ADAC - What Does it Mean?
Here at Natural Baby Shower, we place top priority on safety. Our car seat brands go through rigorous testing to ensure little ones are provided with the best possible protection in the real world of car travel.
For the car seat newbies, there are many tests and laws that child car seats will go through. One that is definitely worth your attention is 'ADAC'. This tests the safety of car seats to standards that far exceed the standard EU regulations.
We've explained the jargon that is car seat testing and translated all the results of this year's rigorous ADAC test to help you decide on your perfect car seat...
What does ADAC stand for?
ADAC stands for The Allgemeiner Deutscher Automobil-club - catchy name we know! It was founded in 1903 in Germany, and is an organisation that tests everything to do with car safety - including children's car seats.
ADAC has its own state of the art technology facility, where each year it puts a vast variety of car seats on the market through rigorous car safety tests. All ADAC tests are also published in consumer magazines such as “Which?”.
3 Main Criteria for ADAC Car Seat Tests:
- Safety (50%)
- Operations (40%)
- Ergonomics (10%)
This means not only is the safety of the seat measured but also the ease of use for parent, comfort for your little one and that all important installation.
ADAC strives to mimic reality as much as possible in its tests by measuring impact in a real car-chassis instead of a test sled and by using the advanced "Q series" test-dummies which have more sensors than the ones used in regulation tests. These "Q" dummies are able to collect more data for optimal analysis of the tested seats.
In general, all car seats made are tested to either R44 or R129 (i-Size) regulations, however ADAC test seats even more rigorously than these standards, so you, as a parent, can see which car seats have really gone above and beyond to ensure a child’s safety.
Standard tests measure collisions at 50km/h whereas ADAC tests frontal collisions at 64km/h and side collisions at 50km/h to really put the car seats through their paces.
What's more, ADAC also check how well-maintained the fabric is so you don’t have any harmful or toxic substances near little one.
What do the ratings mean?
To help you find the perfect car seat, ADAC have divided its ratings into five categories. The lower the score, the higher the safety rating.
It is worth noting that not all car seats are chosen to be tested by the ADAC. So, if you are looking at a car seat that does not have an ADAC score, it doesn't mean they are not safe.
Our ADAC car seats
Let's meet some of the car seats here at Natural Baby Shower that have been awarded with ADAC scores...
Spring 2024 Results
Nuna PIPA URBN i-Size Infant Carrier
Overall score: GOOD 1.6
Maxi-Cosi Mica 360 Pro Car Seat
Overall score: GOOD 2.2
Maxi-Cosi RodiFix Pro2 i-Size Car Seat
Overall score: GOOD 2.1
CYBEX Cloud G i-Size Rotating Baby Car Seat
Overall score: GOOD 1.8
Overall score: GOOD 2.2
Check out our car seat collection for a full list of ADAC approved models. Plus, discover our car seat buying guide for more information on how to pick the perfect car seat for your family.
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