The Best Rotating Car Seats, Tested by Parents

Voted the Best of The Bump winner for top rotating infant car seat, the Maxi Cosi Peri 180 is a stand-out product for a variety of reasons. First off, it’s designed with FlexiSpin, which lets you rotate the seat 180 degrees toward you to reduce unwanted back strain. Product tester and mom of three Ashley took it for a spin with her 4-month-old and was impressed by the swivel feature: “I absolutely loved the rotating feature of this car seat! I have experience using a rotating convertible seat, but not an infant seat so this was so nice!” She added that “the rotating part was very smooth and easy to maneuver.” She added that “the rotating feature makes it even easier to remove the baby” once they had arrived at their destination.

Another aspect that sets this car seat apart is its weight and portability. Unlike most rotating car seats, which tend to be convertible, this model separates from the base and has a carry handle, so you can easily move a sleeping baby in and out of the car. Without its base this seat weighs just under 8 pounds, making it the lightest rotating infant car seat on the market. Our product tester appreciated that “it’s very easy to remove from the base” and said “in general I feel it’s pretty lightweight without him.” Although she did tell us that “I am lucky enough to have a chunky baby, so the seat is heavy with him in it!” Ashley was also impressed by the ease of installation, which took less than five minutes, as well as the safety features built into this car seat. “I love that the seat included a load leg. I’ve never had that on an infant seat before so I felt like it was an extra layer of safety, she explained. While our product tester did feel that a rotating infant car seat was a “luxury” she felt that this car seat was worth the price and told us that, “if it was within my budget I would definitely buy it!”

Dimensions: 29.5" (L) x 18.125" (W) x 28.5" (H) | Weight (without base): 7.5 lbs. | Height limit: 32" | Weight capacity: 4 to 30 lbs. (rear-facing) | Booster seat: No | One-handed rotation: No

Next up is the equally amazing Baby Jogger City Turn. This model earned the title of best rotating convertible car seat in this year’s Best of The Bump awards—with good reason. It rotates 180 degrees bringing your child 10 inches closer to you, so that you can maintain a more upright posture when lifting baby in and out of the seat. Product tester Christine used the car seat with her sons aged 12 months and 3 years, and raved about the swivel feature. “We loved how easy it was to rotate,” said Christine, who found it more user-friendly than another rotating car seat she uses in a second vehicle. We’re not surprised with this assessment as the smooth rotation mechanism is operated with one hand and audibly clicks into place, so you know it’s safely secured. Christine continued to say that “getting our baby (12 months) into this car seat with the rotating seat was so easy.” While she felt her eldest son required a little more leg room, she said that “the rotating seat also made it easier for our 3-year-old to get into the car seat rear-facing.”

The seat can be used in a rear- and forward-facing position, and according to Christine the transition is pretty seamless: “Changing from rear-facing to front-facing took under ten minutes and was very simple.” Our product tester was also a fan of the adjustable headrest and no rethread harness. “The harness height was much easier to change on this car seat than another rotating car seat we have in another one of our cars—It was built into the headrest so when I moved the harness height up, the headrest went up as well.” Talk about smart design! It also meets the mark in terms of safety, thanks to steel-reinforced frame and energy-absorbing foam padding for a safe ride. In fact this car seat earned the highest possible crash rating from Consumer Reports. To conclude her review our product tester declared that the Baby Jogger City Turn “is an exceptional product in terms of design, comfort and safety.”

Dimensions: 21.8″ (L) x 19″ (W) x 23.5″ (H) | Weight: 28 lbs. | Height limit: 49" | Weight capacity: 4 to 50 lbs. (rear-facing), 22 to 65 lbs. (forward-facing) | Booster seat: No | One-handed rotation: Yes

“Rear-facing provides the best protection for your child,” says Dilts. With this in mind, it's important to factor in the max weight and height limit when selecting a convertible car seat that rotates. The Chicco Fit360 went down a storm with mom of four Brittany, as her 3-year-old was able to comfortably use it in a rear-facing position. “He was using forward-facing recently because it was easier with our other seat, but he was happy being rear-facing again using this seat,” she shared. Brittany found it less of a strain to load her son into the seat thanks to ample legroom and the swivel base: “I can turn the seat towards me and lift him into it” before buckling the harness. “It makes it much easier to extend rear-facing because it’s so much easier to get him in now,” she explained.

The car seat rotates 360 degrees, making it simple to buckle baby in or switch between a forward- or rear-facing position. “You can squeeze the side handles to rotate it sideways,” says Brittany who adds that “once your child is buckled in you can squeeze the sides again to rotate it. This is especially helpful with toddlers since they’re bigger.” Brittany used the seat with her 12-month-old and 3-year-old and said that they “both fit really well in the seat and seemed comfortable.” Another standout feature is the magnetic chest clip and adjustable harness. “The chest clip is magnetic, so it clips shut really easily which is nice,” says Brittany. Meanwhile, you can change the shoulder strap height and simultaneously move the headrest up or down, with the squeeze of a lever. One possible downside is that the seat and base are rather heavy and bulky, so it may not be the best option for families that require a three-across configuration. With that said, mom of four Brittany told us that she “would definitely buy this seat now that I’ve tried it and wish I had it for my other kids.”

Dimensions: 20" (L) x 18.25" (W) x 25.75" (H) | Weight: 33.8 lbs. | Height limit: 49" | Weight capacity: 4 to 40 lbs. (rear-facing), 25 to 65 lbs. (forward-facing) | Booster seat: No | One-handed rotation: Yes

One of the major bugbears of rotating car seats is that they tend to be bulky, which isn’t ideal if you need to squeeze in two or more car seats. Fortunately, the Cybex Aton G measures under 18 inches in width, so the slim design doesn’t take up too much space in the back seat. This car seat was reviewed by two independent product testers, both of whom remarked upon the narrow design. “In our car, the car seat was installed in a captain's chair, so it was not alongside other car seats, but I fully expect that it would fit nicely as it's neither excessively wide nor narrow,” said product tester Katelyn, who used the swivel car seat with her 3-month-old. Mom of two, Megan agreed that the seat was narrower than most and said she was pleasantly surprised by how light this seat is. “Without a baby it feels almost weightless, which is great as a parent,” shared Megan. While the seat was “significantly heavier” with her 16 pound child in situ, Megan was a fan of the adjustable carry handle as “the angle to where it attaches gives it a comfortable one arm carry.” Megan loved the ease of carrying the seat to and from the car, but added that “even when my baby gets a little too heavy to be carrying in and out, being able to swivel and place her in is fantastic.”

The seat rotates 180 degrees, and product tester Katelyn described the swivel motion as “incredibly fluid” although she noted that “you do need two hands to swivel the seat.” Both product testers agreed that the rotating seat made it easy to load and unload their kids. “The swivel feature is a game-changer, making it much easier to place and secure my child without straining my back,” said Katelyn. While Megan told us that the swivel feature was simple to use and her “4-month-old was calm getting in and out of the seat, without fussing much.” Aside from the size and rotating base, our product testers appreciated the safety features, no rethread harness and the easy to clean fabric. “The safety features impressed me,” remarked Katelyn, adding that the side-impact protection and energy-absorbing materials “eased my worries.” The seat is also fitted with an anti-rebound bar, which reduces rotation and overall movement of the car seat during a crash. As for the fabrics, Katelyn and Megan agreed that the removable covers were easy to remove, wash and replace although there were a few crevices where crumbs can accumulate. Megan rounded out her review by saying that many of the features “exceeded my expectations” and said she would definitely recommend the car seat to other parents.

Dimensions: 26.1” (L) x 17.5” (W) x 14.7”-22.8” (H) | Weight (without base): 9 lbs. | Height limit: 32" | Weight capacity: 4 to 35 lbs. (rear-facing), 22 to 65 lbs. | Booster seat: No | One-handed rotation: No

Looking for a rotating car seat with bonus safety features? Check out the Evenflo Gold Revolve360. It goes above and beyond industry standards, with superior side-impact protection and structural integrity. Mom of two and product tester Anna, was impressed with the additional safety features, especially the SensorSafe clip. With SensorSafe, you can connect the car seat to an app on your smartphone via Bluetooth. This app provides real-time alerts for certain unsafe conditions, such as an unexpected chest clip unbuckling, a child left unattended or if your vehicle is too hot or too cold. “It is a feature I have never seen on any other car seats and I think it is really amazing,” gushed Anna. “It can really make us parents feel a lot safer knowing the car seat is able to detect these kinds of potentially dangerous situations,” she continued. Anna used the car seat with her youngest in a rear-facing position and her older son in booster seat mode and told us that “both my one-year-old and 8-year-old were able to fit comfortably in their different positions according to height and weight.” She added that “the carseat felt secure and stable when installed with the LATCH and seatbelt and I had no safety concerns with either of my children!”

The car seat rotates a full 360 degrees, which was a huge plus for our product tester. “The rotation feature is by far my favorite for my one-year-old, very easy to achieve and a life saver for my back!” The swivel seat and cushioned head-rest can be adjusted with a single hand for ease of use. And our tester noted that “the seat reclines and adjusts very easily with no trouble.” The clever design offers three modes for infants, toddlers and big kids meaning you can use it for up to 10 years. The final verdict? It’s “an amazing price for a product that will last years while my child continues to grow," said our product tester.

Dimensions: 21″ (L) x 19.8″ (W) x 25.9″ (H) | Weight: 29.6 lbs. | Height limit: 57" | Weight capacity: 4 to 40 lbs. (rear-facing), 22 to 65 lbs. (forward-facing), 40 to 120 lbs. (booster seat) | Booster seat: Yes | One-handed rotation: Yes

The Cybex Sirona S was the first fully rotating car seat to hit the market. The convertible seat rotates 360 degrees on the base—and even better, does it with a simple push of one hand. Our product tester, Brittani, noted that the rotating function works in both rear- and front-facing mode but said “the rotating felt harder when it was rear-facing.” Although there was an initial learning curve, Brittani said she eventually got the knack and felt “confident” using it. While she did feel like it was a luxury add-on, our product tester noted that “for my one-year old, I did appreciate the rotating feature.” As for general ease of use, Brittani said “my toddler was able to get in and out of the car seat without any issues and buckling was fairly easy.”

Brittani also loved that the seat doesn't slack off on safety—the top-notch safety features include load-leg technology, an anti-rebound panel and linear side-impact protection. But her favorite safety feature was the SensorSafe chest clip, which syncs to your smartphone and alerts you when unsafe conditions arise. “I specifically like that it can tell if the temperature is too hot. That is something I am always worried about in the summers,” Brittani shared. “I also like that it can tell you how long your baby has been in the car seat—that is very helpful for road trips!” Another highlight: It’s also super-easy to install, thanks to the on-pull LATCH system and angle indicators that help you position it just right.

Dimensions: 24.5" (L) x 19" (W) x 25.5" (H) | Weight: 30.4 lbs. | Height limit: 49" | Weight capacity: 4 to 50 lbs. (rear-facing), 22 to 65 lbs. (forward-facing) | Booster seat: No | One-handed rotation: Yes