According to a recent survey by Child Seat Safety – the independent advisors to the UK car seat industry – despite parents being advised to keep children rear-facing up to the age of four, only 26 per cent of parents were found to do this.

The survey of 2,000 car seats was carried out to specifically analyse the direction of all car seats for children aged four and under, with 74 per cent of parents going against the current advice.

But is this surprising? The current UK law states that your child can use a forward-facing child car seat when they’re over 15-months-old, so any time after that – while it’s not the safest way to travel – is not technically illegal.

Most parents will almost certainly be counting down until they can switch their baby’s car rearward facing seat around, as a lot of babies hate facing backwards due to the lack of legroom. This presents a moral dilemma for many parents, who know “what’s best” safety-wise, but equally want their child to be comfortable.

What if we were to tell you then, that German parenting brand Cybex has masterminded an alternative? The anoris T i-size is a new forward-facing car seat using full body airbag technology and has just been crowned “the safest car seat ever made” by the independent European Child Safety Testing organisation, ADAC… even beating rear-facing models.

On paper, it’s a game changer. Set to transform the world of car safety, with vast accolades the anoris was awarded the best child car seat ever tested in its class, according to ADAC. But costing just shy of £600, how did we get on when we put it through its paces?

How we tested

The anoris was our car companion for two weeks, where it received daily use from our 15-month-old tester. To see how it performed on an older child, we also roped in a helpful four year old, too. Here’s what happened when we took it for a spin.

Cybex anoris T i-size car seat, airbag technology, Soho grey

Best: Forward-facing car seat

Ages: From 15-months to around six-years-old

Maximum child weight and height: 21kg, 115cm

Buy now £599.95, Cybex-online.com

Safety

While all parents hope they’ll never need to rely on safety features, the peace of mind is vital. And when it comes to car seats, the anoris has these in bucket loads.

There’s up to 50 per cent higher safety levels, when comparing the anoris to a conventional front-facing car seat where a child is secured using a harness strap, and in a frontal collision, the head thrusts forward. This is thanks to what’s hidden in the impact shield – the chunky belly bar across the front – as the revolutionary airbag inflates within milliseconds, protecting the head, neck and body before the force of collision even reaches them.

We were also impressed by the innovation of the impact shield. Should a collision occur, a “c-shape” inflation forms around the shield, which not only stops the forward motion but reduces abdominal pressure and holds the child securely in place.

As soon as we strapped our 15-month-old in, it felt like his car seat was giving him an all-over hug and he felt so supported. Side-impact protection has been tackled too, as this reduces side-impact force by up to 20 per cent.

Installation and usability

The installation technology is the swishest we’ve seen (just remember to remove the battery protection label first). The first step is to ensure the L.S.P – linear side impact protection – which is akin to mini wings, are fully out. Fold out the load leg until it locks into place, push the ISOFIX into your car’s built-in anchorage points and extend the leg until it’s firmly pressed on the floor.

You’ll know you’ve installed it correctly by the extremely useful LED indicators, located on a display at the top of the load leg. Once everything’s where it should be, the light-up points will show in green, or if you’ve got any part wrong in the safety chain, the specific section will light up red.

On first introduction, our 15-month-old tester had a lot to comprehend. He was now facing forward for the first time and had this unfamiliar belly bar to contend with. He’s never been a huge fan of sitting in a car seat, but when it came to buckling up (you can adjust the straps by squeezing the buttons in the centre of the shield and pulling), the impact shield seat belt mechanism was prolific, requiring just one click

He was unsettled but soon calmed down and, testament to the seat, nodded off. And our little tester seemed to get more familiar with it during the two weeks of testing.

In terms of care and maintenance, the covers are fully removable and washable at 30 degrees and can be dried on the line.

Comfort

The fabric is super plush and soft on delicate skin. Because of the closeness of the impact shield, we did find our little tester got rather hot and clammy after an hour in the car. However, testing did take place in the height of summer, and we’ve been informed a summer cover will soon be available to buy.

Because rear-facing travel often means a cramped sitting position, with the anoris kids have more room to stretch. This didn’t make too much difference to our petite baby tester, but was evident when we let our four-year older reviewer take it for a spin. She described the car seat as giving her a “cuddle”, and gave it a big thumbs up. There are three recline positions, which are easily adjusted at the bottom of the seat, and the headrest is adjusted at the top – both intuitive to use.

Design

Okay, car seats aren’t known for their good looks, but the anoris is rather attractive. It boasts a sporty style with stitched lines across the back and silver accents. We opted for the “Soho grey” colourway, but there are more daring colours available. It looks so smart against our car interior and it’s less bulky than most car seats that are designed to cover this age group.

We really appreciated being able to check on our tester using the rear-view mirror, and likewise he seemed to welcome being able to see us in the front. This isn’t possible when they’re rear-facing, and it did feel particularly reassuring when on the move.

It’s great that this car seat sees you from 15-months to around six-years-old, as most car seats will need upgrading by the time you reach four-years, so in some ways, you’ll get an extra two years of use. Having said that, it will depend on what you’ve opted for from birth.

The verdict: Cybex anoris car seat

They say you can’t put a price on your child’s safety, although this superlative option from Cybex is what you’ll get for £600. We can’t deny it’s a considerable price tag, but if you break it down, it’ll cost you just over £10.50 per month and we think it’s worth its weight in gold.

It’s revolutionary, safe and comfortable, which is what parents need when travelling with precious cargo. We believe the anoris is the linchpin in the latest car seat revolution.

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