Britax Römer EVOLVA 1-2-3 SL SICT Car Seat Review

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When I bought our previous car seat I’ll admit that I didn’t really know what I was doing. I didn’t really know what I should be looking for and I didn’t know what was good and what wasn’t. I ended up buying a car seat that wasn’t really that great for Erin. Every time she would fall asleep her head would fall forward and nothing I did would stop that from happening. That surely wasn’t very comfortable or safe for her. So, I had been looking at getting a new car seat for a while, especially as Erin is now nearly 3 and sometimes going on longer journeys. The Britax Römer EVOLVA 1-2-3 SL SICT immediately stood out to me and I was so excited when ours arrived, with thanks to Britax Römer.

The Britax Römer EVOLVA 1-2-3 SL SICT comes in 7 different colours and retails at roughly £160-£180 (correct as of July 2018). The seat is suitable for children aged 9 months to 12 years, weighing 9 to 36 kg. The seat can be installed using the Soft-Latch ISOFIX and the car’s seat belt, or just the seat belt if the car you’re in isn’t equipped for ISOFIX.

There are 2 Soft-Latch ISOFIX connectors that need attaching to the car and the great thing about these is that they are super easy to attach thanks to the way they work. After each Soft-Latch ISOFIX connector is attached (these can be done 1 at a time) you then just pull the adjuster straps on both sides to tighten the ISOFIX attachment installation. The straps are convenient houses in the sides of the car seat ad hidden away when they’re not being used.

Speaking of installing the car seat, I found this one really easy to get fitted. Britax supply quite a few different instruction manuals in various languages but the instructions are also on both sides of the seat. I think this is a great idea because sometimes family members looking after your child might use the car seat too and this means anyone can install the seat easily and more importantly, safely.

Another safety feature that the EVOLVA has is SICT (Side Impact Cushion Technology). On either side of the seat you’ll find 2 great circles which can be unwound. You only need to unwind the one on the side nearest to the window. If your car is in an accident and it is a side collision, the SICT reduces the impact on the seat as it minimises the space between the seat and the car. It takes 2 seconds to use this feature of the seat and it could make such a big difference in an accident.

One of the problems I had with our previous car seat was the 5 point harness. I never knew if I had it fitted correctly and for all I knew, it could have been too loose or too tight. Erin certainly wasn’t very comfortable sometimes but there was no real way of knowing. One of the reasons I was drawn to the Britax Römer EVOLVA 1-2-3 SL SICT was the 5 point harness and the CLICK & SAFE® audible harness system.

The seat has a button just in front of the 5 point harness which allows you to loosen the straps. This makes it possible to get your child seated comfortably and easily. There is a long, grey strap which hangs down in front of the car seat and this is what you use to tighten the harness. As you pull the strap, the harness will be tightened and you will actually hear it click as soon as your child is harnessed correctly. The harness also has performance chest pads which minimise movement if you should get in an accident. Britax have safety in mind in so many ways with this car seat.

Another couple of features are the adjustable headrest, fully removable machine washable covers and a recline! The recline needs to be set before installing the car seat and this cannot be changed one fitted. Obviously, you can change this between journeys though. Having the recline really helps Erin’s issue with her head flopping and I’ve found she’s much more comfortable because of this.

We are so happy with the Britax Römer EVOLVA 1-2-3 SL SICT. It has so many different safety features and Erin loves being in it. Please note that you should check if a car seat is compatible with your car. Britax recommend you have an installation test before buying a car seat. You can find the Britax Fit Finder here!