ARLINGTON, Va. — The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) just released its new ratings for car booster seats. Good news: Most new boosters earn the safety organization's highest rating of Best Bet.
According to the IIHS, 47 out of 54 booster seats introduced last year earned the Best Bet rating. That means a booster provides good seatbelt fit for typical 4- to 8-year-olds in almost any car, minivan or SUV.
Lower rankings include Good Bet — a booster that provides acceptable belt fit in almost any vehicle — and Check Fit, which means the seats could work for some children in some vehicles. The IIHS's lowest rating is Not Recommended. None of the seats on the new list earned such a rating.
Among the other new booster seats, one is a Good Bet and six are rated Check Fit.
Vehicle seat belts are designed for adults, and one job of a booster is to make them fit a child. IIHS has been rating boosters since 2008 on their ability to provide good lap and shoulder belt fit, the safety organization said in a press release.
Booster seats are designed for children who have outgrown harness-equipped restraints. Children ages 4 to 8 years old are 45% less likely to sustain injuries in crashes if they are in boosters than if they are using seat belts alone.
“Booster seats are simple, low-tech devices that don’t have to cost a lot to be effective,” said Jessica Jermakian, IIHS vice president of vehicle research. “All a booster needs to do is raise the child up a bit and guide the seat belt so it is positioned correctly. The lap belt should lie flat on the upper thighs and not up against the tummy, and the shoulder belt should fit snugly across the middle of the shoulder.”
Here is the IIHS's full list of booster seat rankings. The 47 new Best Bets range in price from about $25 to $450. Several options are available for less than $40.
BEST BETs: These boosters provide good belt fit for typical 4 to 8 year-olds in almost any car, minivan or SUV.
- Britax Highpoint (highback mode)
- Britax Skyline (highback mode) Century Boost On 2-in-1 (backless mode)
- Century Boost On 2-in-1 (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)
- 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 (backless mode)
- Graco Tranzitions (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 (backless)
GOOD BET: This booster provides proper fit in most but not all vehicles.
- Evenflo All4One DLX (highback mode)
Check Fit: These boosters have varied results depending on child size and vehicle model.
- Britax Highpoint (backless mode)
- Britax Skyline (backless mode)
- Century Drive On 3-in-1 (highback)
- Graco 4Ever DLX SnugLock (highback mode)
- Graco SlimFit3 LX (highback)
- Graco True3Fit LX (highback)
For more information on booster seat safety, visit the IIHS website here.
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