Written By Julie Monson
Occupational Therapist & Certified Car Seat Technician
In February 2024, I had the privilege of being invited by Cybex to their state-of-the-art headquarters in Germany. From watching live sled tests in their cutting-edge crash lab to soaking up insider wisdom during an intensive Master Class led by Cybex’s own car-seat engineers, the trip offered a rare, behind-the-scenes look at how world-class safety testing is conducted. This experience left me awestruck at the extent of research, development and testing that is conducted to ensure that their car seats offer the highest levels of safety.
When it comes to choosing the safest car seat for your child, understanding the different types of crash tests is essential. Mandatory R44/04 and R129 tests, are required by law in countries that follow European regulations (like South Africa) to ensure car seats meet minimum safety standards. However, these tests do not necessarily represent the full picture of a car seat's performance in real-world conditions.
The results of mandatory R44/04 and R129 crash tests are not made public, leaving parents in the dark about how well a particular car seat performed in these tests. While recent updates to R129 regulations have improved safety standards and made it a more robust measure compared to the older R44/04, it is important to note that some R129-approved car seats haven’t fared well in additional independent crash tests and have later been recalled off the market due to safety concerns. Organizations such as ADAC, Stiftung Warentest, and Plus Test conduct additional testing that goes beyond the minimum regulatory requirements, providing a deeper insight into how a car seat performs under more rigorous and real-world crash conditions. This highlights the importance of considering both regulatory approval and independent testing when choosing a car seat for your child.
In this blog, we'll explore the key differences between mandatory crash testing and independent assessments, helping you make an informed decision when selecting the best car seat for your child.
WHAT IS MANDATORY CRASH TESTING?
Mandatory crash testing refers to tests required by law to ensure car seats meet safety basic standards set by regulatory authorities. Before a car seat is allowed to be sold on the market, it must first pass the legal requirements of either UN R129/i-Size or the older ECE R44/04in an accredited test laboratory. These tests are carried out in accredited laboratories in Western Europe. Although these labs are independent of the manufacturers, their work is mandated by law and overseen by national approval authorities. In other words, they deliver the baseline pass/fail certification that allows a seat onto the market.
In South Africa, we follow European car seat regulations. All car seats sold legitimately here need to pass either the discontinued R44/04 regulation or the new R129 regulation. You will find an orange ECE sticker on your car seat to confirm that the car seat complies with the basic safety requirements as set out in the European safety standard.
However, this is not a foolproof check, as we still find fake car seats that have fake orange stickers on the market.
Car seats have to be approved by the NRCS in order to be sold legally in South Africa. No crash testing is done in South Africa; the paperwork is just checked to ensure the car seat has the relevant documentation. The NRCS publishes a list of all the car seats that had been homologated. It doesn't get updated online very often unfortunately, so doesn't always show the most recently added car seats. You can view the homologated list here
The ECE results are not published, and the public have no way of knowing how these car seats performed during crash testing; whether they scraped through or exceeded the testing criteria.
ECE R44/04 CRASH TESTING (discontinued since 2023)
The ECE R44/04 regulation was introduced in Europe 2005. R44/04 remained in effect until 2023. Since 2013, it was gradually phased out and was replaced by the newer R129 (i-Size) regulation. As of 2023, car seats that comply with R44/04 are no longer allowed to be sold or manufactured in Europe. From this point forward, new child car seats must meet the R129 (i-Size) regulation to be legally sold in the European Union. This transition was part of a broader effort to improve child car seat safety standards.
There are still many R44/04 approved car seats available in South Africa. They are still legal to use and sell. However, these models have all been discontinued in Europe and will soon no longer be available.
Under Regulations ECE R44/04, car seats must:
- Pass a frontal collision testing at a speed of 50km/h
- Pass a rear impact collision testing at 30km/h.
- Allow rear facing to a minimum of 9kg
- Be installed with isofix or seatbelt
- Classified only by weight
UN 129 CRASH TESTING:
In Europe the new legislation, UN R129, was passed in 2013. Car seats manufactured from 2023 onwards must be approved to this new regulation. In addition to R129 car seats being tested for frontal impact collision of 50km/h and rear impact impact collision at 30km/h, they must also pass a side impact collision at 24km/h as well as a rollover test. Having the child remain rear facing until at least 15 months if now mandatory (although still recommended to remain rear facing until 4 years or even longer!). Seats approved under the R129 standard have a defined minimum and maximum weight and height limit. The orange approval sticker on the car seat indicates the weight and height the car seat is approved for.
R129 regulation has been rolled out in phases since it was introduced in 2013. The latest revision of it, UN129/04, was introduced in June 2024 and mainly defined lower tether anchorage installation and extra safety testing for them. Lower tether anchorages are extra connection points to the car, often used by rear facing toddler seats installed with the car belt and approved to higher weight limits of 25kg/36kg.
These amendments to R129 crash testing ensures better protection for babies by encouraging rear facing to a minimum of 15 months, as opposed to the 9kg minimum rear facing limit of R44/04 regulations.
The changes to R129 also improve side impact protection standards on car seats, as well as a rear impact collision for rear facing car seats. Older R44/04 approved car seats did not undergo mandatory side impact testing or rear impact testing.
Furthermore, i-Size aims to improve the compatibility between isofix vehicles and car seats, so that all i-Size car seats will eventually fit all vehicles with isofix.
With i-Size seats being classified by weight AND height, it is easier to choose the correct car seat suitable for your child and there is no guesswork as to when it is outgrown.
IS R129 CRASH APPROVAL AS SAFE AS INDEPENDENT CRASH TESTING?
While the UN R129 standard is a marked improvement from the old R44; adding mandatory side-impact and rollover assessments; it isn’t fool-proof. A handful of seats that earned R129 approval have still failed in tougher, independent evaluations. Watch the video below, where an i-Size-certified seat actually detaches from its base during ADAC’s more demanding crash test.
INDEPENDENT CRASH TESTING
When you see that a car seat is ECE R44 or UN R129/i-Size approved, that only tells you it has passed the minimum safety tests required by law. Those standards are important, but they don’t capture every real-world crash scenario, nor do they compare one seat against another. That is where independent crash testing is so helpful. These organisations push seats far beyond the legal baseline, publish the results for public access, and never accept payment from manufacturers. Below we unpack the two programmes you’ll hear us mention most often at Precious Cargo: ADAC in Germany and the Plus Test in Sweden.
WHAT IS ADAC?
ADAC (Allgemeiner Deutscher Automobil-Club) is an automobile club in Germany that selects car seats for additional, more stringent independent crash testing. Car seat manufacturers do not pay for the testing nor do they volunteer for the testing.
The results are published in German for public access. Since 2015, a new test body and a new side crash test procedure were used by ADAC. The results from 2015 onwards are therefore not directly comparable with pre-2015 results, as the requirements have been slightly improved. Starting in 2020, both the test procedure and the test evaluation were adapted, although the differences are not particularly significant. Therefore, the results are still relevant and reliable.
We have translated the safety reviews and uploaded them into relevant photo albums on Car Seat Support South Africa . If the car seat you are looking for is not listed under the relevant photo album, it has most probably not been independently crash tested. All the infant, toddler and booster seats we sell at Precious Cargo have been independently crash tested and score well for safety.
ADAC ASSESSES CAR SEATS ON 5 POINTS
1) Safety
Frontal impacts at 64km/h and side impacts at 50km/h are done with a four-door vehicle body shell mounted to a test sledge, to mimic a real accident. For a side impact test, the child seats were placed on a test bench, with a vehicle door that penetrates upon impact, following the guidelines of R129. These tests go well beyond the legal minimum standards set by child seat regulations R44 and R129. The crash test results account for 50% of the overall ADAC verdict.
Impact loads are measured on different sized child dummies. Belt routing, size adjustment, seat stability, ergonomics and head support are assessed subjectively.
2) Service/ usability
A child seat is installed in a car for test purposes with the aim of identifying the potential for parents to install it incorrectly. Testing includes ease of buckling up and unstrapping the child/dummy, installation, removal and adjustment of the seat and how user friendly the instruction manual is.
3) Pollutants
Since 2011, all parts that the child comes into contact have been tested for harmful substances. The content of PAHs, phthalates, flame retardants, phenolic compounds, organotin compounds, AZO dyes, and heavy metals is tested and evaluated."
4) Comfort
During the test installation of the seat, ADAC verify’s the leg support, upholstery or uncovered parts and the child’s view out the car.
5) Processing / use
Several testers check the ease of removing the covers, cleaning the seat and assess the quality of the workmanship.
ADAC VERDICT
The overall rating only relates to safety and ease of use, with the lower rating tipping the scale. If a car seat can be used in more than one mode e.g. rear facing and forward facing, it will be assessed in all its modes and only the worst score will be published. They do not average out the rear and forward facing results.
Car seats that are more difficult to install are penalized, especially extended rear facing car seats that require tethering, as this may result in incorrect installation. However, by following the manual, the manufacturer’s installation videos and online support from experts in the field, it is possible to install these seats correctly and safely in most instances. When you purchase through Precious Cargo, you automatically receive a free installation voucher which can be done in-store or online.
The clip below highlights a seat that scored very well in ADAC’s rigorous trials. Note how securely it stays in place compared with the earlier video showing the model that failed.
WHAT IS THE SWEDISH PLUS TEST?
The Plus Test is conducted at the Road Safety Institute in Linköping University, Sweden, by VTI. Car seat manufacturers volunteer to have their car seats undergo the stringent testing conducted by Swedish Plus Test. It is the only test in the world that measures the force load upon the child’s neck in a frontal collision. This is why forward facing car seats will never pass the Swedish Plus Test; the crash forces to the neck are too high when forward facing. Sweden prides itself for having the lowest child mortality rate in the world. This is not surprising as they keep their children rear facing for approximately 5-7 years.
The Plus Test is conducted at the Road Safety Institute in Linköping University, Sweden, by VTI. Car seat manufacturers volunteer to have their car seats undergo the stringent testing conducted by Swedish Plus Test.
Sweden prides itself for having the lowest child mortality rate in the world. This is not surprising as they keep their children rear facing for approximately 5-7 years.
THE SWEDISH PLUS TEST ASSESSES CAR SEATS:
- At a crash speed of 56.5 km/h
- Neck load is carefully assessed by measuring the crash forces applied to the dummy's neck with sensors
- With a very short braking distance, which makes the impact on the car seat brutal. The shorter the braking distance, the more violent the forces become.
Conclusion
In short, always start by making sure the seat bears a genuine ECE approval label. Without it, the product simply hasn’t met the legal minimum for crash protection. Also check if the car seat has been homologated by NRCS and is legal in South Africa. Whenever possible, choose a model certified to the newer UN R129 standard, which goes beyond the older R44 by adding mandatory side-impact and rollover tests that better reflect real-world crashes. Finally, if your budget allows, look for seats that have also been put through independent programmes such as ADAC or Plus Test as their tougher scoring systems reveal meaningful performance differences and give parents the extra peace of mind that their chosen seat doesn’t just meet the minimum legal criteria, but that it excels at keeping children safe.
4) https://www.vti.se/en/services/laboratory-and-testing/crash-safety-testing/child-restraint-systems#:~:text=child%20restraint%20systems.-,Plus%20Test,and%20representatives%20of%20CRS%20manufacturers.