Recaro vs. Britax Car Seat & Booster Comparisons Help You Make Your Pick

Shop Smart: Recaro vs. Britax Car Seat & Booster Comparisons Help You Make Your Pick

Every parent needs to know the answers to three questions before he/she buys a car seat: How long can my child fit in it; Is it comfortable and easy to use; and – most of all – Is it one of the safest I can buy?

Whether you’re in the market for a top-rated convertible car seat or the best booster seat on the market, we’ve got the information you need to make the car cruising choice that’s right for your child. We’ve examined two of the top car seat brands on the market: Recaro and Britax. Here’s what we found out:

 

Question 1: How Long Can it Accommodate My Growing Child?

Parents everywhere breathed a collective sigh of relief once car seat manufacturers made harness height adjustment more hassle-free. You’ll be glad to know that both Recaro and Britax advertise harnesses that you can slide to adjust without rethreading the straps.

 

Convertible Car Seats:

“Convertible” car seat means the seat can be used as both a rear-facing and forward-facing seat, depending on your child’s age and size. Safety experts agree that your child should ride rear-facing until they reach 20 pounds and one year old.  New recommendations by the American Academy of Pediatrics published in April 2011 advise parents to keep their toddlers in rear-facing car seats until age 2, or until they reach the maximum height and weight for their seat. 

Both Recaro’s ProRide and Britax’s line of convertible car seats (such as the Marathon) allow your child to stay rear-facing until about two years of age – specifically, up to 35 lbs. in the ProRide and 40 lbs. in Britax’s line. Both brands are what you call “high-capacity” convertibles, accommodating your child in the forward-facing position up to 70 lbs. and 50” (Recaro) or 70 lbs. and 49” (Britax). 

Many parents like the ProRide’s adjustable headrest and higher harness slots for taller children.

Belt-Positioning Boosters:

Once your child outgrows the traditional convertible seat, they are ready for a booster. One type is the “belt-positioning” booster, which means you use the car’s seat belt to secure your child.

Recaro’s ProBooster offers a wider weight range, 30-120 lbs., meaning you can transition your child from the infant seat straight into this one. ProBooster also offers a recline feature to better fit the slope of your car’s back seat.

Britax’s Parkway booster seat accommodates children 40 to 120 lbs. and up to 63” tall (ProBooster’s max height is 61”.)

 

Combination Car Seats:

Many parents want to buy as few car seats as possible so they prefer a combination convertible and booster seat. This sort of seat will accommodate your child for the widest weight range. If you’re looking for the best-rated convertible car seat that you can use as long as possible, the Recaro ProSport is your answer. It will hold your child securely in a five-point harness up to 90 pounds, which is the highest weight capacity for five-point harnesses currently available today. The ProSport combo seat is appropriate for children as small as 20 lbs. and up to 120 lbs. (from 90-120 lbs. using the car’s seat belt.)

Britax’s answer is the Frontier, which offers a slightly narrower weight range of 25 to 85 lbs. in a five-point harness. The seat also fits children up to 120 lbs. when used as a belt-positioning booster seat.

Q2: Is It Comfortable and Easy to Use?

Both of these seats come with optional “LATCH” connectors, which allow you to anchor the car seat to metal hooks built into most newer car models.

When looking at the reviews, Recaro rates as a very comfortable seat. There are fewer reviews available because Recaro’s a newer seat. However, almost all of the reviews are highly favorable. Many people rave about the “CoolMesh” air ventilation technology that promotes air flow and keeps baby cool and dry.

The main complaint with Recaro is that the seats are large and heavy – which is also what makes them so safe and secure. We have tested the Recaro ProRide rear facing in a Toyota Corolla.

Britax also receives good reviews for comfort and ease of use. However, we did note some complaints on the new Marathon style, primarily a too-shallow seat with a too-short crotch strap for toddler boys.  The seat flairs out to the side which may make a tighter fit for passengers on each side of the seat.

Q3: Does it Have the Highest Safety Rating?

Safety is every parents number one priority and both of these brands should put your mind at ease. Recaro is rated by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety as a “Best Bet.” Britax is rated as the top convertible car seat by ConsumerSearch.com. 

A key point to remember is that currently in the United States, there is no U.S. side impact testing standard requirement.  Sure most car seats on the market today offer side impact protection but without any U.S. federally mandated testing standards, what does that mean?  Even though it is not required in the United States, Recaro utilizes ADAC, the most recognized Automotive Testing Organization in Europe for Side Impact Protection Testing.  Although Britax mentions that they have put their car seats through side impact testing that is based on proven European test methods, their site does not mention if they use an independent agency.

 

Here are the primary safety features of each brand:

Recaro:

·      Side Impact Protection: RECARO's Side Impact Protection is designed to distinctly protect 5 vulnerable areas of a child in a side impact collision - their head, neck, face, torso and pelvis.

·      SoftTouch Head Restraint: Head restraint is padded with real automotive “PUR” foam for added comfort and safety.

·      EasyAdjust Head Restraint:  The turn of a knob positions the head restraint to properly fit the child, which ensures optimum safety and comfort.

·      TrueLock Belt Lock-Off: Booster lock-off mechanism locks the vehicle seat belt in the belt path for optimum safety in the forward-facing position.

·      EPS Foam: Expanded Polystyrene “EPS” foam absorbs crash force.

Britax:

·      SafeCell Technology: Seats feature “SafeCells” designed to compress in a crash and counteract the forward rotation of the child seat in a crash.

·      Side Impact Protection: This includes deep side walls and an adjustable head restraint to keep head, neck, and body properly restrained.

·      EPS Foam: Britax seats incorporate either EPS or EPP (Expanded Polypropylene) foam padding to absorb crash forces.

·      Anti-Rebound Bar: This bar helps stabilize the seat to minimize rotational forces associated with front and rear collisions.

·      SecureGuard: In boosters, this feature helps prevent the child from sliding under the lap-belt portion of the safety belt during impact, minimizing the risk of abdominal injury.

Both types of seats offer easy-to-clean, quality microfiber fabric and lots of great color combination.

Start shopping Recaro on our website by clicking here.