The Best Newborn Car Seats in the UK

Car seat safety is a top concern for every parent. There's plenty of choices when it comes down to choosing the most suitable car seat for your baby.

With a cozy baby-hugg insert 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 adapt 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 infant on adventures from birth through to their toddler years. It is the latest addition to the renowned Cybex Cloud range and features innovative reclining technologies that allow your child a lie-flat ergonomic position in the car, or when used with a stroller as part a complete travel system. It's also an ISOFIX car seat, which means it is able to be easily connected to your vehicle with the base that comes with it. It can even be rotated 360 degrees to aid in getting your baby out and in.

The car seat is made of high-quality materials, and is available in a range of fashionable colors including Moon Black, Lava Grey and Beach Blue Plus. It's a stylish and elegant choice that goes perfectly with the Cybex T range of prams. It also comes with the Newborn Inlay, which is designed for newborns and premature infants. This helps to maintain the baby's head in a flat position, decreasing the possibility that their heads may move forward during sleep, which can cause breathing issues. It can be removed once your child reaches 60 cm in height.

The car seat is a great choice for safety, as it scored an impressive 1.7 in crash tests conducted by ADAC (Allgemeiner Deutsche Automobil-Club e.V.). The Cloud T i-Size comes equipped with LSP (Linear Side-impact protection) to protect your baby in the event of a crash and the innovative Flexi-Fix system that stretches to fit your child as they develop.

If you're planning to use the car seat as part of a travel set-up with a Cybex pushchair, the unique 180deg rotation ensures that getting your baby in and out is easy. No more awkward twisting or reaching. The car seat is also capable of fully reclined for extra comfort on long journeys in the car. It is priced at a slightly higher cost than some other cars seats for this age group, however the numerous features including the reclining option and excellent security features make it worth the investment.

2. Maxi-Cosi Pebble Plus

The Maxi-Cosi Pebble Plus car seats is one of the most sought-after newborn car seats on the market. It's comfortable for babies 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 is compatible with all pushchairs, including the Maxi Cosi range, Quinny, iCandy, and Bugaboo by using adapters. The Baby-Hugg infant support is included for the best fit, better laying in a more upright position, and also side impact protection.

The Pebble Plus car seat is a Group 0+, which means that it can be used by babies as young as 12 months (45cm between 45cm and 75cm). It's in line with the new iSize guidelines that require children to stay in the rear for a longer period of time. It's compatible with the 2way Family base that allows you to change between forward and rear facing on the same vehicle and also has a handy rotating feature.

Like the previous version, it's a very comfortable seat and the latest edition includes some improvements. It features a new, improved baby-hugging inlay that feels and looks great. The shoulder straps are well-cushioned, and the headrest can be moved up and down as your baby grows. It is also able to be removed at any time to end using it.

It's a bit heavier at 4.5kg than other infant carseats, however it shouldn't pose a problem for a baby who spends the majority of the time in it. It can be used with a handle for more comfortable carrying, and it's light enough to be able to lift it into and out of rideshare cars or taxis, too.

It's also a stylish seat. You can pick from a variety of colors and patterns that are suitable for your car. It's not the most affordable infant car seat, but it's still very reasonable and worth the extra investment for your baby. Once you've got the hang of it, adjusting the harness height and size is easy. You simply pull down on the back panel and squeeze together two buttons to move up and down the straps without the need to rethread them.

3. Joie Calmi

Joie Calmi is the ideal newborn car seat for your newborn. It's simple to use, and is a great cot-like baby sitter. This dual-use car seat as well as carrycot is certified by R129. It's built to last with a tough ventilated outer shell and soft padding to hold your little one. It comes with a 3-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 in the safest position in case of an impact.

This seat's base is compatible with Joie's Aeria and Finiti pushchairs, meaning you can take it off and back on the frame effortlessly. Additionally, with the adjustable handle bars, it's also easy to lift even when your child is asleep. If you're planning to build a travel set, the iBase Encore adapters will allow you to connect your Calmi with a MaxiCosi or Britax stroller.

Joie has improved the design of its earlier i-Spin 360, which earned a high test score in Which?'s crash tests and a good rating from ADAC. The latest model, which we tested, has a lock that prevents you from rotating the seat too soon, ensuring your child stays in the rear as long as possible. It also comes with a large sun canopy that is water-resistant and has 50+ UV protection, as well as a mesh peekaboo to allow you to check in without disturbing your child.

If you are looking online for car seat, select a retailer who provides free delivery to the UK mainland on all purchases. They should also allow returns within 35 days. John Lewis offers a wide selection of car seats by age seats for newborns from top brands such as Maxi-Cosi, Silver Cross and Cybex. Click and collect is free to any branch in your area (or Sainsbury's if you are close to it). You can also earn Nectar points on all purchases. Argos is another option for a broad selection of car seats, starting at PS55. You can also enjoy free delivery, same-day collection in-store and free returns to any Argos or Sainsbury's retailer that is a participating one.

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 known for its premium pushchairs and prams. Our tester Jasper was a fan, describing it "the best car seat-looking of the bunch, and the one that my child seemed to find most comfortable during long journeys."

This fully rotating R129 compliant car seat is suitable for babies all the way to 12 years old. It won the ADAC 2022 Autumn Test's award for the top child, baby and toddler car seat. It was also tested to the extent that it exceeds the requirements to ensure your child is safe on every trip.

It includes a removable, cosy padding for infants composed of soft bamboo fabrics. These are super breathable and antibacterial. The body support and head support can be removed as your child grows and the 3 recline and 8 positions for the headrest can also be adjusted to accommodate.

The 'green' light that signals when the car seat has been correctly installed and is now ready to use is an unique feature. This makes it a great option for parents who are new to the family, and might not be aware of the correct installation and fitting of car seats. It also comes with a stowable strap that can be used in a forward-facing or rear-facing position.

Another major selling point is that it's a long-lasting vehicle fixture which means you don't have to wake up your sleeping baby to take them out for longer trips. However, it isn't travel system-compatible like the Joie I-Spin 360 iSize or Britax Romer Dualfix Plus i-Size (you need to buy a separate travel bag for this).

The downside to permanently fixed car seats like the Axkid One i-size is that they're not as convenient to carry around when you need to transport them between different vehicles. If you do choose to purchase an additional travel bag to carry your car seat, ensure that it's a sturdy bag that can keep up with the wear and tear of frequent use. It's worth spending a little more to purchase a bag that will last for as long as the car seat of your child.