The 4 Best Booster Car Seats 2022

The 4 Best Booster Car Seats 2022

Wondering whether your child is ready for a booster? As the name implies, a booster’s primary function is to raise a child up so that the car’s seat belt can be positioned properly. These seats are for school-age kids who are generally at least around 40 pounds and 40 inches tall, and who are ready—both physically and developmentally—to graduate from a five-point harness seat.

Our pick

Chicco KidFit ClearTex Plus

The Chicco KidFit ClearTex Plus is easy to use and nice to look at. And it’s a hit with caregivers and kids alike.

This attractive, high-back booster seat offers a terrific blend of safety features, creature comforts, and convenience. The Chicco KidFit ClearTex Plus weighs about 10 pounds and is easy to install and remove, thanks to a cleverly designed LATCH system. (LATCH stands for Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children; this system allows you to install a car seat by attaching a pair of metal hooks or clips that are built into the seat to a set of anchors that are built into the car.) The LATCH system on the KidFit ClearTex Plus, which Chicco calls SuperCinch, can be tightened and released with one hand, and it actually delivers on its name. The KidFit ClearTex Plus features environmentally conscious Greenguard Gold–certified fabric, two collapsible cup holders, and the best seat belt threader of any of the high-back boosters we tested. The seat’s relatively narrow footprint may allow for three across in the back row, depending on the vehicle. The top portion of the seat can be disconnected, converting it from a high-back to a backless booster.

Weight of seat: 10 pounds

Width of seat base (at widest point): 17 inches

Passenger weight and height limits for high-back mode: 40 to 100 pounds; 38 to 57 inches

Passenger weight and height limits for backless mode: 40 to 110 pounds; 38 to 57 inches

Runner-up

Graco TurboBooster LX

The Graco TurboBooster LX lacks some of the conveniences (and pizzazz) of our top pick, but it’s a really good booster at a reasonable price.

The Graco TurboBooster LX is less expensive than our top pick, with many of the same key features. Like the Chicco KidFit ClearTex Plus, the TurboBooster LX has two cup holders (one slides into the seat) and can be converted from high-back to backless. Our main gripe is that it has hook-style LATCH connectors, the least user-friendly type of LATCH. (The hooks can be difficult to get on and off the car’s anchors—a nuisance if you’re planning to move the seat regularly.) This seat weighs just slightly less than our top pick. And, like our top pick, this model has a relatively narrow footprint (it may be possible to fit three seats across, depending on the vehicle).

Weight of seat: 9.8 pounds

Width of seat base (at widest point): 17 inches

Passenger weight and height limits for high-back mode: 40 to 100 pounds; 43 to 57 inches

Passenger weight and height limits for backless mode: 40 to 100 pounds; 43 to 57 inches

Upgrade pick

Maxi-Cosi RodiFix

The Maxi-Cosi RodiFix looks, feels, and functions great, with a rigid LATCH system that ensures a particularly secure and easy install. But it doesn’t have cup holders.

Buying Options

*At the time of publishing, the price was $200.

The Maxi-Cosi RodiFix is an expensive high-back booster seat that’s great-looking and a pleasure to use. It is the only one of our picks that has rigid LATCH (meaning the seat’s LATCH hooks are on adjustable metal bars rather than dangling straps, making them easier to line up and attach to the car’s anchors). So the RodiFix is the simplest of all the seats to install, and it offers the strongest, most secure connection. (It’s also the only one of our picks that reclines.) Like our Chicco and Graco high-back picks, the RodiFix is relatively slender and may be able to accommodate three across, depending on the car. This seat weighs more than our other picks. Despite its high price, the RodiFix does not have cup holders, and it also can’t be converted from high-back to backless, which may be a no-go for some people. As we were preparing this guide for publication, we received the disappointing news that the RodiFix will be retired by the end of 2022; if you’re interested in getting one, we recommend that you move fast.

Weight of seat: 13.5 pounds

Width of seat base (at widest point): 17 inches

Passenger weight and height limits: 40 to 120 pounds; 40 to 57 inches

Also great

Chicco GoFit Plus

In a sea of competition, the Chicco GoFit Plus stood out as the best backless-only booster with LATCH that we tested.

Buying Options

*At the time of publishing, the price was $55.

The Chicco GoFit Plus is everything you need in a backless booster. In general, we recommend high-back boosters over backless ones for daily use because of the additional head and neck protection they offer. And many models—including our top and runner-up picks—convert from high-back to backless for carpooling, traveling, or when a kid has outgrown the high-back limits. But backless boosters cost less, and having one (or several) on hand can be convenient. The GoFit Plus has the same SuperCinch LATCH mechanism as the Chicco KidFit ClearTex Plus, making it very easy to install, tighten, and release with one hand. (However, we wish there were a place to store the connectors when not in use; if you’re carrying the seat around, they flap.) It also has expandable cup holders and a built-in handle on one end. This seat is relatively slender—making it possible to fit three across, depending on the vehicle. The GoFit Plus weighs just 6 pounds, so it’s not the lightest booster out there, but it is about average for backless boosters with LATCH.

Weight of seat: 6 pounds

Width of seat base (at widest point): 17 inches

Passenger weight and height limits: 40 to 110 pounds; 38 to 57 inches

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