The TCS child seat test is here - we have the test winners
11.6.2018
Translation: machine translated
When the Touring Club Switzerland calls, they all come. From tyres and roof racks to child seats - everything is looked at, tested and assessed. Read here what the latest child seat test revealed and which models you can find in our shop.
The child seat is a component that should not be underestimated when travelling with small children. Apart from the fact that they are required by law, they offer your offspring safety in the event of a collision. The TCS has tested 22 child seat models. The majority of them performed very well: Only just three products were found by the experts to be not recommended or only conditionally recommended.
One trend that caught the eye of the professionals was models that can be fitted on both sides. More and more child seats can be found on the market that can be fitted both facing the direction of travel and the other way round - i.e. facing the rear window. It is important to note that children up to 9 kilograms or younger than 15 months must always be carried facing in the opposite direction of travel.
Safety, operation, ergonomics and any harmful substances used were tested. The percentage is not an absolute value, but an individual score. This does not mean that 60% safety means that your child will survive the accident 60% of the time. It means that the seat tested fulfils 60% of all requirements. These values should also help when comparing the different models. At Galaxus, we offer you eight models in various colours that have been found to be highly recommended by the Touring Club. Below you will find these models with a detailed description.
Recaro Monza Nova Evo 2018
The large side protection panels, which are designed to protect the child from lateral damage, are particularly noticeable here. It is also the cheapest model that has been awarded the "highly recommended" rating. You can also buy this seat in grey, black or red. The backrest is also height-adjustable, offering your child protection as they grow. Children between 15 and 36 kilograms can fit in here.
- Safety: 64%
- Operation and ergonomics: 76%
- Testing for harmful substances: 90%
Maxi-Cosi Rock 2018
The Maxi-Cosi, which many parents already use as a synonym for child car seat, is available in seven different colours. The practical seat reducer is designed to perfectly enclose even newborn babies and provide comprehensive protection in an emergency. With the separately available 2wayFix base station, you can also easily attach the seat to the Isofix system. The Rock is suitable for infants from 0 to 13 kilograms.
- Safety: 78%
- Operation and ergonomics: 74%
- Testing for harmful substances: 90%
Recaro Monza Nova Evo Seatfix 2018
In principle, this seat is identical to the first model at the top of this list. The only difference is the additional Seatfix connection, which makes installation and fastening with the Isofix system possible. Otherwise, all specifications are identical to the model without Seatfix extras.
- Safety: 66%
- Operation and ergonomics: 74%
- Testing for harmful substances: 90%
Britax Römer Baby Safe i-Size
This infant car seat is designed for newborns from 0 to 15 kilograms. It is available in eight different colours. The manufacturer states that the car seat grows with your child - this of course refers to the various customisation options for your baby's rapidly changing size. Incidentally, a newborn insert protects your child from birth. The patented flat lying position is also designed to support the baby's neck muscles, which are not yet fully developed.
- Safety: 80%
- Operation and ergonomics: 68%
- Testing for harmful substances: 90%
Britax Römer Trifix i-Size
The 400 francs mark has now been exceeded, but the models are also becoming more sophisticated and, in my opinion, look a little more elegant and better finished. Of course, this is just a subjective impression, but it always plays a role that should not be neglected. According to Britax Römer, such a seat is the ideal choice after the infant car seat - for children between 15 months and 4 years or 76 and 105 centimetres tall. Thanks to an ingenious anti-tip system, most of the impact forces are absorbed by the car seat underneath. The harness and headrest can also be adjusted to the child's growth.
- Safety: 66%
- Operation and ergonomics: 68%
- Testing for harmful substances: 90%
Cybex Sirona S i-Size
Children can use this seat from birth and up to the age of 4. Thanks to a 360° swivel mechanism, you as a parent can load and unload your child effortlessly. The manufacturer promises that back pain and awkward lifting movements are a thing of the past with this model. As with the Britax Römer model just mentioned, the built-in energy reduction technology ensures that nothing happens to your child in the event of an accident.
- Safety: 68%
- Operation and ergonomics: 60%
- Testing for harmful substances: 90%
Britax Römer Dualfix i-Size
The Dualfix model from Britax Römer offers your child a safe seat from birth and up to the age of 4. It is also possible to rotate the seat 360 degrees, making it easier to position the child in the car. You can use this seat both in and against the direction of travel - with the restriction mentioned above that the child may only be carried in the direction of travel from a height of around 76 centimetres. It should be noted that rear-facing child seats may only be fitted on the front passenger seat if the airbag system is deactivated. Here, too, the Isofix system is used to secure the child seat.
- Safety: 72%
- Operation and ergonomics: 62%
- Testing for harmful substances: 90%
Kiddy Evoluna i-Size
This neatly finished and classy-looking child car seat from Kiddy may be the most expensive model I'm mentioning here, but it impresses with its sophisticated technologies. A three-point harness system ensures stability and safety, while soft cushions provide a comfortable seating position.
- Safety: 78%
- Operation and ergonomics: 74%
- Testing for harmful substances: 90%
Conditionally recommended: Chicco Cosmos 2017
Yes, the TCS - and us too, by the way - also shows the dark side of the coin: although only three models are not recommended or only conditionally recommended, I don't want to withhold them from you. In our shop, you can only find the model that is recommended with reservations. Here, the safety value tested was just 26%. Operation and ergonomics also scored relatively poorly at 40%. In addition, the test for harmful substances only resulted in a score of 76% (compared to the 90% recorded for the majority).
- Safety: 26%
- Operation and ergonomics: 40%
- Testing for harmful substances: 76%
Tips from the experts
From over 50 years of test reports on child car seats, the TCS has compiled the following tips:
- Look at the test results before you buy and try out possible seats in your own car and with your child first
- Even in older cars, child seats must always be fitted tightly and securely.
- When you put your child in the seat, you should make sure that the straps are tight, run in a straight line and have no creases.
- For infant car seats, you must ensure that the harness length is sufficient to buckle the seat. If this is not the case, it may be possible to fit the car seat with a separately available base.
- If your child leans forwards and back again and the belt does not retract automatically in booster seats with back support, you should consider a different child seat that is better suited to your car's belt system.
- Child seats with semi-universal approval, such as seats with a support base, do not fit in every vehicle. Here you should take a look at the enclosed type list in advance.
- Your child should sit in the child seat without a vest or jacket so that the belt sits as close to the body as possible. It is also important that you regularly adjust the backrest to the size of your growing child.
You can find the detailed TCS test here.
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Header image: Safety first - especially with small children and in the car
Raphael Knecht
Senior Editor
raphael.knecht@digitecgalaxus.chWhen I'm not stuffing my face with sweets, you'll catch me running around in the gym hall. I’m a passionate floorball player and coach. On rainy days, I tinker with my homebuilt PCs, robots or other gadgets. Music is always my trusted companion. I also enjoy tackling hilly terrain on my road bike and criss-crossing the country on my cross-country skis.
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