ADAC tested the seats. Which are the best?

For every parent, the safety of a child is of paramount importance. This is one of the reasons why when buying a car seat, you should be guided not only by the opinions of friends, the advice of the seller, but above all by the results of professional tests.

Recently, the German automobile club ADAC, with more than 17 million members, presented the results of tests of their car seats. What are the results?

ADAC Test Criteria and Comments

The ADAC car seat test included 37 different models divided into seven categories. Universal car seats, which are becoming increasingly popular with parents, are also included, as they are more flexible in terms of weight and age of the child. When testing the seats, the testers took into account, first of all, the ability to absorb energy in a collision, as well as practicality, ergonomics, as well as the presence of harmful substances in the upholstery and materials used for production.

To be precise, the total score is 50 percent of the final crash test result. Another 40 percent is ease of use, and the last 10 percent is ergonomics. As for the presence of harmful substances, if the testers had no comments, they added two pluses to the assessment. In the case of minor objections, one plus was put, and if something was found in the materials that could harm the child, a minus was put in the assessment. It is worth remembering that the lower the final test result, the better.

Evaluation:

• 0,5 - 1,5 - very good
• 1,6 - 2,5 - good
• 2,6 - 3,5 - satisfactory
• 3,6 - 4,5 - satisfactory
• 4,6 - 5,5 - not enough

Also worth mentioning are ADAC's comments about universal seats, i.e. those that are more tolerable in terms of weight and height of the child. Well, German experts do not recommend such a solution and suggest using seats with a narrower weight range. Moreover, until the age of two, the child should be transported backwards, and not every universal seat provides such an opportunity.

Division of car seats into groups:

• Car seats from 0 to 1 year
• Car seats from 0 to 1,5 year
• Car seats from 0 to 4 year
• Car seats from 0 to 12 year
• Car seats from 1 to 7 year
• Car seats from 1 to 12 year
• Car seats from 4 to 12 year

Test results in individual groups

Estimates of individual groups vary greatly. Moreover, within the same group, we can find models that get excellent marks, as well as models that fail in almost all areas. There are also models that did great in the safety test but failed in other categories such as ease of use and ergonomics, or vice versa - they were comfortable and ergonomic, but dangerous. It should also be noted that the tests were very rigorous and none of the 37 car seats tested received the highest score.

• Car seats from 0 to 1 year

The Stokke iZi Go Modular performed best among car seats in the 0-1 year old group. It received an overall rating of 1,8 (good). It performed very well in safety tests and scored well in both ease of use and ergonomics tests. No harmful substances were found in it either. Immediately behind him with a score of 1,9 was the model of the same company - Stokke iZi Go Modular + base iZi Modular i-Size. This set showed very similar results, although it received a lower score in the safety test.

It is interesting that the model ... of the same company received a completely different, much worse rating. Joolz iZi Go Modular and Joolz iZi Go Modular + iZi Modular i-Size Basic Kit received a score of 5,5 (mediocre). It is also surprising that they use materials that are dangerous for children. The Bergsteiger Babyschale with a score of 3,4 (satisfactory) was in the middle of the group.

• Car seats from 0 to 1,5 year

In this group, 5 models were tested, among which the Cybex Aton 1,6 performed the best with a score of 1,7 (good). It also contains no harmful substances. It's also the best car seat in the entire test. In addition, eight more rating models received ratings in the range from 1,9 to 5: Britax Romer Baby-Safe i-Size + i-Size Base, Cybex Aton 2 + Aton Base 5, Britax Romer Baby-Safe. i-Size + i-Size Flex Base, GB Idan, GB Idan + Base-Fix, Nuna Pipa Icon + Pipafix Base, Britax Romer baby Safe i-Size and Cybex Aton 2 + Aton Base XNUMX-fix.

Right behind them is the Nuna Pipa Icon with a 2.0 rating and satisfactory materials. The bet is closed by the Hauck Zero Plus Comfort model with a rating of 2,7. There were no significant problems with harmful substances in any of the models in this group.

• Car seats from 0 to 4 year

The next group was one of the first to include chairs with greater versatility in terms of weight and age of the child. Therefore, the estimates of the four tested models are quite low. The first two models - Maxi-Cosi AxissFix Plus and Recaro Zero.1 i-Size - received a score of 2,4 (good). No harmful substances were found in them.

The next two models are Joie Spin 360 and Takata Midi i-Size Plus + i-Size Base Plus with scores of 2,8 and 2,9 respectively (satisfactory). At the same time, experts noticed small problems with the presence of harmful substances, but this was not too big a drawback, so both models received one plus each.

• Car seats from 0 to 12 year

In this group with the largest age range, only one model is the Graco Milestone. His final grade is pretty bad - only 3,9 (enough). Fortunately, not many harmful substances were found in the materials, so there was one plus in the assessment.

• Car seats from 1 to 7 year

In this group, only one model appeared, which received a final score of 3,8 (enough). We are talking about the Axkid Wolmax car seat, which did not contain any harmful substances in the materials used for its production.

• Car seats from 1 to 12 year

The penultimate group of tested car seats consists of nine models. At the same time, the difference between the best and worst models is very clear - 1,9 versus 5,5. Moreover, in this group there were two chairs that received a mediocre rating in the safety assessment. Let's start with the winner, though, and that's the Cybex Pallas M SL, with a score of 1,9. In addition, it does not contain harmful substances used in production. The Cybex Pallas M-Fix SL and Kiddy Guardianfix 3 received a similar score, although the latter had some minor concerns about the presence of harmful materials.

The infamous leaders at the other end of the table are the Casualplay Multipolaris Fix and LCP Kids Saturn iFix models. In these two cases, it was decided to give a mediocre safety rating. The overall rating of both places is 5,5. Particularly noteworthy is the second model, in which the ease of use was rated as satisfactory, and the materials showed minor disadvantages in the presence of harmful substances.

• Car seats from 4 to 12 year

Six representatives were in the last group of the largest places. The Cybex Solution M SL and its Cybex Solution M-Fix SL alternative proved to be the best. Both proposals received a score of 1,7, and no harmful substances were found in the materials used. The Kiddy Cruiserfix 3 came in third with a score of 1,8 and some reservations about the materials used. The following positions are occupied by models Baier Adefix and Baier Adebar with a rating of 2,1 and 2,2. The Casualplay Polaris Fix closes the list with a score of 2,9.

Choosing a car seat - what mistakes do we make?

Does the perfect seat exist? Of course not. However, it is worth knowing that the choice of a car seat that is as close to the ideal as possible belongs to the parent. Unfortunately, some people have a very bad attitude towards this topic, and most importantly, extremely modest knowledge built on Internet forums, among friends and relatives. If at least some parents turned to specialists, the children would be much safer.

Usually a car seat is chosen by chance or, even worse, the desire to save a few hundred zlotys. Therefore, we buy models that are too large, i.e. "exaggerated", not appropriate for the child, his anatomy, age, height, etc. Often we get a place from friends or family. There would be nothing wrong with that, but in most cases this is not the right seat for a child.

“Baby is a year old and our cousin gave us a child seat for a 4 year old? Nothing, put a pillow on him, fasten the belts tighter, and he will not fall out. – such thinking can lead to tragedy. Your child may not survive a collision as the seat will not be able to withstand it, let alone a serious crash.

Another mistake is to transport an older child in a car seat that is too small. This is another saving symptom that is difficult to explain. Wrinkled legs, head protruding above the headrest, otherwise cramped and uncomfortable - the level of comfort and safety is at the lowest level.

Car seat - which one to choose?

Consider the tests carried out using specialized equipment. It is from them that we will find out whether this chair is really safe for the child. On internet forums and blogs, we can only find out if the upholstery is easy to clean, if the seat belts are easy to fasten, and if the seat is easy to put in the car.

Remember that the safety and comfort of the child is most important, not whether the upholstery can be washed quickly or whether the seat is easy to attach. If your car seat has an excellent safety test result, but the usability is slightly worse, it is better to spend a few more minutes setting up before the trip than to fear for the child behind the wheel.