UK Child Car Seat Laws: Choosing the Best and Safest Option for Your Child

Infant car seat safety

Having a newborn doesn’t mean you should have to worry about getting from A to B. Still, there’s a few things to be aware of when driving with an infant, so here are some important guidelines to bear in mind: 

• Infant passengers must be safely buckled into a height-based seat, also known as ‘i-Size’ seats.
• Car seats must be rear-facing until your baby is aged 15 months or over. 
• All child seats need to be securely fastened in with a diagonal strap.
• Your child should either be seated in the far right or far left back seat. The only exceptions to this are seats specifically designed to be used with a lap seat belt or are fitted using ISOFIX anchor points. 
• It's safest to use a car seat in the back of the vehicle. However, if you’re installing your car seat in the front passenger seat, the front airbags must be deactivated before fitting. 

How to choose the right car seat

Having a car seat that fits your vehicle is essential. If you can, we’d recommend setting yours up before the baby is born. After all, you’ll probably need to drive your bundle of joy home from the hospital or birth centre. 

• Shop around: there’s a range of makes and models that all fit slightly differently, meaning what worked for a friend won’t always be the best option for you. There will no doubt be a retailer near you who can help you find the right car seat and show you how to fit it. 
• Practice fitting the car seat: before the big day arrives, try having a few practice runs at fitting the car seat in your vehicle. This will let you know if your seat is the right one for your car and will help you feel more confident about installing the seat or taking it out once your baby is born. 

ISOFIX car seats

ISOFIX may sound complicated but it’s just an international standard and can make fitting a car seat even more straightforward. 

If you’re tempted by an ISOFIX car seat, then it’s worth checking to see if your car already has the right connectors built in. The ISOFIX system is designed to simplify the installation of baby and car seats, and most modern family cars are built with them in mind. If you’re not sure, try looking or feeling between the backrests and seats for the metal connectors – they’re probably hiding there. To check your car has ISOFIX connectors:

• Check the car’s handbook or manufacturer’s website. 
• Look for ISOFIX labels and fittings behind your car’s backseat.

Always buy a brand-new car seat 

As a rule, you shouldn’t ever buy second-hand car seats. They may look fine on the surface, but the risks of using a previously owned seat that’s been in an accident are too great. 

By investing in your own brand-new car seat, you’re guaranteed to get one that has all its parts and proper instructions on how to install and use it. Even if you find a second-hand option that fits your car and – to your knowledge – has barely been used, new is always better. 

How do I know when my baby outgrows their car seat?

As your baby grows (and trust us, they’ll grow fast!) your car seat should follow suit. There are different sized car seats for each stage of your child’s development, up to the point where they reach a height of 135cm and no longer need one. 

When buying a child car seat, you’ll either choose yours based on your baby’s weight or, if you opt for an i-Size seat, their height. When you upgrade from one size to another, it’s important to make sure it’s the right size for them to avoid injuries if you’re involved in a crash. 

Car seats are split into different categories, and a baby car seat (Group 0+) will likely be the first one you buy. These are smaller and lighter, as well as rear-facing. Group 0+ car seats are perfect for your newborn, but it’s important to know what the next step should be.

Once your baby grows and begins to start their exciting time as a toddler, they’ll likely move up to Group 1. These are seats specifically designed for this age group weighing anything between 9kg and 18kg. Typically, children will stay in this weight range between the ages of nine months and four years old. 

There’s no need to worry about driving with your baby or when to upgrade from a newborn car seat to something bigger. With all the information available, you can enjoy getting to grips with being a new parent – or at least focus on other things, like how to get them to sleep… and get yourself some well needed rest! 

Child booster seats

When your child reaches the age of four, it’s time to shop for a booster seat. However, you’ll also have to get your head around the booster seat laws first, which build on the child car seat laws.

Types of booster seats

• High-backed booster seat: this seat is forward-facing only and doesn't have an integral harness to secure the child. The child is secured using the car's seat belt, which secures the seat to the car. If your car has Isofix child-seat mounting points, your Isofix-compatible high-backed seat is secured directly to the car, while the seatbelt secures the child to the seat. 
• Backless booster cushion: this seat isn’t secured to the car either by the seat belt or Isofix connectors. Instead, it's simply a way of raising the child so the car's seat belt secures them more safely than if they were sitting on the vehicle seat alone. Some booster cushions have small 'horns' located by the child's hips. These are there to guide the seatbelt across and stop it sliding up in a collision and causing spinal injuries.

Which is better – a backless booster cushion or high-backed booster seat?

So, you’re ready to buy a booster seat – but which is the right one? If you’re looking to replace a car seat that’s been damaged due to an accident, fire or theft, check with your car insurer first. LV= car insurance will replace any child seat with a new one of the same quality, even if it looks un-damaged after a theft, accident or fire.

A high-backed booster seat allows you to position the straps of a seatbelt correctly. Because a child's bones still aren't at full strength, the high-backed booster seat is designed to provide similar protection to a fully developed adult pelvis and collarbone in a collision, reducing the chances of broken bones and spinal injuries. At the same time, its side wings protect the child's head and reduce movement in a side impact. Others have adjustable head restraints that also reduce head movement.

A booster cushion, on the other hand, doesn’t have a back and offers no means of correctly positioning the seatbelt at the shoulder and across the chest. It doesn't provide additional support in the way of side wings or a head restraint.

Safety organisations advise against using booster cushions. Some high-backed booster seats have removable backs so that you can convert them to booster cushions, but safety organisations also advise against this.

Tests have shown that young children are especially vulnerable in crashes. Pre-tensioning seat belts can exert huge loads on a child's rib cage, while the size of their heads relative to their bodies means they move around more violently, causing greater injury. A child in a booster cushion is especially at risk from side impact injuries, too. 

Think you know which booster seat you’ll go for? Before heading to the checkout, make sure the new seat is covered by your car insurance.

What regulation governs booster seats and cushions?

Regulation ECE R44/O4 applies to high-backed seats and booster cushions and covers children from birth to 36kg. As well as this, UK road traffic law demands all children travelling in a car must use the correct car seat until they're 12 years old or 135cm tall.

The use of booster cushions (also known as backless booster seats) is limited to children taller than 125 cm and weighing more than 22kg. These products display a sticker stating what height and weight of child they can be used for. 

The government’s website has more information about the car seat laws.