The Best Newborn Car Seats in the UK

Car seat safety is a top concern for every parent. Thankfully, there's an abundance of options when it comes to locating the ideal car seat for newborns for your child.

With a soft baby-hugg inlay and enhanced side impact protection The Cybex Cloud T is the most comfortable car seat for newborns in the UK. It comes with a single-handed recline and 12 headrest positions to adjust to your child's changing body.

1. Cybex Cloud T

The Cybex Cloud T is the premium car seat that includes everything you need to take your infant to their first journey right through to their toddler years. It's the newest version of the legendary Cybex Cloud line and features innovative reclining technology that gives your child an ergonomic, flat position in the car and with a pushchair as part of an overall travel system. It's also an ISOFIX car seat, which means it can be easily attached to your vehicle using the base supplied. It can also be rotated 360 degrees to aid in getting your baby in and out.

The car seat itself is constructed of top rated infant car seats-quality materials. It comes in a variety of fashionable colors such as 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 a Newborn Inlay for newborns and premature babies that helps ensure a secure, flat position that reduces the possibility of their heads flopping forward while they sleep, potentially leading to breathing difficulties. This can be removed when your child reaches a height of 60 cm.

When it comes to safety the car seat provides excellent protection for your child, achieving an impressive 1.7 result in crash tests by ADAC (Allgemeiner Deutsche Automobil-Club e.V). The Cloud T i-Size features LSP (Linear Side-impact Protection) to protect your child from being thrown around in the seat in the event of an accident and the revolutionary Flexi-Fix harness system that stretches when your child grows to ensure they always have a secure 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 out and in is a breeze - no more awkward bending or reaching. The car seat is also equipped to fully recline for added comfort on long car rides. It's somewhat higher price than some other cars seats for this age group, but the numerous features, including the option to recline and excellent safety features make it well worth the investment.

2. Maxi-Cosi Pebble Plus

The Maxi-Cosi Pebble Plus car seat is among the most popular infant car seats that are available. It's a comfortable seat for babies and simple to use. It's suitable for babies from birth. It can be used either with the Maxi-Cosi FamilyFix or EasyFix base, or with your car Seat For Newborn seat belt system. The car seat is also compatible with most pushchairs, including the Maxi-Cosi range and Quinny, iCandy and Bugaboo (using adapters). The Baby-Hugg portable infant car seat support is also included to provide an improved fit, a more comfortable position, and side impact protection.

The Pebble Plus car seat is classified as a Group 0+ which means it is suitable for children as young as 12 months (45cm between 45cm and 75cm). It's in line with the new iSize regulations that require children to stay in the rear of the car for longer. It is compatible with the 2way family base that lets you change from forward-facing to rear-facing on the same vehicle. It also includes an excellent rotating feature.

Similar to the previous version, it's a very comfortable seat, and the most recent version includes some improvements. It now has a much-improved baby-hugg inlay that is super comfortable and stylish. The shoulder straps are padded, and the headrest can be moved up and down as your baby grows. It is also able to be removed at anytime if you wish to stop using it.

It's a bit heavier at 4.5kg than other newborn carseats, but it shouldn't pose a problem if your infant spends most of the day in it. It has a handle that can make it easier to carry and is lightweight enough to be carried into and out of taxis or rideshare vehicles.

It's also a good-looking seat, and you can choose from a wide selection of colours and patterns to fit your car. It's not the most cost-effective infant car seat, but it is an excellent investment and worth the extra cost for your child. Once you've got the hang of it, adjusting the harness size and height is a breeze. Simply pull down on the back panel and press together two buttons to move up or down the straps without having to rethread them.

3. Joie Calmi

Joie Calmi is a great infant car seat for a newborn baby. It's easy to use, and it cradles baby like a cot. This carrycot that doubles as a car seat is R129-certified, which means it's made tough with a tough ventilated shell and a plush cushioning to cradle your little one. It features a 3-point safety harness that can be adjusted with just a single pull and softly cushioned covers. It also has lateral positioning, which keeps your baby's face in a safest possible position in the event of collision.

This seat's base is compatible with Joie's Aeria and Finiti pushchairs, so you can take it off and on the frame effortlessly. It's easy to move even when your baby is asleep due to the adjustable handle bars. If you want to create an entire travel system, the iBase Encore adapters permit you to connect Calmi with Maxi-Cosi or Britax pushchair as well.

The design of the previous i-Spin 360 has been improved by Joie. This model received an excellent score in Which?'s crash tests, and a Good rating from ADAC. The model we tested has a lock to prevent you from rotating the seat 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's water resistant and offers 50+ UV protection and features a mesh peekaboo windows that lets you observe without disturbing your child.

If you're looking to purchase a car seat online, make sure you choose a store which offers free UK mainland delivery on all purchases and returns within 35 days. John Lewis offers a wide selection of infant car seats from top brands, including Maxi-Cosi, Silver Cross and Cybex. Click and collect is free to your local branch (or Sainsbury's if you are close to it). You can also earn Nectar points on every purchase. Argos also has a wide selection of car seats with prices starting from PS55. They'll also deliver your order free of charge and provide same-day pickup in-store and free returns at any Argos store or Sainsbury's branch.

4. Silver Cross Motion All Size 360

The most trusted British brand is most well-known for its premium prams and pushchairs, but the Silver Cross Motion all-in-one car seat is making its mark on the market. Our tester Jasper was a fan, describing it "the most attractive of the bunch and the one my daughter seemed to be most comfortable on long drives."

This fully-rotating R129-compliant car seat is able to carry your infant all the way up to 12 years of age, and won the best infant carrier car seat baby, toddler and child car seat in the ADAC's autumn test in 2022. It was also tested beyond the regulations to ensure that your child is safe during every trip.

For babies, it has an easy-to-remove and comfortable cushioned insert made of soft bamboo fabric that's comfortable and breathable. It's also antibacterial. The head support and body insert can be removed as your child grows and the 3 headrest positions and recline can be adjusted to fit your child's.

A unique feature is the built-in 'green light' that lets you know that the car seat is secured and ready for use which makes it a fantastic option for parents who may be unfamiliar about the correct method to install and set up car seats. It also comes with a harness that can be used in either a rear or forward facing infant car seat facing position.

It's also a permanent fixture, so you won't need to wake your baby to get them out of the car for 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 need to buy an additional travel bag to do this).

The Axkid One is a permanently fixed car seat. They are not as easy to transport between cars. If you decide to purchase an additional travel bag for your car seat, make sure it's a durable one that is able to withstand the wear and tear that comes with frequent use. It's worth paying a bit extra for a bag that will last for as long as the car seat of your child.