Terrifying test by Stiftung Warentest: Car seats for children can be life-threatening. More than 60 seats were unsatisfactory in the test result.
- Stiftung Warentest *: Test of child seats for the car: Two seats were declared unsafe.
- According to Stiftung Warentest, harmful substances have been detected in three of the currently available child car seats.
- Stiftung Warentest works with international consumer organizations to evaluate child car seats.
Kassel - If you want to protect your children adequately while driving in the car , you should definitely not do without a child seat in the car. One of the last studies by Stiftung Warentest showed that not child seats are the same here . It put a total of 535 child car seats to the test. More than 60 of them performed poorly in the test. Some pose a potential risk of injury to the children that could be fatal to children in a car accident .
Test of child seats for the car: Stiftung Warentest rated these categories
As with all tests by Stiftung Warentest , several criteria were also evaluated for the evaluation of the child car seats and combined into an overall evaluation . With 50 percent, accident safety was the greatest factor in the overall rating.
The other half of the assessment was made up of 40 percent handling of the child seats and the remaining 10 percent were assessed using the ergonomics assessment. In the test, Stiftung Warentest also examined whether the children's products contained harmful substances.
Test of child seats for the car at Stiftung Warentest: International cooperation in the test
When testing car seats for children , Stiftung Warentest works with the ADAC and consumer organizations from various countries. The team of experts assess accident safety with the help of crash tests. The car seats for children are tested in each of their possible uses. This means that if a child seat can be installed in the car facing both forwards and backwards, for example , it will also be subjected to a crash test in both variants.
The test simulates a frontal impact and a side impact. The accident simulation was carried out with a body shell of a VW Polo. In the case of a frontal collision, the dummy car is accelerated to 64 km / h before it hits an obstacle. The test is accompanied by high-speed cameras, so the experts can see exactly where the problem was afterwards. To simulate the side impact, the car body, including the child seat , is allowed to hit the side of a standing door. The car body accelerated to 25 kilometers per hour , achieves impact values that correspond to a collision with a stationary car at 50 km / h .
Test of child seats for the car: Stiftung Warentest also assessed the handling
The second category of the test of Stiftung Warentest evaluated the handling of the car - child seats . In this case, will be evaluated by experts on the one hand how high the risk of operator error at the respective car - child seats is. On the other hand, the concrete handling in everyday life, i.e. installing, converting, buckling up and adjusting the size is assessed.
The respective instructions for use are also assessed by an expert. The processing and cleaning, the car - child seat is also evaluated by experts. The washability of the cover plays a key role here.
ADAC child seat test 2020: Two thirds do well and very well # adac #Kindersitztest
ADAC child seat test 2020: Two thirds do well and very well
Two collapsible models for travel or car sharing are also recommended
The big one… https://t.co/82s0oWubkO pic.twitter.com/eaONw9spii
Testing child seats for the car: Stiftung Warentest also took a close look at ergonomics
The ergonomics of the car seats for children was also assessed in a test by Stiftung Warentest . At 10 percent, however, this part of the test has the lowest proportion of the overall rating. The ergonomics test of child car seats was carried out on three different car models. Comfort, seating position, space in the car and space for the child were tested in either a Ford Fiesta, a VW T-Cross or a Citroen Berlingo.
In addition to the previous categories, Stiftung Warentest also examined the pollution levels of child car seats . The main focus was on various plasticizers, dyes and flame retardants.
Test of child seats for the car at Stiftung Warentest: These were the categories of child car seats
In its test, Stiftung Warentest has divided child car seats into five weight categories. However, some models were also classified according to the so-called i-size standards. With these, the child seat is assigned to the children according to their height. From the size specific groups, two are available in the test. With the first, the size of the children ranges up to 105 cm . The second lists car seats that are suitable for children between 100 cm and 150 cm tall.
In the groupings by weight, car seats for children of different weights were sometimes combined. Here are the individual categories:
- Up to 10 or 13 kilograms of body weight for children
- Up to 18 kilograms of body weight for children
- Children up to 18, 15 or 36 kilograms of body weight
- From 9 to 18, 25 or 36 kilograms of body weight of the children
- Children weigh from 15 to 36 kilograms
In its test report, Stiftung Warentest tells consumers that the categories, just like the categories and standards of the manufacturers, are only a rough guideline. When buying car seats, the children must always be involved in the buying process to try them out.
Test of child seats for the car at Stiftung Warentest: These seats received the grade very good
Overall, in the test of reaching Stiftung Warentest only 10 of the tested car - child seats the note very well. In the i-size category for children up to 105 cm tall , only three products made it into the best possible classification. At the moment, however, only the latest of the models is available.
The Dream + Dream i-Size Base from Silver Cross not only scored 1.3 in terms of accident safety, it also impressed in the pollutant test. Here the model even achieved a smooth 1.0 for children with a height of 40 to 85 centimeters. Overall, that was enough for a rating of 1.5 on the Richter scale.
Test of child seats at Stiftung Warentest: The best seats could be found in this category
No less than five models made it to a very good overall rating in the category up to 10 or 13 kilograms in the Stiftung Warentest test. Two of the child car seats were offered online for the first time between 2009 and 2010. The remaining three had their first appearance between 2011 and 2014. The best in this category was the Privia with Isofix-based Recaro fix from Recaro. This was able to outperform the competition for child seats in the category, especially in terms of accident safety. Here he achieved a grade of 1.0.
This child seat also scored very well in the other two sub-categories . However, Stiftung Warentest also points out that this product was recalled in 2016 due to technical defects. The products currently on sale should not be affected.
Test of child seats for the car at Stiftung Warentest: One seat was a touch better
The last two car seats, with a very good test result from Stiftung Warentest, can be found in the children's body weight category between 9 kg and 18/25/36 kg. The two child seats first appeared in 2013. Both products were able to convince with an overall grade of 1.4 in the test.
The Juno 2-Fix from Cybex was a touch better than its competitor Phoenixfix Pro 2 Isofix from Kiddy in terms of processing and cleaning. The Juno 2-Fix was also able to score with a lower overall weight compared to the Phoenixfix. The child car seat from Cybex weighed a whole kilo less than its competitor.
Test of child seats for the car at Stiftung Warentest: These are the defective seats from 2020
In the Stiftung Warentest test, two child car seats from the current year received a poor rating. One of the two, the iPro Baby + iPro Base from Hauck, was only able to come out on top when it came to accident safety. The product could not convince in the test of the front impact behavior.
The second defective child seat from 2020 is almost the same product. The iPro Baby car seat from Hauck was tested here without the iPro Base. However, the iPro achieved a 2.0 in the accident safety category without a base. Both products were from the i-size category for children up to 105 cm tall.
Test of child seats for the car: According to Stiftung Warentest, these two seats are considered unsafe
Stiftung Warentest classifies two of the tested child seats as unsafe for the car seats currently available . One of the two seats, the Saturn Fix from LCP Kids, comes from the child's 9 kg to 36 kg category . It was rated as unsatisfactory in the accident safety assessment category, as it carries a high risk of injury from cutting the belt in the abdominal area in the event of a frontal impact.
The second available child car seat that was rated unsafe by Stiftung Warentest is the Oasys i-Size Bebecare + i-Size Base from Chicco. This could also not convince in the frontal impact.
Test of child seats for the car at Stiftung Warentest: These seats were contaminated with pollutants
Pollutants were detected in the test by Stiftung Warentest in three available child car seats . Osann's Fox model came off the worst here. In this case, the content of the flame retardant TDCP even exceeded the limit set by the EU for children's toys under 3 years of age.
This can also be seen in the Maxi-Cosi model Tobifix. Here, too, the value exceeds the EU limit. A naphthalene value above the GS mark was found in the HY5 TT model.
Test at Stiftung Warentest: Not only child seats for the car were tested last
There are now different types of products for daily hair care. Stiftung Warentest compared liquid and solid shampoos *. The Öko-Test recently examined a wide variety of pestos *. The overall result is rather sobering.
The Stiftung Warentest also examined non-prescription medicine for its suitability for children *. Ibuprofen, Paracetamol and Nasivin were tested. Some drugs could be dangerous for children.
Over 500 TV sets are currently included in the Stiftung Warentest test * database. Recently, 14 current models were tested to bring them up to date.
The hay fever season is already in full swing. Stiftung Warentest * has now looked for suitable medication for the associated ailments.
Surprising result at Stiftung Warentest, only every third e-bike * can convince in the test. This year 12 e-bikes were put under the microscope.
Öko-Test has tested mattresses for babies. Some fail because of serious security deficiencies. The cheapest mattress, however, is convincing.
Painkillers were also on the program when testing drugs at Stiftung Warentest. The results are worrying in some cases.
From Lucas Maier
* hna.de is part of the nationwide Ippen-Digital editors network.
List of rubric lists: © Guido Kirchner / dpa