The best car seats for two-year-olds

The second car seat can be tricky, especially if you’ve not already purchased an option that will see you through from birth to when your child will no longer need the seat. Now might be the time to start looking for a car seat which will last you.

There are other things to consider, too. A child at the age of two may still be napping in the daytime and fall asleep in the car, so you’ll want something supportive and adjusting. This will make sure their head isn’t rocking forward when you’re braking or going downhill.

For two-year-olds, you’re looking at a Group 1 car seat with ISOFIX. We explain to all below.

Related: The best car seats for one-year-olds

What is ISOFIX?

If you can’t get your head around ISOFIX, don’t worry, it’s for babies. Well, all children, actually, until they reach the ripe old age of 12, or 135cm, whichever comes first. So with child seats being something your loved ones will be in for a long time, it’s probably very likely you’ll either have a car or get a vehicle with ISOFIX fixing points.

ISOFIX stands for International Standard Organisation Fix, and it’s possibly the best and safest way of making sure your car seat is secured. They’re effectively anchor points on your car’s internal shell, meaning when connected, the base of the child seat is attached to the vehicle rather than held in place by a seatbelt.

It became common to see these anchor points in cars released after November 2012, but not an industry standard. Since November 2014, all new cars are legally required to have ISOFIX fitted.

Even an Aston Martin DBS Volante has ISOFIX mounts in the rear seats and can hold a car seat, but those cars tend to be for older kids…

How do I know if my car has ISOFIX?

Happily, ISOFIX on modern cars is easy to find and access; they’re generally under covers on the back seats with a logo that looks like a person sitting in a seat.

It never used to be so evident in older cars, and you had to have a feel between the back of the seat and the base of the heart to see if the ISOFIX was there. This made fitting them very difficult.

This new system makes fitting car seats a doddle and takes seconds.

Car Seat Groups

Car seats are separated into different groups for your child’s age, height, and weight. These three things are important parameters because it’s how you define if your child moves up a group. Weight, not age, is probably the most important because the child’s weight can affect the usefulness of a car seat.

The four groups are defined as such:

• A Group 0 – suitable from birth to 10kg (around 12 months) – these are usually lie-flat carrycot options that combine with a buggy or pushchair chassis to form a travel system
• A Group 0+ – suitable from birth to 13kg (around 18 months-2 years) – these can usually combine with a buggy to form a travel system and are also known as infant carriers
• A Group 0+/1 – suitable from birth to 18kg (around 4-5 years)
• A Group 0+/1/2/3 – suitable from birth to 36kg or 135cm tall (around 12 years)

Hopefully, that clarifies the murky waters of parenting, and from below, you can see a list of car seats suitable for your child.

Parkers pick the best car seats for two-year-olds:

Maxi-Cosi TobiFix

PRICE: £148.21 | VIEW OFFER

Suitable for ages of nine months to four years, the TabiFix is anchored with two ISOFIX fittings. It has a supporting leg for support through the corners and sturdiness under breaking or head-on collisions. It features three reclining positions to help keep your little one comfortable if they’re sleeping or want to lie back a bit.

The TobiFix performs well and rates highly in safety and crash tests with a five-point safety harness and Side Impact Protection System.

Britax Römer MULTI-TECH III

PRICE: £319.00 | VIEW OFFER

The Britax Romer Multi-Tech III is not ISOFIX and uses the vehicle’s seatbelt to hold the car seat. This can still be a very sturdy way of securing a car seat, so don’t let it put you off, as it may be a necessity if you’re using this in a van or in a car which does not have ISOFIX.

The Multi-Tech III can also be a rear-facing car seat; its supporting leg will help keep the seat stable and safe in case of an accident. The seat also has some twist out side-impact protectors, which act as bumpers to help reduce the impact on the seat in case of a sideways collision.

Britax Römer Advansafix

PRICE: £219.00 | VIEW OFFER

Another from Britax but this time with the ISOFIX option and a seat which should last your little one from 15 months to 12 years – which seems like a lifetime!

The Advansafix is i-Size approved using the five-point harness up to 21kg, where you can then change over to the use of your vehicle’s three-point seat belt. What’s more, the seat is not only held in place by ISOFIX but also with a top tether; this is a tether which goes over and clips into the back of the seat.

Chicco Oasys 1

PRICE: £149.90 | VIEW OFFER

The new, air-permeable Oasys 1 car seat is suitable for transporting children from nine to 18 kg to recline the seat into five different positions to provide the best possible comfort for your child. The headrest is also adjustable into six different positions to adapt to the needs of a growing baby from nine months up to four years of age.

The deep seat with its high sides creates a comforting cocoon for your child and offers protection and safety in case of any impact. Not only will the seat be connected to your vehicle via ISOFIX, but it will also have a top-tether for maximum security.

Joie Elevate

PRICE: £75.00 | VIEW OFFER

This forward-facing seat features a full impact protection lining in the headrest and upper body area. Not to mention Side Impact Protection for head-to-hip cover. Colour-coded installation guides and a seat belt lock-off make fitting secure and straightforward.

The Grow Together headrest and harness can be adjusted simultaneously through nine different height positions to grow with your child. And with plush cushioning, an integrated cupholder and a removable, washable cover, the Elevate is equipped to help your little one enjoy the ride for years to come.

Sign up to the Parkers Newsletter to keep up to date with more of the latest reviews, news, and recommendations from the Parkers team.