WASHINGTON — Child booster seats are getting better at keeping children safe, according to a new report from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
“We evaluated 54 boosters from 2023 and found that 47 of them get our top rating of ‘best bet,’ explained Jessica Jermakian, IIHS’ Vice President of Vehicle Research.
IIHS defined its ‘best bet’ rating as “providing good seat belt fit for a typical four- to eight-year-old in almost any car, minivan, or SUV.” One received the rating of ‘good bet,’ which provides acceptable fit in almost any vehicle, and six received a ‘check fit’ rating, which IIHS says could work for some children in some vehicles. An additional designation of ‘not recommended’ encourages parents to avoid use of rated seats altogether.
“When we first began rating booster seats 15 years ago, we found that many seats were not recommended,” said Jermakian. “Now, we have no seats that are not recommended and nearly all seats get our top rating of ‘best bet.’ This is really good news that booster manufacturers are designing seats that are providing good belt fit.”
Booster seats are recommended for all children who have outgrown infant and toddler car seats, but are still too small for vehicle seat belts to work effectively.
“Children shouldn’t get out of their booster seats until they can sit in the vehicle seat properly and use the vehicle belts, and for many kids, that’s not until the age of 10 or 12,” said Jermakian. IIHS says young children are 45% less likely to sustain injuries in crashes if they are in booster seats, compared to using only seat belts.
The booster seats rated by IIHS range in price from $25-$450. You can see a full list of the ratings on IIHS’ website.
According to the IIHS, these are the "Best Bets," or boosters that provide a good fit in almost any car, minivan, or SUV.
Britax Highpoint (highback mode)
Britax Skyline (highback mode)
Century Boost On 2-in-1 Slim High Back Booster (backless mode)
Century Boost On 2-in-1 Slim High Back Booster (highback mode)
Chicco KidFit Zip Air (backless mode)
Chicco KidFit Zip Air (highback mode)
Chicco KidFit Zip Plus (backless mode)
Chicco KidFit Zip Plus (highback mode)
Cybex Solution B2-Fix + Lux (highback)
Cybex Solution B-Fix (highback)
Diono Monterey 2XT (backless mode)
Diono Monterey 2XT (highback mode)
Diono Monterey 5iST FixSafe (highback)
Diono Radian 3QXT (highback)
Diono Radian 3RX (highback)
Diono Radian 3RXT Safe+ (highback)
Diono Radian 3QX (highback)
Diono Solana (backless)
Diono Solana 2 (backless)
Evenflo ALL4One (backless mode)
Evenflo ALL4One (highback mode)
Evenflo All4One DLX (backless mode)
Evenflo GoTime (backless)
Evenflo GoTime LX (backless mode)
Evenflo GoTime LX (highback mode)
Evenflo GoTime Sport (backless mode)
Evenflo GoTime Sport (highback mode)
Evenflo Revolve360 (highback)
Graco 4Ever DLX Extend2Fit (backless mode)
Graco 4Ever DLX Extend2Fit (highback mode)
Graco 4Ever DLX Extend2Fit SnugLock (backless mode)
Graco 4Ever DLX Extend2Fit SnugLock (highback mode)
Graco 4Ever DLX SnugLock Grow (backless mode)
Graco 4Ever DLX SnugLock Grow (highback mode)
Graco Nautilus SnugLock Grow (backless mode)
Graco Nautilus SnugLock Grow (highback mode)
Graco Tranzitions SnugLock (backless mode)
Graco Tranzitions SnugLock (highback mode)
Graco TriRide (highback)
Graco TurboBooster LX (backless)
Graco TurboBooster Stretch (backless mode)
Graco TurboBooster Stretch (highback mode)
Graco Turn2Me 3-In-1 Car Seat (highback)
Graco 4Ever DLX SnugLock (backless mode)
Harmony Dreamtime Elite with LATCH (backless mode)
Harmony Dreamtime Elite with LATCH (highback mode)
Harmony Youth Booster Elite with LATCH (backless)
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