If you require a quick answer, the best swivel car seat is the new and improved CYBEX Sirona S2, which is designed to the latest i-Size regulations and can be used from 45 to 105 cm (approximately 4 years old).
However, if you wish to use a single rotating car seat for a newborn that adjusts to suit their growing needs up until the age of 12 years old, the Silver Cross Motion ticks all the boxes and is also built to the highest of standards.
To rate the swivel car seats within our roundup, we based our recommendations on testing, our experience of using multiple seats, plenty of research and several factors. The factors that we considered included the ease of rotation, recline positions, headrest and harness adjustment, i-Size certification, additional features, colours available and value.
Best Swivel Car Seat Overview
- Best Overall: CYBEX Gold Sirona
- Best Quality: Silver Cross Motion
- Best Value: Maxi-Cosi Mica
- Best All-Rounder: Joie i-Spin
- Best Budget: Cosatto All in All
- Best Extended Rear Facing: Britax Romer DUALFIX Z Line
Although swivel car seats cost more than the standard alternatives, from our experience, the ease of placing your child into the correct position is certainly worth paying the additional price.
To ensure that you choose a 360/swivel car seat that meets the latest safety guidelines, all of our recommendations within this article meet the i-Size (R129) regulations. Although there are cheaper non-i-Size seats available, these are eventually going to be phased out and we highly advise that you avoid them (we haven’t recommended any).
Below is a list of the best swivel car seats that rotate 360 degrees and meet the latest i-Size regulations.
The Best Swivel Car Seats
1. Best Overall: CYBEX Sirona 2 Rotating Car Seat
The CYBEX Sirona 2 is the brand’s flagship car seat that’s recently been improved to meet the latest i-Size regulations. It isn’t the cheapest but as with all the Cybex car seats, it’s built to the highest of standards.
If safety is your main concern, this swivel car seat has been designed for maximum safety. Some of the safety aspects include built-in side impact protection, an energy-absorbing shell, driving direction control and so much more.
- 360 degree rotation
- Suitable for use from 45 cm to 105 cm
- R129 i-Size compliant
- Extended rear facing design
- One-click installation via ISOFIX
- Available in black or beige
- 12 position height adjustable headrest
- Reclines in 8 different positions
- During testing, we found that the strap to clip your child in can be quite fiddly
To conclude, the CYBEX Sirona S2 is the ultimate swivel car seat that offers relatively good value for the money and is manufactured by a reputable brand. It also offers the most recline positions (5 backwards and 3 forwards), which means that you have more of a chance to find a comfortable seating position for your baby.
2. Best Quality: Silver Cross Motion All Size 360 Car Seat
Silver Cross is a British brand that’s well-known for its high-quality baby products and their 360 car seat follows that great reputation. It’s a rotating car seat that grows with your child from birth to approximately 12 years. Another benefit of this car seat is that it offers extended rearwards facing travel for up to 4 years old to keep your baby safer for longer.
- Breathable bamboo fabric that's ultra-soft
- Easy to install via the ISOFIX and support leg
- Removable newborn insert
- Plenty of adjustability via the 8 headrest positions and 4 recline positions
- Seat cover is machine washable
- During testing, we found it very easy to rotate with the baby sat in the seat
- Dedicated smartphone app that walks you through the installation and how to use it
- Side impact protection for additional safety
- By far the most expensive 360 car seat within this article
Although expensive, the Silver Cross Motion offers superior quality and it’ll adjust to suit your child’s growing requirements until they are 12 years old. Another great benefit is the UK support along with the dedicated smartphone application because it means that you’ll always have some assistance if you ever require it.
3. Best Value: Maxi-Cosi Mica 360 Swivel Car Seat
If you want a more affordable swivel car seat that’s still developed by a reputable brand, the Maxi-Cosi Mica is a great option to consider. It’s an i-Size car seat that can be used rearward facing up to 4 years of age and includes the desirable ISOFIX connectors for an easy and quick installation.
- New and improved side impact safety features (G-Cell)
- Can be reclined in each 360 position
- Simultaneous harness and headrest adjustment
- Rotates on the base with ease
- Available in black, graphite or light grey designs
- During testing, we found it quite heavy as it's a one-piece design (may be difficult to regularly switch between cars)
To conclude, the Maxi-Cosi Mica is an excellent all-round swivel car seat that can’t be beaten on price. If you are on a tight budget, we would highly recommend it because no other i-Size swivel seat at a similar price matches its quality.
4. Best All-Rounder: Joie i-Spin 360 Swivel Car Seat
The original Joie 360 was the most popular swivel car seat on the market but the brand has recently revised the original to meet the latest i-Size regulations. However, the new and improved 360 car seat still features everything there was to love about the original version and it’s a great all-round swivel seat to consider.
- Suitable for rearward travel from birth to 4 years old
- Can be used forward facing from 15 months
- Easy to rotate the seat with one hand
- 6 recline positions (reclines in both rearward and forward facing modes)
- 6 position headrest and harness adjustment
- Removable infant inserts
- Quite bulky and may take up a lot of room in small cars
The new and improved Joie Spin 360 really does tick all the boxes and it follows the great reputation of its predecessor. There really isn’t anything to dislike about it and it’s a worthwhile investment that won’t disappoint.
5. Best Budget: Cosatto All in All Rotate i-Size Car Seat
Cosatto are known for their aesthetically pleasing car seats and this swivel seat is no exception. It’s available in the choice of ten different designs and the seat itself can be used from birth to approximately 12 years of age.
A standout feature that this swivel car seat offers is the brand’s patented 5-point plus “Anti-Escape” system. According to the brand, the harness ensures that any escape attempt from your child will be unsuccessful, which means that you can focus on your driving instead of having to watch them try to escape.
- Adjusts to suit your child's growing requirements
- Multiple design patterns available
- Easy to rotate the seat with one hand
- Sustainable fabric (made from recycled plastic bottles)
- Extended rearwards travel
- Intuitive 5 point safety harness
- Only has recline positions in forward facing mode
If you are looking for a more aesthetically pleasing swivel car seat that ticks all the boxes, the Cosatto All in All Rotate is a great option to consider. The unique designs along with the clever “Anti-Escape” harness and premium build quality make it one of the best swivel car seats on the market at an affordable price.
6. Best Extended Rearwards: Britax Romer DUALFIX Z Line Swivel
Another relatively affordable swivel car seat that’s developed by a reputable brand is the Britax Romer DUALFIX Z Line. It’s available in a choice of four different designs and is suitable for use from 3 months to 4 years old.
A unique benefit of this swivel car seat is the integrated adjustable rebound bar, which enables you to get the best fit within your car and potentially provide your baby with up to 10% more leg space.
- Easily spins 360 degrees with one hand
- Multiple recline positions for improved comfort
- New and improved protective side wings
- Easy to remove and machine washable seat covers
- Choice of four different colours
- 5 point harness that features super soft chest pads
- Weighs 17.6 KG, which is quite heavy and makes moving it a task
Overall, the Britax Romer DUALFIX Z Line is an affordable, safe and well-made swivel car seat that won’t disappoint. Its popularity speaks for itself and it’ll be a great seat for your child to use up until they are 4 years old.
How We Tested & Rated
As we are parents ourselves, we have tried and tested a range of car seats over the years. When compared to regular seats, swivel car seats have made a huge difference and we highly recommend them. The ability to simply place your child into the seat instead of bending your back to put them in a forward/rear-facing position is a game changer.
In terms of our testing, we analyse the seat’s build quality, usability, ease of installation, recline positions, inserts, adjustability and the ease of rotating the seats. As we have a growing family, we’ve had the pleasure of testing multiple seats over the years and we are continually upgrading our current seats regularly for this article.
Some of our most recent testing of 360 car seats can be shown in the photos and videos below. For example, we recently installed the Cybex ISOFIX base into a Volkswagen Golf and this took only a few minutes. We were then able to test the swivelling mechanism by installing the matching Cybex seat onto the ISOFIX base.
To give you an idea of how easy it is to spin the Cybex car seat, below is a video we posted on our YouTube channel of us rotating the seat:
Another example of our testing is of the Silver Cross Motion, which we highly recommend as the only car seat you’ll ever need. This is because it grows with your child up until they are 12 years of age. In the photos, we tested it within a Volkswagen Tiguan and we have removed the newborn inserts because our toddler currently uses it.
To give you an idea of how easy the Silver Cross Motion is to spin and recline on its ISOFIX base, below is a video we posted on our YouTube channel that shows us testing it:
To keep up our commitment to testing and reviewing the latest swivel car seats (for this article), we are continually testing out the latest offerings from top brands in the UK. This means that if we notice a brand has released a new and improved 360 car seat, we will attempt to purchase it to put it to the test (where applicable).
As well as testing and our experience using multiple seats, we also based our recommendations on the latest research and multiple factors. Some of the factors that we considered included the ease of rotation, recline positions, headrest and harness adjustment, i-Size certification, additional features, colours available and value for money.
Conclusion
Swivel car seats have transformed the way you place your child into their seat and they are very desirable. Although they aren’t the cheapest type of seat, once you’ve tried it, you won’t want to return to using a standard car seat.
To help cater for all reader requirements, our recommendations are suitable for a range of budgets. However, we’ve only included i-Size seats within our roundup because non-i-Size car seats are eventually going to be phased out.
If you require any further information with regards to swivel car seats, feel free to get in touch and we will try to provide our assistance where possible.
