By Rita Colorito on November 26, 2012 in
Car seats aren't just for babies anymore. The NHTSA says all children should be in booster seats until at least age 8. Manufacturers are stepping up, making seats look less babyish for children ages 4 to 8 with mod patterns, bold primary colors, and other designs. But safety isn't taking a backseat to aesthetics when it comes to the newest child booster seats on the market.
Fifteen of the 17 booster seats introduced in 2012 earned the top BEST BET rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. The IIHS defines BEST BETs as "seats that provide good belt fit for typical 4 to 8 year-olds in almost any car, minivan or SUV."
A few of this year's winners are also ConsumerSearch Best Reviewed convertible car seats and booster models.
This year's BEST BET booster seat winners:
- Diono Radian R100
- Diono Radian R120
- Diono Radian RXT
- Evenflo Big Kid Amp Highback (backless mode only)
- Evenflo Secure Kid 300/400
- Graco Backless TurboBooster
- Graco Highback TurboBooster
- Graco TurboBooster COLORZ
- Graco TurboBooster Safety Surround (both backless and highback)
- Harmony Cruz Youth Booster
- Harmony V6 Highback (both backless and highback)
- Kiddy Cruiserfix Pro
- Kiddy World Plus
"Booster manufacturers have risen to the Institute's challenge to improve seat design, giving parents more choices than ever when shopping for a booster that will provide a good, safe fit for their children," states Anne McCartt, Institute senior vice president for research, in the latest IIHS booster seat report.
Not Recommended
Only two booster seats--Safety 1st All-in-One and Safety 1st Alpha Omega Elite -failed to provide good belt fit according to the latest IIHS report. The Institute put these on their not recommended list.
And other options
A longer list of new and previous BEST BET booster seats, as well as GOOD BETs, defined as providing "acceptable belt fit in most cars, minivans or SUVs," can be found on the IIHS website.
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