The Complete Volvo Maxway Review

Posted by Julie Monson on

Complete Volvo Maxway Child Car Seat review

Julie Monson
Occupational Therapist & Car Seat Technician.


The Volvo Maxway is a rear facing toddler seat, approved from 9-25kg. It installs with seatbelt and lower tether straps. It is ideal for taller/bigger than average children, for cars without isofix and for fitting 3 across.

The Maxway is made by Britax, a British manufacturer. Since the development of Britax Römer’s first child car seat in 1966, child safety has been their number one priority. For more than 50 years no cost and effort have been spared to provide even more safety for little ones. Today, Britax Römer develops and manufactures child car seats that are made in Britain or Germany.

Volvo have rebranded the Maxway and added their own luxurious charcoal upholstery.  

PRO'S AND CONS OF THE VOLVO MAXWAY

PROS
  • Ideal for cars with long buckle stalks as it does not cause buckle crunch
  • Good safety ratings 
  • Light seat 
  • Narrow & compact 
  • Can often fit 3 across
  • Can install with 3-point seatbelt or 2-point lapbelt
  • Very easy to remove cover 
  • Can be positioned further back to give child more legroom

CONS

  • Need to uninstall seat to adjust recline
  • Volvo do not service their car seats or import spare parts.  
  • Less legroom and more upright for the child when installed compactly

WHAT ARE THE WEIGHT AND HEIGHT LIMITS OF THE VOLVO MAXWAY?

The Volvo Maxway is a rear facing only seat. It is approved from 9kg to 25kg. It has a long backrest, allowing children to rear face up to the age of approx. 5-6 years. The height limits are approximately 65 to 115cm.

It is a compact and comfortable car seat. The Maxway cannot be used forward facing. It is safest for children to rear face as long as possible.

Volvo Maxway height weight limits

WHAT ARE THE SAFETY FEATURES OF THE VOLVO MAXWAY?

The Maxway features deep, protective side wings which act as a protective cocoon that helps absorb the force from a side impact collision.

Volvo Maxway Swedish Plus Test


The seat has a support leg which reduces the downward rotation forces in a crash. It cannot be installed on top of underfloor storage compartments. Furthermore, it has lower tether anchors which reduce rebound forces and ensure a tight installation. The tether straps are installed to the front seat and do not require anchor points. 

The Maxway passes the most stringent crash testing facility; Swedish Plus. ADAC gave it a safety rating of “good” with very low load values in frontal collision and average load values in frontal collision. 

VOLVO Maxway ADAC review

WHAT ARE THE COMFORT FEATURES OF THE VOLVO MAXWAY?

The Maxway is a compact and light seat, making 3 across possible in many sedans, SUVs and even some hatchbacks. 

The Maxway can be installed to give the child more or less legroom. In more compact cars, it can be installed right up against the backrest of the backseat, giving the child less legroom but the adult in front more legroom. Even when installed in the most compact position, children are perfectly comfortable crossing their legs or resting them against the backrest. To give the child more legroom, the Maxway can be installed with the lip hanging over the vehicle seat.

The Maxway has 3-recline settings, with the recommendation of using the more upright settings as your child gets older.

Volvo Maxway Comfort Features

The recline settings are adjustable but fixed; meaning that you have to uninstall the seat to adjust the recline setting. However, this only really needs to be done once a year as your child gets older. The Maxway does look rather upright, but it can be reclined further by tethering it before tightening the seatbelt.

I note that ADAC scores it down for impaired view out the window, but I find that It sits fairly high up on the vehicle bench, so children should be able to see out of the window in most cars. ADAC also rate the Britax Maxway down for hard padding, but the Volvo padding is decent and comfortable.  The headrest and 5-point harness are integrated, making it very easy to adjust the height.

HOW IS THE VOLVO MAXWAY INSTALLED?

The Maxway installs with the vehicle’s 3-point seatbelt or 2-point lapbelt. This makes it a very versatile seat and can often accommodate 3-across. It can also be installed in older cars that do not have full seatbelts. It does not require isofix to install. 

In addition, it has 2 lower tether straps which prevents the seat from rebounding in a crash. Volvo cars have lower tether anchors, but in other cars the tethers can be installed under the front runner rail or through the front seat. No additional tether anchors are required to install the tether straps.  

The Maxway is light, so easy enough to move between cars. But it does take some time to install the tethers and tighten the seatbelt. Volvo maxway tethers can be purchased for a second vehicle if you need to move it between cars often. 

Once it is installed properly, it is very secure. The seatbelt is routed through the front of the seat, so it does not get in the way when putting your little one in or out the car. 

It has a support leg, to reduce downward forces in a crash. This means it cannot be installed in cars with underfloor storage compartments. Please contact us if your car has underfloor storage compartments so we can check if your vehicle is compatible. 

See the video below on how to install the Maxway:

HOW TO REMOVE AND WASH THE MAXWAY COVERS:

The covers are very easy and quick to remove, and does not require the seat to be uninstalled to do so. The covers are machine washable.

HOW LONG CAN MAXWAY CAR SEATS BE USED FOR?

Britax recommends that their harnessed car seats not be used for longer than 7 years from date of first use, provided it has not been in a crash. 

WHAT IS THE WARRANTY ON THE MAXWAY?

The warranty is 1 year on the Volvo Maxway excluding wear and tear on the textiles. Volvo will replace the seat if there are proven manufacturing defects. But they are unable to import any spare parts or perform any repairs. This would need to be dealt with via Britax directly, who cannot export to South Africa. So unless you know someone in the UK who is prepared to ship it here for you, you may be in a bind if your Maxway needs spare parts.

IS THE MAXWAY COMPATIBLE WITH MY CAR?

In order to install the Volvo Maxway, it requires a full 3-point seatbelt or a 2-point lapbelt. It also needs the tethers to attach either under the front runner rails or through the seat bite. A rear facing car seat must never be installed in front of an active airbag. 

Click here to check if your car is on the approved fit list: Volvo Maxway Fit List

Not all cars sold in SA will be found on European fitlists. Please contact us if your car is not on the approved fit list.

WHAT ARE THE DIMENSIONS OF THE MAXWAY?

The Maxway weighs 7kg.  It measures 64cm in Height 45cm in width and has a depth of 64cm.

Volvo Maxway Car Seat Dimensions

OUR VERDICT

The Volvo Maxway is a fantastic, compact and versatile seat. This is my go-to seat when fitting 3 across or installing in small cars without isofix. It is ideal for bigger than average children who are likely to outgrow other toddler seats (18kg/105cm) before they are old enough to move to a booster. It gets good safety ratings and is easy enough to install once you've had some practice. We have one in my sedan to fit 3 cars, and have found it to be a practical seat that is is comfortable for my child and easy for me to clean. 

Our Products

Precious Cargo is a proud distributor of Volvo products in South Africa. Feel free to contact us for more information or to arrange a fitting. 

Hauck Varioguard Plus Sale South Africa


Volvo Maxway




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2 comments

  • Hi nadine. The Etios is not on the approved fit list but I don’t think it is sold in Europe. The Maxway will install in any car with 3-point or 2-point lapbelt, and no underfloor storage compartment.

    Precious Cargo on
  • Hello, will it fit in a Toyota etios?

    Nadine pienaar on

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