9 Best Infant Car Seats, According to Experts

This infant car seat is the newer version of the KeyFit 30, which has long stood out to our Lab experts for its ease of installation, which is crucial to ensuring the safety of your child. While the KeyFit 35 is slightly heavier and more expensive than the 30, it includes an anti-rebound bar and is able to accommodate slightly larger infants up to a height of 32 inches or a weight of 35 pounds, allowing you to keep your baby in a rear-facing seat for longer and making the KeyFit 35 safer in that regard. The carrier also clicks from the car seat base directly into a range of compatible strollers, making the entire transportation process a breeze.

Our pros found that this pick has "all the things you want in an infant car seat," including a large canopy, machine washable seat pad, the previously mentioned stroller compatibility and more. While testing, we particularly liked how easy it was to install in your vehicle with LATCH and secure your child inside the seat. However, it is worth noting that at 10 pounds, this carrier is on the heavier side when compared with similar options.

If you are looking for a car seat that won't set you back in your budget, we recommend this Amazon's Choice model by Evenflo that has an impressive 4.8-star rating and over 3,000 online reviews on Amazon. The lightweight seat also has an ergonomic handle for easy carrying, an integrated belt lock system and a base that stays in the car. Baby will be comfortable and your wallet can remain in tack for other purchases down the road.

Thousands of five-star customer reviews note how easy the seat is to install and how comfortable it is for their baby. Many reviews recommend this seat for future shoppers, and we agree — especially given its affordable price point. Some online reviews do note, however, that they found the carseat to be a bit too narrow.

While testing, our pros found this car seat easy to install and loved the expanded weight range it can accommodate — all the way from four pounds with a removable newborn insert to 35 pounds. We did note, however, that the release button can sometimes be tricky to use. The car seat offers a five-position adjustable base and a canopy you can quietly adjust without waking up baby.

We appreciate the anti-rebound bar that adds an extra layer of rear-facing safety by limiting the rotation of the seat and your child in the case of impact. Easily turn this car seat into a travel system by clicking it into a compatible Graco stroller, or simply use it as a car seat with the one-step secure attachment to the car seat base.

Compatible with Baby Jogger's popular line of City Tour strollers, which we included in our round-up of best lightweight strollers, the City GO 2 has a thread for rideshare belts so you can safely ride with baby in any car. This car seat would also be great for parents living in the city who may travel via taxi, Uber or Lyft and don't want to have to lug around a base as well. The RAPIDLOCK base and anti-rebound bar ensues a safe ride regardless of vehicle.

We aren't surprised that this car seat is Amazon's Choice as on top of its safety features it also has four recline positions and an adjustable headrest and no-rethread harness the manufacturer claims you can change with one hand. A downside is that to attach this car seat to your jogger you will have to purchase adapters separately. This, of course, increases the overall cost of your purchase but it isn't the priciest pick on our list and has unique features that may make the splurge worth it for some families.

At just 7.6 pounds, this lightweight car seat is as easy to carry as it is to install into your vehicle. The adjustable Relx base includes a fold-down stability leg, meant to absorb a bit more impact from the bumps of the road and give your baby a smoother ride, but the car seat can also be installed using just a seat belt when traveling in other vehicles. Our experts particularly love how easy the setup was for this car seat, the high adjustability for the stability leg, stroller compatibility and its sleek design. The removable magnetic UPF 50+ canopy features an extension drape that you can quietly use as needed during sunny or buggy walks. We also appreciate the magnetic buckle holders that make it easy to keep buckles out of the way when putting baby in.

Plus, peep the colored installation indicators that let you know for sure whether or not your car seat and base are correctly installed to each other and your vehicle, removing all the guesswork in keeping baby safe. It's also certified Greenguard Gold, ensuring it has been vetted for low chemical emissions. Our experts did note that they found this car seat to be a bit harder to clean than other options.

Our experts love this unique two-in-one design that offers an easy transition from car seat to stroller without requiring any additional parts. You can also install the car seat with or without a base, making this a great option for travel or city living. The adjustable handlebar doubles as a rebound bar when in car seat position, and takes a few seconds and just three steps to transition between car seat and stroller (which can seamlessly be done with baby still inside the carrier). While testing, our pros found this travel system easy to maneuver and liked that it could fit into tight spaces and around sharp corners.

The carrier is heavier than standalone car seats at 16.5 pounds since it includes all stroller components as well, however the only necessary lifting will typically be when going into and out of the car. Though it’s great for those with limited space, in tests we found the stroller to be a bit short for tall parents.

The stylish Mesa car seat takes the guesswork out of installation with its SmartSecure System. While testing, our experts liked how easy it was to understand the level guide: It uses a tightness indicator that changes from red to green when the base has been installed correctly, along with self-retracting LATCH connectors for a secure fit that our pros found easy to install. The car seat also has a no-rethread harness that adjusts with the headrest for your growing babe, minimizing the chance for faulty installation. The adjustable headrest with side impact protection keeps your baby safe on all sides and the extendable, removable canopy is just the cherry on top to a great car seat.

At $300 and up, this pick is on the pricier side; however, if paired with the Vista or Cruz stroller, it offers lots of configurations for a complete travel system. We also found it relatively easy to clean while testing due to the removable seat fabric and appreciated its premium design and quality.

This narrow car seat by Clek makes it easy to fit your little one in virtually any vehicle, no matter the size. If you have multiple children and need to fit more than one car seat across a row, this might be the choice for you. Clek’s Liing stood out in our tests for its narrow frame, measuring at just under 17 inches wide. Its base also offers seven recline positions, and you can even install the seat without the base through the European belt path. While testing, we found the rigid LATCH connector was easy to click in. A large canopy keeps baby shielded from the sun, and our pros appreciated the mesh peek through window on the back of the canopy that let you check on baby without disturbing their sleep. The carrier is also compatible with a range of strollers so you can easily turn it into a travel system without any fanfare.

We particularly love the addition of a metal load leg in this seat which helps keeps baby's head and neck safer by providing extra stability and crash absorption. Safety is further boosted by the energy absorbing EEP (a type of plastic foam) lined shell of the seat which offers side-impact protection. This seat is, however, on the pricier side, starting around $400 and you must rethread the harness to adjust the height.

This new and improved car seat from Britax's B-Safe line is similar to the B-Safe 35 that our lab tested in the past, but with a few important key updates. Unlike the 35, this Gen2 model has a no-rethread harness, six-position headrest, two layers of side impact protection, removable infant inserts and more. Offering your baby more space and softer padding, this seat is equal parts protection and comfort. You can even install it in your vehicle without a base if you're traveling in a different car using the European belt guide. Britax's SafeCenter LATCH makes installation a breeze so you won't find any trouble securing and tightening the base.

While this car seat is on the bulkier and heavier side with its steel frame and foam-lined shell down the sides, online reviewers love that it offers baby a nice, snug fit. While testing, we found Britax B-safe infant car seats to be relatively easy to install with or without the base.