CYBEX Cloud Z i-Size Car Seat wins Which? Best Buy

Our friends at CYBEX just keep getting better and better! We are so excited to announce that they recently won the Which? award for ‘Best Buy’ with the CYBEX Cloud Z i-Size car seat. After rigorous testing and meeting specific criteria the Cloud Z passed with flying colours to be awarded this prestigious award.

The Which? ‘Best Buy’ is given to products which have exceeded specific criteria based on the results of rigorous comparative tests and analysis carried out by Which? experts. ‘Best Buy’ car seats perform best in the Which? crash tests and are considered the easiest to use and install.

But what exactly makes the CYEBX Cloud Z i-Size car seat this amazing, and what does this award actually mean? Let's take a closer look. Below is the full review from the expert team at Which? who awarded this car seat the 'Best Buy'.

Impressive crash results

The CYBEX Cloud Z i-Size is compatible with the CYBEX Base Z and it has a 180-degree swivel to help you get your baby in the seat. It's quite a pricey package, but on paper it's a feature-packed seat with added side-protection and SensorSafe that will let you know if your baby becomes unbuckled while the car is running or if your child is too hot or too cold.

The CYBEX Cloud Z i-Size with Base Z is a Best Buy and it has impressive crash test results. It's a high-quality baby car seat that joins a growing list of CYBEX car seats that have been named Which? Best Buys. Although it's quite an investment, it provides a very good level of overall crash test protection, plus you can also use this car seat in a flatter position when on a pushchair. You must make sure to push the seat back into the more upright position when used in a car though.

What is it?

The Cloud Z i-Size + Base Z is a rearward-facing car seat approved for use with babies from 45cm to 87cm tall, which is from birth up to about 18 months old, but the weight limit is 13kg so watch out if your baby is bigger than average.

It can be installed in your car by two methods - either with the CYBEX Base Z Isofix base with support leg, or with the car's adult seat belt. For it to be truly classed as i-Size it needs to be used with the Base Z, which can also be used with Sirona Z car seats.

If you plan to use the support leg, check it's compatible with your car as it can be used in vehicles with underfloor storage.

There's an 11 position headrest height adjustment, which automatically moves the harness at the same time, to help get a better fit for your growing baby. It has a padded insert for use with younger babies; as they grow, this can be removed to make more room.

The seat can swivel 180 degrees to put less strain on your back when putting your child in the seat and removing them. It also comes with a foldaway UVP50+ canopy to provide protection from the sun and wind.

Its travel system compatible with a range of CYBEX and GB pushchairs and it's available in a wide range of colours including black, grey, dark blue, sand and red.

How safe is it?

Which? use state-of-the-art crash test dummies that record the forces of the crash on key parts of the bodies. They also crash test each car seat several times in the different formats it can be used in, and then combine the scores to work out an overall worst-case scenario score.

Overall this car seat gets a good four-star safety rating and a total test score of 77%. When used with the Isofix base the score drops to 76% and it gets a good four-star overall safety rating. It gets a good four-star rating for front-impact protection and an excellent five-star rating for side-impact crash protection.

This seat can also be used without the base, belted straight into the back of the car. In this format it gets a total test score of 79% and an excellent five-star overall safety rating. It also has a very low injury risk as it gets an excellent five-star rating for front and side-impact crash protection.

When used with the base the seat is secure in the car, and it's easy to buckle your baby into the seat, too, and adjust the harness so it fits them securely.

This seat has added side-impact protection, but you must remember to fold out the side shield that's nearest the car door to provide the highest level of protection in a collision.

Is it easy to fit?

Installation and fitting checks were carried out by car seat experts with many years' experience. They carry out more than 500 fitting and installation checks on all the car seats we test. Plus, Which? use parents and children, which help their experts identify the potential risks that parents may have when trying to fit a child car seat.

At 5.1kg it's a fairly light seat to carry around, and it's easy to install and the instructions and warnings are very easy to understand. A green indicator shows when the support leg is correctly engaged.

It doesn't take up excessive room in your car, so you won't need to worry about it impinging on the passenger in the seat in front.

Is the seat comfortable?

Yes, there's a good amount of space for your baby in this car seat and it has lots of padding, as well as good leg support.

It comes with an inlay for newborns which is padded to make the seat more comfortable, and can be removed when your baby grows.

The seat comes with a harness to hold your little one in, which is done up with a buckle. The harness is tightened by a single adjuster strap.

Is there anything I should watch out for?

Which? are continually evolving their tests to help influence the car-seat standards and help to keep babies and children safer. Which? recently changed their test programme in 2011 and 2015. Results aren't directly comparable between changes.

For more information, visit Which? website to see how they test car seats page.

Please remember that car seats don't always fit in all cars, so it's vital you check how well this model fits in all the cars you'll be using before you buy. Either check the car-seat manufacturer fitting list, or contact your car manufacturer for specific information.

Is there anything else I should know?

When purchasing this car seat, it's possible to also buy a SensorSafe (for an additional cost). This is a device that's attached to the harness and connected to a mobile phone via Bluetooth. It will alert you on a range of things including whether the harness has become unbuckled, the ambient temperature and if your child is left in the car unattended.

The seat cover is machine washable, but it's not very easy to remove.

Should I buy it?

Yes, this Best Buy rearward-facing car seat will provide a good level of protection in front- and side-impact crashes.

 Shop the CYBEX Cloud Z i-Size car seat here >>