It’s an understandable assumption: if a car seat is more expensive, it must be better, right? Well, “better” is open to interpretation, and honestly… not necessarily!

Here’s the truth: all car seats sold on the US market meet the same Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS 213). To be more specific, car seats that are sold *legally* are safe to use; please avoid purchasing car seats off discount marketplace websites, or second-hand car seats from someone you don’t know and trust on a personal level. You could end up with a seat that doesn’t meet today’s safety standards, or you could end up with an expired or otherwise compromised car seat.

What we know for sure: when car seats are installed and used correctly, they can reduce the risk of fatal injury in a crash by up to 71%*

Not at all crashes are survivable. However, in a survivable crash: if a car seat is installed correctly, and used correctly (proper harnessing, etc.) it will do its job.

What’s with the additional safety features, then?

Well, the car seat’s job is to save a life. The additional safety features are great, and don’t get me wrong: I’m so glad we have them! They could mean the difference between a very minor injury and a more serious one – but our first goal is to ensure that the child survives in a recoverable way.

When I train new Child Passenger Safety Technicians (CPSTs, aka “car seat techs”), I always come back to this point: we don’t get to choose the crashes we have.

If it’s within budget to get extra safety features, and you’ll see many of those fully-featured seats right on this page, that’s great! If it’s not within your budget to purchase one of the more expensive car seats please hear me and take this to heart right now: you are not risking your child’s life by buying a less expensive seat. What is most important is that you know how to safely and correctly install and use your child’s car seat, and that it is used correctly for every single ride.

I have publicly stated this many times, and will continue to do so: both my girls have ridden in car seats ranging from $90 to $800. I wouldn’t hesitate to put them in a $90 car seat because I know that if I’m installing and using it correctly, it’s going to do its job. And in some cases, those less expensive seats may be better for certain vehicles because of space constraints, or because you need something more lightweight for travel. Don’t feel guilty for a second: they all pass the same tests.

*Statistic via https://cps.ca/documents/position/child-and-youth-injury-prevention