Britax Advansafix III SICT review

B Loves: Adjustable from nine months right up to eleven years and keeps your child super safe

This seat is a Group 1, 2 and 3 forward facing car seat which means that it will fit your child from 9kg (around nine months) up to around 36kg which means that it will fit your child up to around 11 years of age – when they should no longer need a car seat as long as they are not very small or short. It is a fairly heavy seat, though you’ll probably only need to install it once rather than taking it in and out of the car and this reflects its strength and durability.

Also, unlike some Group 1,2, 3 seats, it has a fairly narrow profile, so is easy to put in with other passengers or car seats. It has three recline positions, so it’s easy to find a position to suit your child, whether awake or asleep and you can adjust it from the front, so there’s no need to wake a child that has dropped off on the journey. Remember never to try to do this while driving. It adjusts as your child grows and will give you peace of mind while saving you money in the long term. It also acts as a high-backed booster to keep your child safer from side impact right up to 11 years.

As your child grows, you can adjust the headrest so that it is always at the correct height for your child and so that the headrest’s padded wings are always in the correct position to protect your child’s head.

The seat looks and feel strong and sturdy and yet there’s plenty pf padding to make sure your child is always comfortable. The seat fabric is also relatively soft and it can be removed for washing.

The Advansafix III SICT has an integral five-point harness that holds your child safely in the car from 9kg until they reach 18kg. After that point, the harness can be removed and the child is held in the seat using the car’s lap and diagonal seat belt, held in the correct position across your child by the SecureGuard belt routings.

Place your child in the seat and clip the harness together – you have to hold the two upper parts of the buckle together before slipping them into the clip. Then make sure that you pull the harness tight around your child, using the one-pull harness adjustment that is found on the lower part of the seat between your child’s legs. You must ensure that the belt is tight – you should only be able to slip two fingers between your child’s chest and the harness. Don’t put your child in the seat in a padded jacket or snowsuit, as this can be dangerous.

One great feature of the seat is the Secureguard routing, well indicated with their red plastic, which ensures that the belt is held correctly across your child’s chest and pelvis when you are using the seat with the car’s belt. This is crucial, as if there were to an accident, a belt that had ridden up to the child’s neck or stomach can cause more severe injuries than it would do if in a correct position. This helps if your child has slouched or fallen asleep. There’s also the Britax Romer Pivot Link System, another safety device that will send the force of an impact downwards into the car’s seat and hen forwards. This helps to reduce head and neck injuries. The chest pads also spread the force of an impact and are not just there for comfort but are an integral part of the seat’s safety.

You should have a good read of the instruction leaflet before installing the seat so that you are familiar with all the steps you need to take. There’s also a handy QR code on the seat – scan it with your phone and you’ll find a handy installation video, which is also available on Britax’s website. This is a great move by the company and very handy, because as this seat will usually stay in your car, you may have forgotten how to install it when you take it out to move to another car or to adapt it as your child grows – particularly when you remove the internal harness once your child passes 18kg. There are separate videos for fitting into the car in its Group 1 mode and another in Group 2/3 mode. Finally, there’s one showing you hop to remove the internal harness.

The seat is secured in your car using the Isofix prongs, which pop out from the bottom of the rear of the seat. You should also at this point take the top tether – and additional fixing point that looks like a seat belt- from the pouch on the back of the seat. Click the prongs into the Isofix points on your car’s seat – ask your dealer if you’re not sure where these are – and push gently but firmly until the indicators turn green. Then the top tether is passed over the top of the car’s seat and clipped to the top tether ring on the seat. Tighten this until the indicator turns green. The same fitting method is used when the seat is in its Group 2/3 mode, with the exception of the top tether.

Read our feature on all you need to know about ISOFIX

Next, you can add the superior side impact protection to the side that is nearest the car’s door. Don’t forget to swap it over if you move the seat to the other side of the car!

It comes in seven stylish colours – favourites would be the classic black and grey, which would look great in any car though we also love the Green Marble and Mineral Purple options. There are some additional extras you can buy too, which will help you keep the seat – and the car – looking good for longer. Choose from the summer cover or the thermos cover depending on the season and protect your seat with one of two protectors. As the seat will remain in use for several years, we’d suggest buying a few extra covers now.

Use Britax’s handy Fit Finder to see if this model will fit your car, or visit one of Britax’s free trained installation engineers.

The small print

• Used from: Birth to 36 kg
• Weight: 11 kg
• Fitting: with Isofix and top tether (9-18kg) and with 3-point seatbelt (18-36kg)