Back in late 2015, Consumer Reports released it’s first round of Convertible Car Seat Ratings based on it’s newer crash testing protocol. We published an article about their testing and ratings at the time: https://carseatblog.com/36420/
Britax Boulevard ClickTight
Since then, they have added and updated a few models in their ratings. The latest Britax ClickTight convertible models, Boulevard, Advocate and Marathon, now top their list in overall score and receive a “BEST” crash protection rating. Some models like the Nuna Rava and Graco Extend2Fit were not tested in the original report. Both have since been tested and receive “BETTER” crash protection ratings. Also, updated versions of the Britax “G4.1” models have improved their crash protection ratings from “BASIC” to “BETTER”, they are now called the Britax Emblem and Allegiance.
For subscribers, the updated ratings can be found here: https://www.consumerreports.org/products/convertible-car-seat/ratings-overview/
We also discuss their latest round of testing for combination harness/booster car seats here: https://carseatblog.com/47321/
I’m reading the consumer reports results while shopping for a new car seat for my son. What would you do? He is 46 pounds, 43 inches. Age 4.5 but very mature. I did get him a Chicco MyFit booster for dads car for occasional short trips, for booster practice. He has done great with it. He is forward facing in mycar in a Britax Boulevard clicktight but I need that seat for baby sister. I drive a VW atlas and seatbelt install with mostFF seats is nearly impossible bc if the belt buckle geometry. Latch and clicktight are the only FF options I found that work so far. Should I buy an Evenflo Maestro and install a latch, until my son gains 4 more pounds? Or another boulevard convertible or a frontier? Or booster?
Hi Jenn. Are you talking about the Chicco KidFit booster? The MyFit is a harness-to-booster carseat. I haven’t heard that the VW Atlas is particularly difficult to install carseats in, so maybe we can give you techniques to help? The Graco Nautilus SnugLock may help you get a tighter install with the SnugLock mechanism. My buckles are very much like those in the Atlas—short and stiff—and I was able to get a good install in my car with the Nauti SL. I think the MyFit would be a challenge for you, though, in installation. You could also look at a Britax Frontier, which has the ClickTight installation, but I’m also hesitant to recommend it because of the CR testing results. Even if you stopped using it fairly early on, before 52 lbs., which is when the CR testing showed failure, it makes a difficult booster to buckle with short buckle stalks.