Top Infant Car Seats of 2022

Clek Liing

The Liing Infant Car Seat by Clek is one of the easiest installs of infant car seats that we have yet to come across – and that’s saying a LOT! A proper angle is easy to find with a bubble level indicator that can be adjusted once the seat is already installed – this is literally unheard of until now in the car seat world!

The rigid latches make it a “sweat-proof” install and the load leg adds additional stability and decreases rotation in case of a collision. Pair those things with the green indicators throughout and you can be confident you’ve got a proper install every single time.  

One more thing! It’s also super narrow and quite compact from front to back, so a top choice for 3-across installations, smaller vehicles, or long-legged parents up front who can’t have their front seats too close to the dashboard.

For an in-depth review, check out our entire Clek Liing Infant Seat Review!

The Specifics:

• Use From: 4-35 lbs
• Install without base when required [aka European Belt Path or “taxi-safe” belt path]: Yes
• FAA Approved: Yes
• Extendable Canopy: Yes
• Canopy UPF Rating: 100+
• Infant Inserts Included: Yes
• Load Leg or Anti-Rebound Bar: Load leg
• No Re-Thread Harness: No

Biggest Pros:

• Very easy to get a super secure install and be confident it's properly installed every single time
• Made in Canada!

Biggest Cons:

• Not a no re-thread harness

Maxi-Cosi Mico Max Plus

The Mico Max Plus by Maxi-Cosi is an upgraded and newer version of the Mico Max 30 and it was just released in 2020. This seat is equipped with a load leg to increase stability and decrease rotation in case of a collision. It also has a canopy with a ventilation panel that can be zipped out for additional coverage during those sunny or snowy days.  

This seat has a padded carry handle which makes it more comfortable to tote around when getting in and out of the car, but our favourite part about this car seat is the “flip away crotch buckle” feature, so that you’re not digging the crotch buckle out from underneath baby! It stays in a forward position.  

The Specifics:

• Use From: 4-30 lbs
• Install without base when required [aka European Belt Path or “taxi-safe” belt path]: Yes
• FAA Approved: Yes
• Extendable Canopy: Yes
• Canopy UPF Rating: 50+
• Infant Inserts Included: Yes
• Load leg or Anti-Rebound Bar: Load leg
• No Re-Thread Harness: No

Biggest Pros:

• Compatible with a wide variety of strollers to make a travel system [with adapters sold separately]

Biggest Cons:

• Wide base takes up quite a bit of space in vehicle and base is not as easy to properly install as some of the others on this list

Peg Perego Primo Viaggio 4-35 Nido

The Primo Viaggio 4-35 Nido infant car seat by Peg Perego comes with a base that is equipped with both a load leg AND an anti-rebound bar which work together to significantly decrease rotation in case of a collision. It also has a bubble level indicator that you’ll use to ensure your car seat is at the correct angle for your baby’s weight and a dial on the base to adjust the foot to achieve this correct angle. The deep shell with side impact protection provides ultimate protection for baby.

The Specifics:

• Use From: 4-35 lbs
• Install without base when required [aka European Belt Path or “taxi-safe” belt path]: Yes
• FAA Approved: Yes
• Extendable Canopy: Yes
• Canopy UPF Rating: 50+
• Infant Inserts Included: Yes
• Load Leg or Anti-Rebound Bar: Both!
• No Re-Thread Harness: Yes

Biggest Pros:

• Load leg and anti-rebound bar provide excellent stability & no re-thread harness is very convenient for adjustments on the fly

Biggest Cons:

• Base is not as easy to properly install as some of the others on this list

Nuna Pipa

Parents love the simplistic look and leatherette accents on the PIPA Infant Car Seat by Nuna [they are beautiful car seats!] and it’s also one of the lightest car seats on the market at just 7.9lbs! They were able to keep this car seat at such a low weight AND include a “Dream Drape” which is a pop-out sun canopy that provides complete coverage from all the elements. 

The PIPA is equipped with rigid latches for an extremely quick installation! You are able to install using the rigid latches AND the seatbelt [note that on all other infant car seats you must use one or the other]. Although in the United States it features a load leg on the base, it does NOT in Canada.

If you’re comparing the Nuna PIPA, Nuna PIPA Lite and Nuna PIPA Lite LX you can read our full comparison HERE!

The Specifics:

• Use From: 4-35 lbs
• Install without base when required [aka European Belt Path or “taxi-safe” belt path]: Yes
• FAA Approved: Yes
• Extendable Canopy: Yes
• Canopy UPF Rating: 50+
• Infant Inserts Included: Yes
• Load Leg or Anti-Rebound Bar: Neither
• No Re-Thread Harness: No

Biggest Pros:

• Extremely lightweight and looks very stylish

Biggest Cons:

• Can be difficult to achieve a proper recline in vehicles without use of pool noodles or towels to aid in adjustments

UPPAbaby Mesa

The MESA infant car seat by UPPAbaby is an extremely popular choice for parents because of the ease of use when paired with an UPPAbaby stroller! There are no adapters required at an additional cost and it clips right onto the frame of Vista V2 or Cruz V2 strollers #winning.  

The MESA base features a “SmartSecure” system, which is essentially self-retracting UAS connectors so that you can easily get a tight and secure installation without breaking a sweat! The indicator changes from red to green when you have it installed tight enough, and there is another red/green indicator located on the side of the base confirming when you have the correct angle.  

The Specifics:

• Use From: 4-35 lbs
• Install without base when required [aka European Belt Path or “taxi-safe” belt path]: Yes
• FAA Approved: Yes
• Extendable Canopy: No
• Canopy UPF Rating: 50+
• Infant Inserts Included: Yes
• Load Leg or Anti-Rebound Bar: Neither
• No Re-Thread Harness: Yes

Biggest Pros:

• No re-thread harness and ease of install

Biggest Cons:

• Small canopy compared to others on this list

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