Where to Find My Convertible Car Seat Reviews
The main purpose of this post is to provide parents and other carers with an easy way to find all of my convertible car seat reviews of 2015.
Rather than write a single long and cumbersome post containing lots of information about all of the main premium convertible car seats on the US market in 2015, I will briefly introduce the seats here and then provide you with links that will take you directly to my in-depth reviews of the seats that you are most interested in researching further.
Some of the links will take you to individual car seat reviews and others will take you to side-by-side comparison reviews of similar models so that you can better understand the main differences and similarities between them.
I have reviewed convertible car seats from 6 different manufacturers. Whilst they are all great seats with most (if not all) of the safety and convenience features that you would expect of a premium product, there are some important differences between them. I hope that my reviews will help you to make the right decision when choosing a convertible car seat for your child.
The 6 Main Convertible Car Seat Brands
#1 Britax ClickTight Convertible Seats
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Britax Convertible car seats have been popular with parents and car seat safety technicians for many years now. The older “G4″ series of Britax Convertible car seats remain on the market for now, but I suspect that they will be phased out in due course. They have effectively now been replaced by the new “ClickTight” range of seats, and there are 3 models to choose from.
The reason that the latest series of Britax convertible car seats has been branded “ClickTight” is that they have taken their revolutionary “ClickTight” installation system and added it to ALL of these new seats.
These ClickTight seats are suitable for use between 5 and 65 lbs.
Why Is ClickTight So Popular?
There are 2 very important reasons why the introduction of the ClickTight installation system on all Britax convertible cars seats is such a great improvement:
- The 2014 LATCH Law changes mean that convertible car seats need to be re-installed using the seatbelt once your child reaches a certain weight (40 lbs for the Britax ClickTight seats);
- Standard belt-fitting systems can be confusing for parents and research suggests that about 75% of seats are incorrectly installed.
So, although the ClickTight installation method does not bring any “direct” safety benefits, there are likely to be some big “indirect” safety benefits for those carers that otherwise might find it difficult to install their child’s seat safely using more traditional belt-fitting mechanisms. Getting a proper installation is a huge part of child car seat safety and any technological development that makes this process easier is to be welcomed.
The 3 seats in the new ClickTight series of Britax convertible car seats are:
The Advocate is the most expensive option, followed by the Boulevard and then the Marathon.
In addition to the “ClickTight” installation system being introduced, the new Britax Convertible car seats also have some other improvements, including:
- Increased shell height, which means that the maximum seated shoulder height is greater than before
- 7-Position recline with automatic level indicator, which makes it easier to achieve a safe installation position
Read my Comparison Reviews of the new Britax ClickTight Seats here:
- Advocate ClickTight vs Boulevard ClickTight
- Advocate ClickTight vs Marathon ClickTight
- Boulevard ClickTight vs Marathon ClickTight
Read my Comparison Reviews of the ClickTight and G4 models here:
- Advocate ClickTight vs Advocate G4
- Boulevard ClickTight vs Boulevard G4
- Marathon ClickTight vs Marathon G4
Check the latest prices of the Britax ClickTight Seats here.
Read User Reviews of the Britax ClickTight Seats here.
#2 Peg Perego Convertible Seats
Peg Perego convertible car seats are undoubtedly very stylish. The latest model also comes with excellent overall weight limits (5 to 70 lbs) and can be used for an extended period in the rear-facing position (up to 45 lbs).
The seat has many additional safety features, including Side Impact Protection (SIP), EPS foam, Shock-Absorbing Foam Element (SAFE), and a contoured steel back plate.
Read My Full Review of the Peg Perego Convertible Seat here.
Check the latest prices of the Peg Perego Convertible Seat here.
Read User Reviews of the Peg Perego Convertible Seat here.
#3 Clek Convertible Seats
There are 2 Clek convertible car seats on the market today:
- Clek Fllo
- Clek Foonf
It comes with a fairly high price tag, but for that you get some pretty impressive safety features, including a metal substructure, 3 layers of energy-absorbing foam, and anti-rebound bar.
It is also very slim (17 inches across), which means that you would almost certainly be able to fit 3-in-a-row in a standard family-sized vehicle.
You can read all about the technical specifications, safety features, and weight/height limits here.
Note: The Clek Fllo is the younger brother to the Clek Foonf convertible car seat. It does not replace the Foonf, but offers a lighter, more compact, and slightly cheaper alternative.
Read my Comparison Review of the Fllo and Foonf Seats here.
Check the Latest Price of the Clek Foonf here.
Check the Latest Price of the Clek Fllo here.
#4 Chicco Nextfit Convertible Seats
The Chicco Nextfit Convertible car seats are rated as suitable for use between 5 to 65 lbs (rear-facing up to 40 lbs).
There are 3 different models in the range:
- Nextfit 65
- Nextfit CX
- Nextfit Zip
Aside from some impressive safety features on all of these Chicco Nextfit Seats, some of the main advantages of this seat over some of its competitors are that it is very compact, easy to install, and has no fewer than 9 recline position with an easy to read level indicator.
Read my full review of the Chicco Nextfit 65 here.
Check the latest prices of the Chicco Nextfit Seats here.
Read my Comparison Reviews of the Chicco Nextfit Seats here:
#5 Recaro Convertible Seats
There are 2 Recaro convertible seats on the market today:
- Recaro Performance Ride
- Recaro Pro Ride
Whilst they are not new to the market, they remain quite popular seats.
Read my Reviews of these Recaro Convertible Seats here:
PLEASE NOTE THAT THE PERFORMANCE RIDE IS NO LONGER AVAILABLE – ITS HAS BEEN REPLACED BY THE PERFORMANCE RACER SEAT
#6 Diono Convertible/Booster Seats
The great thing about Diono seats is that many are rated as suitable for use from 5 to 120 lbs (or up to 57 inches in height), and so they could be the only ones that you ever need to buy for your child. You will read differences of opinion about whether or not they can really be used at the extremes of these ranges, but what is undeniable is that they can potentially be used for much longer than a standard convertible car seat.
Read my Reviews of these Diono Seats here:
- Diono Radian RXT vs Rainier
- Diono Rainier vs Pacifica
- Diono Rainier vs Olympia
- Diono Pacifica vs Olympia
- Diono Radian RXT
- Diono Rainier
- Diono Olympia
- Diono Pacifica
Check the Latest Prices of Diono Seats here.
Safety Information
After purchasing any child car seat, you should always read the User Manual thoroughly before using it. It is also advisable to visit your local Fire Department or NHTSA Child Car Seat Inspection Centre to ensure that the seat is definitely suitable for your child’s specific requirements and that you have installed it correctly. These services are usually provided free of charge.
You can find your nearest NHTSA Centre here.
Get in Touch
If you have any comments to share or questions to ask about my “Convertible Car Seat Reviews 2015″ post, please leave a comment in the box below or send me an email.
Hello. Your Clek review needs to be updated to reflect the new Infant Thingy insert avaliable which makes the seats useable from 5 lbs on up. Thank you!
You are quite correct to point this out – thank you!
It was on my very large “To Do” list. I have now promoted it to the top of that list.
For the time being, you can buy the “Clek Infant-Thingy Insert” here. It is manufactured by Clek as is an official after-market accessory. It can be used with both Foonf and Fllo seats and makes the seats suitable for use from 5 lbs upwards.