aeria and Finiti pushchairs, so you can pop it off and on the frame with ease. With the adjustable handles, it's easy to move even when your baby is asleep. If you're planning to create a travel system, then the i-Base Encore adapters let you to connect Calmi with a Maxi-Cosi or Britax pushchair too.

Joie has improved on the design of its earlier i-Spin 360, which earned an excellent score in Which?'s crash tests as well as a Good rating from ADAC. The model we tested comes with locks to stop the seat from turning too quickly, ensuring that your child is rear-facing for as long as is possible. It also comes with a large sun canopy that's water repellent and offers 50+ UV protection, and includes a mesh peekaboo window that lets you look in without disturbing your child.

If you're looking for a car seat online, make sure you select a retailer that provides free UK mainland delivery on all purchases and returns within 35 days. John Lewis has a great selection of baby car seats from top brands, such as Cybex, Maxi-Cosi and Silver Cross, and provides free click and collect to your nearest store (or to the nearest Sainsbury's branch if you live near by). For all purchases you can also earn Nectar points. Argos also offers a good range of car seats at prices starting at PS55. You can also avail free delivery, same-day collection in store and free returns to any Argos or Sainsbury's store that is participating.

4. Silver Cross Motion All Size 360

Silver Cross Motion is a new vehicle seat that is all-in-one from the trusted British brand that is renowned for its high-end prams and pushchairs. Our test subject Jasper loved it, describing it "the most stylish of the bunch and the one my daughter seemed to be most comfortable on long drives."

This fully rotating R129 compliant car seat is suitable for babies up to 12 year olds. It won the ADAC 2022 Autumn Test's award for the best car seat infant toddler, infant and child car seat. It's also been tested over and beyond the regulations to ensure that your child's safety during every trip.

It includes a removable, cozy padding for infants made of soft bamboo fabric. These fabrics are super breathable and antibacterial. The body insert and head support can be removed as your child grows. You can also adjust the headrest and recline positions to suit.

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

It's also a permanent fixture, so you won't need to wake your baby up to take them out of the car for long journeys. It's not compatible with travel systems such as the Britax Romer Dualfix plus iSize or the Joie iSpin 360 iSize. You will need to purchase an additional travel bag.

The drawback to cars with a fixed structure like the Axkid One i-size is that they're not as easy to carry around if you're required to move them between vehicles. If you decide to buy a separate travel bag pick one that is durable and can endure the wear and tear of frequent use. It's worth spending a little more for a bag that can last for as long as the car seat of your child.