5-Star Rated Car Seats by NHTSA

Britax convertible car seats

As we've noted in some of our articles, all car seats that you see on the market have met federal child restraint safety standards, and no one car seat is deemed safer than the other. When NHTSA rates car seats on a 5 star scale, they are doing so based on ease of use in the following four categories: 

Evaluation of instructions

Evaluation of labels

Vehicle Installation features

Securing the child

Anyone who has tried installing a car seat for the first time knows how daunting a task it can be, so this list is designed to make that task – and your life – that much easier!

5-Star Rated Infant Seats

Baby Trend Inertia                                                        5lb-32lb/up to 32"

Britax B-Safe                                                                 35-4lb-35lb/up to 32"

Combi Shuttle                                                                up to 35lb/up to 33"

Evenflo SecureRide 35                                                  5lb-35lb/19"-32"

GB Asana 35                                                                 4lb-35lb/up to 32"

JJ Cole Newport Infant Seat                                         5lb-35lb/up to 32"

Learning Curve Via I470 Infant Seat                            5lb-35lb/up to 32"

Summer Infant Prodigy                                                 4lb-32lb/up to 32"

The First Years Contigo                                                 5lb-35lb/up to 32"

UPPAbaby Mesa                                                            4lb-35lb/up to 32"

5-Star Rated Convertible Seats

Britax Advocate ClickTight (FF)                                   20lb-65lb/up to 49" Britax Boulevard ClickTight (FF)                                  20lb-65lb/up to 49" Britax Marathon ClickTight (FF)                                   20lb-65lb/up to 49" The First Years True Fit I-Alert (FF)                             23lb-65lb/up to 50" The First Years True Fit I-Alert (RF)                             5lb-35lb/top of head 1" from top of seat

The First Years True Fit Recline (FF)                            23lb-65lb/up to 50" The First Years True Fit Recline (RF)                           5lb-35lb/head 1" below top of restraint The First Years True Fit SI (FF)                                   23lb-65lb/up to 50" The First Years True Fit SI (RF)                                   5lb-35lb/top of head 1" from top of seat

5-Star Rated Combination Seats

       Britax Frontier 90 (FF)                                                   25lb-90lb/30"-58" Britax Pinnacle 90 (FF)                                                  25lb-90lb/30"-58" Britax Pioneer 70 (FF)                                                   25lb-70lb/30"-54"

5-Star Rated Booster Seats

Evenflo Amp Highback                                                    30lb-110lb/40"-57" Evenflo Big Kid LX                                                          30lb-110lb/38"-57" Learning Curve B540                                                     30lb-100lb/38"-57" The First Years B570 Pathway                                       30lb-100lb/38"-57"