Convertible Car Seat Ease of Use Ratings

Which convertible car seats are the easiest to use?

For more information, see our Car Seat Buyer's Guide.

In order to 'educate parents and caregivers about child safety seat features and which are easy to use as well as to assist you in narrowing your choices by selecting the appropriate child safety seat for your needs,' the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has released ease of use ratings for child car seats. Under the new rating system, child restraints are given an overall ease-of-use rating at the 'A', 'B' or 'C' levels.

Remember that an 'A' rating doesn't mean that a car seat is safer than one with a 'B' or 'C' rating, but only that it is easier to use. A car seat that is easy to use may be less likely to be used incorrectly though, and so might be safer than a seat that is hard to use and is used improperly.

Here are the list of Convertible Car Seats that were rated, with their overall ease of use rating.

Note:

• FF = Forward Facing
• RF = Rear Facing
• Some seats got a different rating when they were used in the forward facing versus the rear facing position. For example, the Evenflo Tribute seat got an 'A' rating when in the rear facing position, but a 'B' in the forward facing position. In this case, it was because the labels weren't as clear as to 'how to properly use the child safety seat' in the forward facing position.
  

Next page > Forward Facing Seat Ratings > Page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

Car Seat Safety Internet Resources:

• Car Seat Safety Quiz: take our quiz to see if you know how to properly use a car seat and keep your kids safe
• Car Seat Buyer's Guide
• Are Car Seats Safe?
• Child Car Seats Safety for your Kids - Learn how to choose the right car seat for your child and whether you need an infant carrier, regular car seat, or a booster. Plus information on where your child should ride in the car and when you can move them to regular seat belts.
• Safety: more safety tips from your Pediatrics Guide
• National Highway Traffic Safety Administration: complete user ratings with each of the 5 categories and overall ratings for car seats.
• Family Shopping Guide to Car Seats: AAP guide to buying a car seat, with a price comparison chart of features and prices of car seats from different manufacturers
• Car Seats for Children with Special Needs: AAP Guide to finding a car seat for your child with special needs.