We bought a Consumer Reports subscription specifically to get access to the car seat test results & rankings for our tiny NICU grad infant. No huge questions, just appreciation for everything you and your team(s) do there. In your time testing & reviewing results, what stands out as a massive surprise? Answer from nipoez on reddit.com
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Consumer Reports
consumerreports.org › babies & kids › baby & toddler › car seats
Car Seats - Consumer Reports
We test and rate 100+ car seats so that we can make clear recommendations—and you can easily find the right fit. Find the Perfect Car Seat
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Consumer Reports
consumerreports.org › babies & kids › babies & toddlers › car seats
Best Car Seat Reviews – Consumer Reports
Shopping for the safest car seat? Get all the must-know details on types, buying advice, and car seat reviews and ratings from Consumer Reports.
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Consumer Reports
consumerreports.org › babies & kids › baby & toddler › car seats › how consumer reports tests child car seats
How Consumer Reports Tests Child Car Seats - Consumer Reports
We evaluate performance on a scale that ranks seats from those that have the least potential to offer that extra margin (these are rated as "basic") to seats that have the most potential ("best"). Our focus on that extra margin is based on the fact that any car seat sold in the U.S. already must provide an essential level of safety under the government standards it must meet. To create our latest test, Consumer Reports considered real-world vehicle conditions and increased the speed of the simulated frontal impact test from 30 mph to 35 mph.
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Consumer Reports
consumerreports.org › babies & kids › baby & toddler › car seats › best infant car seats of 2026, lab-tested and reviewed
Best Infant Car Seats of 2026, Lab-Tested and Reviewed - Consumer Reports
Our most recent round of testing revealed significant issues for the Diono LiteClik30 XT and Peg Perego Primo Viaggio 4-35 Urban Mobility infant car seats. Find out how CR tests car seats, and what to do next if you own one of these seats through ...
Published   2 weeks ago
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Consumer Reports
consumerreports.org › babies-kids
Babies and Kids Product Reviews and Ratings - Consumer Reports
Get in-depth ratings, reviews, and buying advice for must-have baby products based on rigorous expert testing, so you can make the safest choice.
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9NEWS
9news.com › article › money › consumer › steve-on-your-side › consumer-reports-results-car-seat-testing › 73-68cb3ffe-8641-4a96-9654-69122768983b
Consumer Reports finds concerning results in car seat testing | 9news.com
While both of these infant car seats meet federal safety standards and have no reported incidents associated with them, they both suffered significant structural integrity issues in CR’s most recent round of crash tests. Consumer Reports’ tests are more rigorous than those required by the government, simulating the forces of a 35 mile per hour crash instead of 30 mph.
Find elsewhere
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Consumer Reports
consumerreports.org › babies & kids › baby & toddler › car seats › best convertible car seats of 2026, lab-tested and reviewed
Best Convertible Car Seats of 2026, Lab-Tested and Reviewed - Consumer Reports
3 weeks ago - CR's top-rated convertible car seats are easy to install and versatile, and they offer best-in-class crash protection. Photos: Nuna, Consumer Reports
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Consumer Reports
advocacy.consumerreports.org › home › consumer reports commends new safety standards for child car seats that take effect today
Consumer Reports Commends New Safety Standards for Child Car Seats That Take Effect Today
February 5, 2024 - Consumer Reports tests and rates over 100 car seats for safety in a crash, fit in vehicles, and ease of use to help consumers make informed decisions and choose the right car seat for their needs.
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Government of Canada
tc.canada.ca › en › road-transportation › defects-recalls-vehicles-tires-child-car-seats › consumer-reports-article-concerning-infant-car-seats
Consumer Reports article concerning infant car seats
On January 4, 2007, Consumer Reports published a safety alert in the U.S. claiming that most infant car seats failed their new front- and side-crash evaluation tests. The report also claims that of 12 seats tested, only two performed well: the Baby Trend Flex-Loc and the Graco SnugRide with ...
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Honda Odyssey Forum
odyclub.com › home › forums › honda odyssey forums › kids and safety
Consumer Reports reviews car seats | Honda Odyssey Forum
The May 2005 Consumer Reports magazine has just reviewed infant and convertible car seats, using their normal charts. They tested the seats with both LATCH and seat belt installations. They also looked at booster seats, but only show their "High performance and a good value" recommendations...
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Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine
aaam.org › home › unlocking car seat safety: consumer reports opens access to crucial ratings
Unlocking Car Seat Safety: Consumer Reports Opens Access to Crucial Ratings - Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine
September 19, 2023 - In celebration of Child Passenger Safety Week, Consumer Reports (CR) has taken a significant step by making their comprehensive car seat ratings—covering categories such as infant, convertible, all-in-one, harness-to-booster, and booster seats—...
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Consumer Reports
consumerreports.org › babies & kids › baby & toddler › car seats › the safest car seat for your child
The Safest Car Seat for Your Child - Consumer Reports
The time to change your child’s car seat is sooner than you think, Consumer Reports says. Find out why the guidelines have changed and how to get the safest car seat.
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Good Morning America
goodmorningamerica.com › shop › story › top-car-seats-consumer-reports-103214832
These are the top car seats on the market according to Consumer Reports - Good Morning America
When it comes to car seats, safety is first. That's why Consumer Reports engineers test and rate numerous options to find those with the top performance.
Published   September 19, 2023
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WMUR
wmur.com › article › consumer-reports-tests-infant-car-seats-021725 › 63822808
Consumer Reports finds safety concerns with two infant car seats
February 18, 2025 - Consumer Reports recently tested several infant car seats and found major problems with two models, the Diono LiteClik30 XT Infant Car Seat and the Peg Perego Primo Viaggio 4-35 Urban Mobility Baseless Infant Car Seat.
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Consumer Reports
consumerreports.org › babies-kids › baby-top-picks-a1111925771
CR's Top Picks for Baby - Consumer Reports
May 15, 2025 · Car seats, of course, but also strollers, high chairs, diapers, cribs, and bassinets: Consumer Reports tested hundreds of baby gear products for safety, performance, and comfort.
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Consumer Reports
consumerreports.org › babies & kids › babies & toddlers › car seats › car seat overview
Car Seat Finder – Consumer Reports
Answer a few questions, and we'll provide options for car seats that fit your lifestyle, vehicle(s), and budget.
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Consumer Reports
consumerreports.org › babies & kids › baby & toddler › car seats › harnessed car seats ratings
Car Seat Ratings & Reviews - Consumer Reports
No one tests car seats like we do. Get ratings, pricing, and performance for all the latest models based on the features you care about.
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/cpst › consumer reports crash test vs babygearlab crash test for evenflo maestro
r/CPST on Reddit: Consumer Reports Crash Test Vs BabyGearLab Crash Test for Evenflo Maestro
March 14, 2025 -

I was reading up on the Evenflo Maestro carseat and saw that Consumer Reports and BabyGearLab have fully opposite crash test results for the seat. Consumer Reports puts it in its 'Best' tier in its crash test and babygearlab says it's in their 'worst' tier.

Does anyone have any perspective on why they'd be so different?

Could it be that Consumer Reports was testing it as a 5-point harness seat and BabyGearLab was testing it as a seat belt booster? It's not clear on either site. Would a 2-in-1 seat perform so differently in harness vs booster mode?

I'm not sure if there are generally known differences in the tests they do and which one people like more.

https://www.consumerreports.org/babies-kids/car-seats/evenflo-maestro-sport/m396038/

https://www.babygearlab.com/reviews/vehicle-safety/booster-seat/evenflo-maestro-sport-2-in-1

Any perspective is appreciated

Top answer
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(CPST) All seats on the market have passed federal crash and safety standards (in their respective jurisdictions). Anything additional to that is 3rd party testing. Consumer Reports (I’m unsure about BGL) can also be misleading. They will give a seat a bad rating if the seat breaks in their testing, however what’s important is not if damage is sustained to the seat in a crash, but whether or not the child is injured. Think of it like a bike helmet after a bike crash. It will likely look completely trashed - but was the head inside it protected?
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All car seats pass the same federal safety tests, it’s a pass or fail test. A site like Baby Gear Lab that relies on ad-click revenue cannot feasibly test car seats to the full extent required by federal regulations (every size test dummy, every mode, etc.) Crashing that many car seats, dummies, and test benches is expensive - plus they have to pay for testing facility time. Based on this, I don’t put much weight on their ‘ratings’. The safest seat is the one that fits your child, fits your car, and that you use correctly every time. _ From an Evenflo webinar: A seat with 6 Recline positions would require approximately 18 test runs (double sled so 2 seats tested during one crash test) and 36 car seats. This would be one round of testing and additional tests would be required depending on the test results and where we are in the development process The example above would take 2.5 - 3 days to complete and at a cost of about $36,000 This only speaks to the cost of testing not of the seats, shipping and engineering time