Posted by With so many car seats on the market today, finding the one that is right for your family can be challenging. With so many size and style choices, where do you start? A great place to begin your journey is to look at a specific brand such as Evenflo car seats.
Evenflo is a well-known and trusted name in the baby industry. They have been manufacturing high quality products from strollers to high chairs to car seats and more for nearly 100 years. In fact, Evenflo car seats are some of the safest and most affordable baby car seats available today with several styles priced under $100. If leading safety ratings and a friendly budget sounds good to you, you’re going to love the car seats on our best picks list.
How safe are Evenflo car seats?
Evenflo car seats are extremely safe, which just goes to show that you don’t need to spend a small fortune for a high-quality car seat. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), these car seats meet and often exceed all federal safety guidelines. This is because Evenflo tests their car seats at 2X the Federal Crash Test Standard. They also develop technology to go above and beyond to meet this greater standard. In order to achieve this, the brand conducts the following:
- Rollover Testing: Evenflo car seats are crash tested in simulated rollover situations beyond the government standard. This includes roof to ground contact simulations as well as other rollover simulations to determine the impact that is responsible for the most real-world injuries.
- Side Impact Testing: Aside from meeting or exceeding the federal safety standards, Evenflo also hold themselves accountable to their own side impact standards.
As a result of this extensive testing, Evenflo has developed their “E3” Expanded Zone of Protection. This technology provides 3 layers of expanded protection to reduce side impact forces up to 50%.
Crash testing is not the only important safety feature of a car seat though. Do you live in a climate with extreme high or low temperatures? Rest assured that Evenflo car seats have been tested to stand up to any of the adverse effects these temperatures can cause.
4 Best Evenflo Car Seats
Now that you can feel confident in the safety of the Evenflo brand, let’s take a closer look at the individual styles. To help make your decision easier, I’ve taken the 4 best Evenflo car seats based on consumer and NHTSA ratings and broken them down by child’s size. Size is the most important factor you’ll want to consider first since car seat safety is based on proper fit. You can weigh the pros and cons of the other car seat features for your lifestyle from there.
Additionally, each of the car seats listed below are available on Amazon with Free Shipping so you can have it delivered straight to your door within days.
Evenflo Symphony Elite All-In-One Convertible Car Seat
Child Size: Infant to Big Kid
Rear-Facing: 5-40 lbs. | Forward Facing: 22-65 lbs. | High Back Booster: 40-110 lbs.
If you want to avoid purchasing multiple car seats over the course of your child’s youth, then the Evenflo Symphony Elite is a great buy. This all one convertible car seat safely carries children from infancy through their toddler years and into big kid status. You get a higher value at an already affordable price. The creative design converts from the rear-facing position to forward facing and finally to a high back booster where your child can use your vehicle’s own seat belt system.
The Evenflo Symphony Elite car seat also has all of the best features that makes installation easy for you and riding in the car comfortable for your child. Think padded head and body pillows, cup holders and multiple recline positions. Factor in Evenflo’s industry leading safety standards and you have total peace of mind.
As far as convertible car seats go, the Evenflo Symphony Elite really seems to have it all. If you do plan to use an all-in-one car seat like this one from infancy, you’ll just need to consider how you will transport your infant outside of the car. This car seat is not intended for hand-carrying and does not have the option to attach with a baby stroller.
Pros:
- All-in-one convertible car seat converts from rear-facing to forward facing to high back booster seat for children 5-110 lbs.
- Easy 60-second no-pull, click and push SureLATCH installation
- E3 Side Impact Protection reduces side crash impact forces by 50%
- Energy absorbing foam for safety and comfort
- 5-point infinite slide harness automatically adjusts with growing child for proper fit
- One-hand adjustable headrest
- Removable head and body pillow
- Multi-position recline adjustability from front
- Expandable cup holder fits any drink size
- Machine washable pads
Cons:
- No detachable base for infant hand-carrying or use with stroller (car seat stays in car)
- Heavy/bulky design makes it hard to lift for switching cars
Evenflo LiteMax 35 Infant Car Seat
Child Size: Infant
Rear-Facing: 4-35 lbs. | Child Height: 17-32”
An infant car seat carrier is a must-have for any new parent who intends to drive baby from point A to point B. The Evenflo Litemax 35 Car Seat allows you to conveniently place the rear-facing carrier onto the stay-in-car base and lift it out of the base for carrying when you reach your destination. This way you won’t have to disturb baby upon your arrival if he or she has fallen asleep in any of the four comfy recline positions. Additionally, the padded, ergonomic handle has been designed with your own comfort in mind.
The Evenflo Litemax Car Seat can also be paired with a compatible stroller to make your on-the-go lifestyle with baby even easier. It has a plush head pillow and a built-in canopy to shade and protect from the elements whether you’re in the car or strolling the grocery store parking lot. Out of all the Evenflo car seats on this list, this one not only fits infants the best, but makes traveling with an infant the most convenient for you.
Pros:
- Stay-in-car base with easy LATCH or two-step belt lock off installation
- 4-position recline
- Removable head pillow
- Up front harness adjustability
- Canopy for shade
- Lightweight with padded, ergonomic handle for comfortable hand-carrying
- Compatible with strollers
- Storage pockets keep buckles out of the way for easy in and out
- Tested at extreme high and low temperatures
- Machine washable pads
Cons:
- Your baby will quickly grow out of it likely reaching the height maximum before the weight
Evenflo Maestro Sport Harness Booster Car Seat
Child Size: Toddler to Big Kid
Forward-Facing Harnessed Booster: 22-50 lbs., Age 2+ | Belt Positioned Booster: 50-110 lbs., Age 4+
The Evenflo Maestro Harnessed Booster Car Seat is a forward-facing, 5-point harness car seat for children 2 years and up (22 lbs.-50 lbs.) that converts to a belt-positioning booster seat (50 lbs.-110 lbs.) when your big kid is ready to use your vehicle’s own seat belt system. One of the greatest advantages to this booster seat is that it keeps children in a 5-point harness for as long as possible before transitioning to the lap belt as recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).
The Evenflo Maestro car seat is lightweight so if you’ll potentially be switching in and out of different cars or handing it off to a carpool now and then, this one makes lifting and installing the car seat a breeze. The lightweight design is also ideal for airport transportation and is approved for use in airline seats with the 5-point harness. Aside from being super user-friendly, this car seat has been Side Impact Tested and exceeds the federal crash standard by 2X. With a price point under $100, the Evenflo Maestro car seat is a win-win.
Pros:
- Booster seat converts from 5-point harness to belt-positioning car seat
- Easy LATCH installation with tether
- Side Impact Tested – 2X federal crash standards
- Accredited by Insurance Institute for Highway Safety as “Best Bet”
- Lightweight design
- Adjusting belt path positions vehicle’s seat belt properly over child’s shoulder
- Dual cup holders
- Up front harness adjustability
- Removable head pillow
- Airline approved for use in harness mode
- Machine washable seat pad
Cons:
- Harness has to be manually rethreaded as child grows
Evenflo AMP High Back Booster Car Seat
Child Size: Toddler to Big Kid Age 3+
High Back Booster: 30-110 lbs., Child Height: 38”-57” | Backless Booster: 40-110 lbs., Child Height: 40”-57”
The Evenflo Amp High Back Booster Car Seat is a 2-in-1 booster seat that converts from a high back to a backless booster for children ages 3 and up that meet the minimum weight and height requirements. This booster seat teaches kids to buckle themselves in and has belt guides and an adjustable headrest so the fit is perfect every time.
You’ll love the affordability of the Evenflo Amp High Back Booster with a price point under $50.
This booster seat doesn’t have a 5-point harness, which the AAP recommends young children use for as long as possible. However, it is highly rated by the NHTSA and makes the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety’s “Best Bet” list for best lap and shoulder belt fit for children 4-8 years of age in almost any car, minivan or SUV.
Pros:
- High back booster converts to backless
- Accredited by IIHS as “Best Bet”
- Uses vehicle’s own seat belt system with belt guides
- Energy absorbing foam
- One-hand adjustable headrest
- Dual, expandable cup holders
- Lightweight design
- Machine washable pad
Cons:
- No 5-point harness
Conclusion
This concludes our list of the best Evenflo car seats. If you’re still not sure which one might be right for your family, consider the size of your child and your lifestyle:
If you’re pregnant or have an infant…
…you might be tempted to purchase just one car seat that can last through your child’s infancy to big kid status like the all-in-one Evenflo Symphony Elite car seat. While this may work for some moms who don’t plan on driving a lot with their infant or baby, it doesn’t give you the option to hand-carry your baby outside of the car or use the car seat with a stroller.
And as lovely as it is to carry your little one on your body once you’re out of the car, sometimes you just need a place to set baby down. If having an infant carrier car seat sounds more convenient to you, then I recommend your first car seat on this list to be the Evenflo LiteMax 35.
Is your baby turning into a toddler?
Now would be the time to go for that all in one car seat and get the most bang for your buck. Keep in mind though that all in one car seats are big and bulky.
Is your vehicle big enough to fit the Evenflo Symphony Elite?
If so, your child will feel like he’s sitting on a thrown in this car seat! However, due to the sheer size and weight of it, you won’t want to be switching it in and out of other cars often. This can be a pain in the butt if you plan on sharing a car seat with your spouse or other family member.
To solve this dilemma, go for a more lightweight option such as the Evenflo Maestro Harnessed Booster Seat. This car seat will last through your child’s toddler years to big kid status just like the Symphony Elite so there’s no sacrifice there. Plus, if you plan to do any traveling, the Evenflo Maestro is approved for use on aircraft (or can be easily lugged through the airport and checked).
Got a big kid?
Once your child is at least 3 years old and a minimum of 30 lbs., the big question is:
Do I want to keep my kid in a 5-point harness? Or are they ready for a booster seat that uses the vehicle’s own seat belt system?
Luckily, there are two Evenflo car seats on this list to consider for either scenario.
The first is the Evenflo Maestro car seat, which makes the transition from 5-point harness to belt-positioning booster when it becomes necessary, and not a moment before. Keeping children in a 5-point harness for as long as possible is recommended by the AAP.
However, if your child is complaining that their 5-point is uncomfortable and as a result has figured out how to pull it loose, it may be time to graduate them to a belt-positioning booster. In this case, I recommend the Evenflo Amp Highback Booster. This booster seat will keep your child safe, and make them feel all grown up at the same time with the freedom to “do it themselves”.
If you still have questions about what style of car seat you should be looking for, read our Car Seats Buying Guide or watch this video.
Want to see some other top car seats? Check out the best of these popular brands:
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