With our first child due in January 2017 I spent a lot of the Autumn of 2016 doing research into all the bits we needed to get ahead of its arrival. This post goes through why we chose the Kiddy Evoluna i-Size car seat.
Initial Research
When I started my research into car seats, I have to admit to not knowing much about them – aside from that they are used to transport babies in cars! During my research I learnt about the different regulations (R44 and R129), benefits of lie-flat car seats and the benefits of extended rear-facing, and these were used to form our requirements.
Summary of our requirements:
- Meets latest i-Size regulations
- Compatible with Uppababy Vista pushchair (which uses Maxi-Cosi compatible fixing)
- Allow baby to lie as flat as possible in the car
- Covers which are easy to remove and clean
- Would last a tall baby as long as possible (I am 6’6″ and my wife is 6’5″, and we expected our baby to be tall as well)
Shortlist
Following my initial research, I had shortlisted the following car seats:
- Kiddy Evoluna i-Size
- Britax Baby-Safe i-Size
- Maxi-Cosi Pebble Plus
- BeSafe Izi Go Modular
- Recaro Zero.1 Elite
Below are the pros and cons I put together for each of the shortlisted car seats. (Prices are correct as of August 2017)
Whilst doing my research into car seats I came across ADAC testing. These are independent tests carried out by the Allgemeiner Deutscher Automobil-Club e.V. (General German Automobile Club). More detail about the ADAC tests referred to below can be found ADAC Car Seat Test Results 2016
Kiddy Evoluna i-Size
Sitting up positionLink: https://www.kiddyuk.com/infant-carriers/evo-luna-i-size
Cost: £389
Weight: 4.9kg
ADAC: 1.5 (very good)
Pros
- Fully i-Size compliant – suitable for up to 83cm (15 months / ~13kgs)
- Compatible with Uppababy Vista
- Lie-flat technology
- Lie-flat can be used for as long as the baby fits in the seat
- Straps can be easily adjusted without having to rethread them
- Seat covers can be removed without undoing harness
- Seat covers are machine washable
- Amazing sunshade which is independent from handle
- The curved base allows it to be used as a rocker when put on the floor
- Approved by the Lullaby Trust
- Received highest ADAC test score of all seats tested in 2016
Cons
- Lie-flat takes up additional space in the car
- Only has a 3-point harness
- Carry handle only has two positions (used to control lie-flat)
- Lie-flat cannot be used when carrying the seat
Britax Baby-Safe i-Size
Link: http://www.britax.co.uk/car-seats/baby-safe-i-size/
Cost: £345
Weight: 4.8kg
ADAC: 1.6 (Good)
Pros
- Fully i-Size compliant – suitable for up to 83cm (15 months / ~13kgs)
- Lie-flat technology without taking up extra space
- Baby is always lying flat (until it gets too big)
- Has 5-point harness
- Seat covers can be removed without undoing harness
- Seat covers are machine washable
- Carry handle has three positions – can be used to stabilise when put down
- Base is adjustable for different angled car seats
- Sun canopy is SPF50+
Cons
- Only compatible with Britax pushchairs
- Lie-flat is only when the baby is small (when using the insert)
- Sun canopy isn’t very big – only attaches to handle so requires handle to be up
Maxi-Cosi Pebble Plus
Link: http://www.maxi-cosi.co.uk/gb-en/car-seats/pebble-plus.aspx
Cost: £400 (including Isofix base)
Weight: 4.5kg
Pros
- Compatible with Uppababy Vista / Maxi-Cosi pushchairs
- Straps are easy to adjust when strapping in baby
- Iso-fix base can be used with other Maxi-Cost Group 1 seats
Cons
- Not lie-flat
- Only suitable for up to 75cms (12 months / ~12kgs)
- Not a standalone I-Size seat – only meets I-Size regulations when paired with the compatible Group 1 seat that uses the same base to cover rear-facing until 15 months
- Only has a 3-point harness
- Sun canopy isn’t very big – only attaches to handle so requires handle to be up
BeSafe Izi Go Modular
Link: https://www.besafe.com/product-int/besafe-izi-go-modular/
Cost: £385
Weight: 4.3kg
ADAC: 1.9 (good)
Pros
- Base is compatible with BeSafe seats up to 4 years
- Compatible with Uppababy Vista
- Good sun canopy which is independant from handle
- Has 5-point harness
Cons
- Only suitable for up to 75cms (12 months / ~12kgs)
- Not a standalone i-Size seat – only meets I-Size regulations when paired with the compatible Group 1 seat that uses the same base to cover rear-facing until 15 months
Recaro Zero.1 Elite
Link: http://en.recaro-cs.com/child-seat/recaro-zero1-elite
Cost: £495
Pros
- Fully i-Size compliant
- Birth to 105cm / 18kg (Group 0+/1)
- Rotates to enable easy access
- Removable lightweight infant carrier which can connect to stroller. This clips into the bigger ‘fixed’ car seat
- 360 degree rotation
- Multiple recline positions
- Can be used rearward facing until 4 years
Cons
- Not released until after January 2017
- 3 point harness
Conclusion
I was surprised to discover that not all i-Size group 0+ car seats are suitable for children up to 83cm (15 months). These seats are expected to be used in conjunction with other seats from the same manufacturer to reach this milestone. For us, this was a major factor in choosing which car seat to get – as mentioned at the start we are both very tall and we were expecting our baby to be tall as well.
The Kiddy Evoluna I-Size was the only shortlisted car seat that met all of our requirements (I really liked the potential of the Recaro Zero.1 Elite car seat but, unfortunately, it was not scheduled for release until after our due date.)
Our only concern with the Kiddy Evoluna i-Size was whether there would be sufficient space in our car for it in the lie-flat position. This concern was alleviated with a visit to John Lewis where we were able to try how a number of the short-listed car seats fitted into our car (we had a Seat Altea at the time and it did fit, but the front passenger seat needed to be all the way forward). Having confirmed that it would fit in our car, we decided to go with the Kiddy Evoluna i-Size.
Hi, regarding the Kiddy Evoluna, just curious how is its compatibility with vista? Is the compatbility achieved via the Maxi-Cosi compatible fixing ?
Yes – it simply attaches to the Vista using the available Maxi-Cosi adapters from Uppababy
Hello, sorry to pick up on this thread, but I was wondering whether it would be compatible to a 2014/15 uppababy vista (they changed the model 2016/17) still uses maxi Cosi adaptors. Thank you
We have the 2015 Uppababy Vista and the Kidy Evoluna I-Size works with the Maxi-Cosi adapters
Hi there, really liked the post. We are currently expecting our first and have fallen in love with the Uppababy Vista and the Kiddy Evoluna I size. But after researching their compatibility it’s suggested that they don’t work well together and that even with the maxi Cosi adaptors they tend to be a poor fit, sitting quite loose. Is your experience a perfect fit or a decent fit? What year is your vista and is the Evoluna I size version 1 or 2? Did you find any manufacturers link supporting their compatibility? Thank you a lot for your help, we really want both but cannot find a store where we can test it in real life – and worried to buy pieces that doesn’t fit well together 😉
We have the 2015 Vista and the Evoluna I-Size version 1. The fit is OK – certainly not amazing – but the car seat does fit securely onto the adapters. I was a little surprised at this initially, but have not had any reason to be concerned during usage.
Mothercare appears to stock both the Evoluna car seat and the Uppababy Vista pushchair, so you might be able to try out the combination there.
Hello. I’m late on the party but I’m lucky to have a miracle in my life. I don’t understand something. The chairs are til 15 month old. After that I need to buy other chair ? 389 pound ? Or it’s just the chair from same company but keep the base that I will receive it with initial purchase? Thanks