If you require a quick answer, the best rear-facing car seat is the Britax Römer DUALFIX, which is tested to the latest i-Size regulations and includes the desirable 360 rotation for easy entry. However, if you require a seat that’s cheaper and doesn’t have rotational functionality, the Cosatto All in All is the best budget alternative.
To rate the extended rear-facing car seats within our roundup, we based our recommendations on testing, the latest research and several factors. Some of the factors that we considered included the seat’s build quality, ease of installation, i-Size certification, colours available, adjustability, comfort, additional features and value for money.
Best Extended Rear Facing Car Seat Overview
- Best Overall: BRITAX RÖMER DUALFIX Z LINE
- Best Value: Cosatto All in All
- Best Quality: Silver Cross Motion All Size
- Best All-Rounder: Maxi-Cosi AxissFix
- Longest Rear Facing: Axkid Minikid 2.0
- Best Budget: Cozy N Safe Arthur
Rear-facing car seats not only provide better support for your child but they also offer better protection in the event of a crash. For these reasons alone, many parents prefer to keep their children in rear-facing seats for as long as possible.
Below is a list of the best extended rear-facing car seats that allow your child to sit rear-facing for longer.
The Best Rear Facing Car Seats
1. Best Overall: BRITAX RÖMER DUALFIX Z LINE
The Britax brand offers several different car seats but the Dualfix Z-Line is the brand’s new and improved seat that’s designed for additional rearward travel. According to the brand, it’s suitable for use from 3 months to 4 years of age and it’s fully i-Size compliant for complete peace of mind.
During testing of the Dualfix Z-Line, we found certain features very beneficial for extended rearward travel. The first was the fact that there is additional leg space for your child thanks to the adjustable rebound bar. The other great feature was the V-shaped headrest that provides additional support in case our child decided to take a nap in the car.
- Easy to spin on the 360 ISOFIX base
- Adjust in multiple recline positions (forward and rear facing)
- Deep protective side wings for additional safety in the car
- The seat cover can be removed with ease and machine washed
- 5 point harness that features soft neoprene chest pads
- Relatively expensive when compared to the alternatives seats in our roundup
- Quite heavy at 17.6 KG
To conclude, the Britax Dualfix Z-Line is by far the best car seat for extended rearward travel and this is mainly because it has been designed primarily for this reason. Benefits such as the additional leg space for your child make a huge difference and helps to ensure your child remains comfortable during rear-facing travel for as long as possible.
2. Best Value: Cosatto All in All Extended Rear Facing
The Cosatto All in All is a highly versatile car seat that’s suitable for all groups (0+/1/2/3) and features the desirable extended rear-facing design. According to the brand, your child can remain safely rear-facing within this car seat up until the age of 4 years old or 18 KG in weight.
- Suitable from birth up to 36 KG
- Secure ISOFIX installation (as well as belted fitting)
- Flip-out side impact protection
- Multiple recline positions
- Available in a choice of four fun designs
- During testing, we were impressed by the additional padding
- Designed and made in the UK
- Doesn't rotate or swivel (only rear facing)
Overall, the All in All model by Cosatto offers excellent value for the money and is perfect for those that don’t require a rotating seat. It’s also suitable for all stages of your child’s growth and can be used up to 36 KG or 12 years old.
3. Best Quality: Silver Cross Motion All Size
The Silver Cross Motion is a seat that’s designed to grow with your child up until they are 12 years of age. However, what makes this particular seat stand out from the other group 123 car seats is the fact that it offers extended rear-facing travel up until 4 years of age. Once they reach 4 years old, you can then simply rotate the seat to front facing.
We’ve been testing the Motion car seat by Silver Cross for a while now and we are still very happy with our purchase. It’s versatile, comfortable, easy to install and it’s built to a very high standard.
- Multiple recline positions to ensure your child is comfortable
- Easy to install via ISOFIX
- Seat is constructed of a super-soft, breathable bamboo fabric
- Inserts can be easily removed as and when required
- Dedicated smartphone application that provide step-by-step tutorials on how to use the seat
- Built to the latest safety standards (i-Size)
- Superior build quality when compared to the alternatives
- Most expensive car seat within our roundup
Although expensive, the Silver Cross Motion is the ultimate extended rear-facing car seat that money can buy. We’ve personally purchased two for our growing family and have no regrets whatsoever. Apart from the expensive price tag, it ticks all the boxes and it’ll be long-lasting thanks to its superior build quality and adjustable design.
4. Best All-Rounder: Maxi-Cosi AxissFix Rear Facing Car Seat
Another popular rear-facing car seat with a swivel mechanism is the Maxi-Cosi AxissFix. It’s suitable for use from the age of 4 months to 4 years and also follows the latest i-Size (R129) regulations for complete peace of mind.
According to the brand, you can sit your child rearward facing in this seat up until the age of 2 years old or 87 cm. It can then be easily adjusted from rear to forward-facing up until the age of 4 years old or 105 cm.
- Suitable from 4 months to 4 years old (61 to 105 cm)
- 360 degree swivel rotation
- Easy headrest and harness adjustment
- Available in three colours
- ISOFIX installation with a top tether
- Relatively expensive when compared to the alternatives
Although expensive, the Maxi-Cosi AxissFix is an intuitively designed and well-made rear-facing car seat. If budget isn’t an issue, it really is the ultimate car seat that’s designed with usability in mind.
5. Longest Rear Facing: Axkid Minikid 2.0
If you want to keep your child in a rear-facing car seat for even longer, the Axkid Minikid is the best option. According to the brand, you can keep your child rear-facing until 25 KG or around 6 years of age using their seat.
- Approved to the European test standard ECE R 44/04
- Removable and machine washable cover
- Superior side impact protection
- Made in Sweden
- No ISOFIX installation
For those that want to keep their child rear-facing for as long as possible, the Axkid Minikid is the perfect solution. It isn’t the cheapest but it’ll certainly be long-lasting considering its excellent build quality.
6. Best Budget: Cozy N Safe Arthur Extended Rear Facing Seat
One of the cheapest extended rear-facing car seats that’s actually worth buying and can be used from birth is the Cozy N Safe Arthur. Although it doesn’t feature any swivel functionality, it does have a recline position whilst rear-facing, which makes it a great option to use as a lie-flat car seat too.
- Suitable for rear facing use up until 4 years of age
- ISOFIX or 3-point seat belt installation
- 155 degree lie flat position
- Removable and washable covers
- Integrated storage compartments
- During testing, we felt that it didn't give us the luxury look and feel when compared to the alternatives we tested
Overall, the Cozy N Safe Arthur is an excellent all-round option that provides extended rear-facing use and can be used from birth. It also offers excellent value for the money, which is of course a great bonus in itself.
How We Rated
As we are parents ourselves that want to keep our children rear-facing in their car seats for as long as possible, we’ve tried and tested multiple seats over the years. From the Britax Dualfix Z-Line to the Silver Cross Motion, we have tested multiple over a prolonged period to give our honest reviews to help you make an informed buying decision.
During our testing, we analyse the seat’s build quality, usability, safety features, rearwards-focused features, adjustability and ease of installation. With regards to the adjustability, an important feature that previous seats we tested didn’t offer was multiple recline positions, which meant that our child couldn’t always remain comfortable (especially when trying to nap in the car). Luckily, many extended rear-facing car seats now offer this and below are photos of the Silver Cross Motion during our testing that shows the different positions.
Below is a video that we posted on our YouTube channel that shows us testing the Silver Cross Motion. As you can see, we were able to easily rotate the seat and also recline it within the rear-facing position with one hand.
To keep up our commitment to reviewing and testing the latest rear-facing car seats, we are continually testing the latest offerings from top brands in the UK. This means that when we notice a brand has released a new and improved seat, we will attempt to purchase it to put it to the test (where applicable).
As well as our testing and experience of using multiple rear-facing car seats, we also based our recommendations on the latest research and several factors. Some of the factors that we considered included the seat’s build quality, ease of installation, i-Size certification, colours available, adjustability, comfort, additional features and value for money.
Conclusion
Finding car seats that offer extended rear-facing travel can be a difficult task but all of our recommendations listed above offer exactly that. Whether you intend to keep your child rearwards facing for 1 to 4 years, the choice is up to you. However, if you wish to have them sitting rearwards for an extended period, you’ll need a suitable car seat.
If you require further information regarding our extended rear-facing car seat recommendations, feel free to get in touch and we will try to provide our assistance where possible.
