Product test
81

«TCS» child car seat rating part 2 – we have the test winners

Myrtha Brunner
3.11.2017
Translation: Eva Francis

The «TCS – Touring Club Schweiz» (Swiss Touring Club) has published the second part of their child car seat ranking of 2017. They put 17 child car seats to the test; five of them with i-size certification. Find out more about the test and discover which seats were given a 4-star rating and rewarded as «highly recommended».

What was tested

Following the first part of the test from May 2017, TCS looked into the following aspects: safety, handling, ergonomics, cleaning and harmful substances. The test included i-site seats, which are gaining market share and can be mounted forward or rearward-facing. The Cybex Aton M is the only i-size seat we currently have on offer. Unfortunately, the «Recaro Optia & Smart Click Base» as well as the «Jané Grand» didn’t pass the frontal impact test and were rated with «not recommended». As a result, Jané are offering free inspection of delivered car seats and Recaro are providing replacement at no charge.

The testing criteria were prioritised as follows: Safety and handling/ergonomics were given a weight of 50% each, harmful substances a weight of 0%. A so-called gradual devaluation effect was applied to make sure the results are as meaningful as possible: The end result is devaluated if the rating regarding safety or handling/ergonomics is below 60% or 40% respectively, which means that a rating of below 20% has a direct impact on the end result.

What does «i-size» mean?

«i-size» is a new EU safety regulation for child car seats. It was introduced in July 2013 to make child car seats easier to fit and provide better protection for head and neck in the case of side and frontal impacts. It includes the following:

  • Child car seats need to be rearward-facing for babies up to an age of 15 months.
  • Isofix fitting points ar applied to avoid incorrectly installed seats.
  • A child's height is used to choose the right car seat.

As a result of these new EU safety regulations, more and more seats are introduced that can be installed forward or rearward-facing. In addition, the compatibility with the Isofix system was improved and a new system was introduced to make it easier for parents to choose a suitable seat: i-size uses the child's clothes size (height) to determine if the seat fits the child, rather than their weight. This makes sure that head and neck protection is given at any time. Car seats without i-size certification are still allowed and are safe, but are classified by weight rather than by height. For more information, check out the first part of the TCS child car seat test 2017 (in German). It remains to be seen if new regulations are introduced in 2018.

i-Size 40 to 105 cm

Recaro Zero.1 Elite i-Size

  • Safety: 64%
  • Handling/ergonomics: 56%
  • Harmful substances: 78%
  • Cleaning: 66%
RECARO Zero.1 Elite i-Size (Baby car seat, ECE R129/i-Size Standard)
Child car seat

RECARO Zero.1 Elite i-Size

Baby car seat, ECE R129/i-Size Standard

Cybex Aton M i-Size

  • Safety: 76%
  • Handling/ergonomics: 70%
  • Harmful substances: 76%
  • Cleaning: 70%

Für babies up to 13 kg (up to about 1 year of age)

Recaro Guardia & SmartClick Base

  • Safety: 74%
  • Handling/ergonomics: 76%
  • Harmful substances: 78%
  • Cleaning: 70%

Recaro Privia Evo & SmartClick Base

  • Safety: 74%
  • Handling/ergonomics: 76%
  • Harmful substances: 78%
  • Cleaning: 70%

Recaro Guardia

  • Safety: 76%
  • Handling/ergonomics: 70%
  • Harmful substances: 78%
  • Cleaning: 70%

Recaro Privia Evo

  • Safety: 76%
  • Handling/ergonomics: 70%
  • Harmful substances: 78%
  • Cleaning: 70%

For children from 15 to 36 kg (from about 3.5 to 12 years of age)

Maxi-Cosi Rodi XP

  • Safety: 64%
  • Handling/ergonomics: 80%
  • Harmful substances: 90%
  • Cleaning: 66%

Maxi-Cosi Rodi XP FIX

  • Safety: 58%
  • Handling/ergonomics: 78%
  • Harmful substances: 90%
  • Cleaning: 66%

TCS guide (in German)

The free guide in German, French or Italian can be ordered on www.kindersitze.tcs.ch and is also available at the Swiss Competence Centre for Accident Prevention (bfu) in Berne.

See our full range of child car seats

8 people like this article

User Avatar
User Avatar
Myrtha Brunner
Editor
myrtha.brunner@digitecgalaxus.ch

I’m the cook, cleaner, police officer, nurse, entertainer, motivator, author, storyteller, coach, organiser, chauffeur, lawyer and judge. To put it simply, I’m a mum to a daughter and not just a (Content) Manager at the office but also at home.

Family
Follow topics and stay updated on your areas of interest

1 comment

Avatar
later