IIHS Rates 53 New Boosters Best Bets
CARS.COM — Safety-conscious parents will be encouraged by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s 2016 booster seat evaluations: Of 53 new models tested, 48 earned the top rating of best bet.
Related: Mifold Booster Seat Review
But parents still must be careful in buying; not all seats pass muster. Three of the remaining seats varied in results depending on the size of the child and the characteristics of the vehicle, so a parent would need to check the fit before using it. And two seats failed; IIHS recommends that they be avoided altogether.
This year’s list marks a big improvement from IIHS’ first annual rating of boosters in 2008 when only a fourth of the seats evaluated passed. But it’s a step back from last year, when all 23 booster seats tested were judged best bets or good bets.
It seems that child-safety seat makers have mostly, but not completely, mastered designing a safe booster seat. “Parents looking for a safe option for kids who have outgrown seats with built-in harnesses have more choices than ever,” said IIHS Senior Research Engineer Jessica Jermakian, in a statement. “Unfortunately, we can’t declare total victory because manufacturers continue to sell subpar boosters.”
Booster seats are for children ages 4 and older who no longer fit in harness-equipped, forward-facing child-safety seats. They raise the child so that the car’s three-point seat belt, designed for adults, properly fit flat across a kid’s upper thighs and snugly over the shoulder and across the chest.
For some children that may mean using a booster until age 12 or so, IIHS says. The insurance industry safety research group says that children ages 4 to 8 using a booster seat are 45 percent less likely to be injured in a crash than if they use the seat belt alone.
Good safety doesn’t have to break the bank, however. The 2016 best bets range in price from the Harmony Big Boost Deluxe, $24.84 at Walmart.com, to the Graco 4Ever All-in-1 with Safety Surround, a $330 combination seat that converts from a rear-facing infant safety seat to a forward-facing child-safety seat and then to a booster seat.
The 2016 results mean that for all currently available boosters, including old models, 118 are IIHS best bets, nine are good bets (offering acceptable belt fit in most vehicles), 27 are rated check fit and five are not recommended. See the full IIHS booster evaluations list here.
Here is the full list of 2016 evaluations. Dual-use booster seat ratings (those that can be used in high-back or backless modes) vary for each position.
Best Bet
- Aidia Explorer 2-in-1 (backless mode)
- Aidia Explorer 2-in-1 (high-back mode)
- Aidia Pathfinder (high-back)
- Aidia Scout (backless)
- Baby Trend PROtect Yumi (high-back)
- Baby Trend PROtect Yumi 2-in-1 (backless mode)
- Baby Trend PROtect Yumi 2-in-1 (high-back mode)
- Britax Frontier Clicktight (high-back)
- Britax Parkway SGL (high-back mode)
- Britax Pinnacle Clicktight (high-back)
- Britax Pioneer (high-back)
- BubbleBum Pink (backless)
- Chicco KidFit Zip (backless mode)
- Chicco KidFit Zip (high-back mode)
- Chicco KidFit Zip Air (backless mode)
- Chicco KidFit Zip Air (high-back mode)
- Evenflo Big Kid (backless mode)
- Evenflo Big Kid (high-back mode)
- Evenflo Platinum SafeMax (high-back)
- Evenflo SafeMax 3-in-1 (backless mode)
- Evenflo SafeMax 3-in-1 (high-back mode)
- Graco Extend2Fit 3-in-1 (high-back)
- Graco 4Ever All-in-1 with Safety Surround (backless mode)
- Graco 4Ever All-in-1 with Safety Surround (high-back mode)
- Graco Extend2Fit 3-in-1 (high-back)
- Graco Milestone All-in-One with Safety Surround (high-back)
- Graco Nautilus 80 Elite (backless mode)
- Graco Nautilus 80 Elite (high-back mode)
- Graco SlimFit 3-in-1 (high-back)
- Graco TurboBooster (backless mode)
- Graco TurboBooster (high-back mode)
- Graco TurboBooster with ComfortCore (backless mode)
- Graco TurboBooster with ComfortCore (high-back mode)
- Graco TurboBooster LX with TrueShield (backless mode)
- Graco TurboBooster LX with TrueShield (high-back mode)
- Harmony Big Boost Deluxe (backless)
- Harmony Dreamtime 2.0 (backless mode)
- Harmony Dreamtime 2.0 (high-back mode)
- KidsEmbrace Fun-Ride Backless Batman (backless)
- KidsEmbrace Fun-Ride Spider-Man (backless mode)
- KidsEmbrace Fun-Ride Spider-Man (high-back mode)
- Lil Fan Club Seat 2-in-1 (backless mode)
- Safety 1st Continuum (high-back)
- Safety 1st Elite EX 100 Air+ (high-back)
- Safety 1st EverFit (high-back)
- Safety 1st Grow and Go Air (high-back)
- Safety 1st Grow and Go EX Air (high-back)
- Safety 1st MultiFit (high-back)
- Safety 1st UltraMax Air 360 (high-back)
Check Fit
Results varied by child size and vehicle
- Britax Parkway SGL (backless mode)
- Lil Fan Club Seat 2-in-1 (high-back mode)
- Peg Perego Viaggio Flex 120 (high-back)
Not Recommended
- Cosco Easy Elite (high-back)
- Cosco Highback 2-in-1 DX (high-back)
