IIHS testing ranks the 41 new booster seats of 2014
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety is usually busy smashing new cars into deformable barriers and other sorts of destructive hijinx all in an effort to help consumers make safe decisions. But, that’s not all they test.
The agency has released a report on 41 new booster seats they’ve tested in 2014 so you know which ones to buy or to avoid altogether.
The good news? The ‘BEST BET’ seats ranked by IIHS aren’t all expensive, ranging from $25 to $370, with several models being LATCH compatible. Also, a record number of boosters (a total of 27 for 2014) were put in the ‘BEST BET’ category.
“Buying a booster seat can be confusing,” says Jessica Jermakian, a senior research scientist at the Institute and an expert on child passenger safety. “There are lots of models and features to choose from. Until we started our ratings six years ago, parents couldn’t be sure that the booster they’d put in their shopping cart would actually provide the right belt fit for their child once they unpacked the seat and installed it in the family vehicle. Our ratings take the guesswork out of purchasing a booster seat.”
It should be mentioned the rankings are based on seat belt fitment and not crashworthiness. Keep that in mind before making this list the Holy Grail of Timmy Saving Child Seats.
BEST BET
Baby Trend Hybrid 3-in-1 (backless mode)
Baby Trend Hybrid No Back (backless)
Britax Frontier 90 (highback)
Britax Pinnacle 90 (highback)
Britax Pioneer 70 (highback)
BubbleBum Neon (backless)
Cybex Solution X-Fix (highback)
Diono Solana (backless)
Dream On Me Turbo Booster (highback mode)
Eddie Bauer Deluxe Belt-Positioning Booster (highback mode)
Eddie Bauer Deluxe Highback 65 (highback)
Evenflo Chase (highback)
Evenflo Symphony 65 (highback)
Graco Argos 80 Elite 3-in-1 (backless mode)
Graco Argos 80 Elite 3-in-1 (highback mode)
Graco 4Ever All-in-1 (backless mode)
Graco 4Ever All-in-1 (highback mode)
Graco Milestone All-in-1 (highback)
Graco Nautilus 3-in-1 with Safety Surround (highback mode)
Kids Embrace Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle (highback)
Maxi-Cosi Rodi AP (highback mode)
Maxi-Cosi RodiFix (highback)
Peg Perego Viaggio HBB 120 (highback mode)
Recaro Performance Booster (highback)
Safety 1st Store ’n Go (highback mode)
Safety 1st Store ’n Go No-Back (backless)
Safety 1st Summit 65 (highback)
GOOD BET
Baby Trend Hybrid 3-in-1 (highback mode)
Cybex Solution Q-Fix (highback)
Diono Rainier (highback)
Check Fit
Dream On Me Coupe Booster (backless)
Dream On Me Turbo Booster (backless mode)
Eddie Bauer Deluxe Belt-Positioning Booster (backless mode)
Graco Nautilus 3-in-1 with Safety Surround (backless mode)
Harmony Folding Travel Booster (highback)
Maxi-Cosi Rodi AP (backless mode)
Peg Perego Viaggio HBB 120 (backless mode)
Safety 1st Store ’n Go (backless mode)
Not Recommended
Diono Olympia (highback)
Diono Pacifica (highback)
Kids Embrace Batman No Back Booster (backless)
