The Best Convertible Car Seats Under $250, According to a CPST

According to Babylist’s Best Baby Products survey, parents name Graco as their favorite convertible car seat brand and call out the Extend2Fit as their top pick among this car seat maker’s many models. As a CPST, I’ve tested and installed more car seats than I can count, and the Extend2Fit consistently ranks as one of the best. “My favorite convertible under $250 is by far the Extend2Fit,” agrees Kimminau.

The Extend2Fit has three things going for it: a high rear-facing weight limit, ease of install and fit. This convertible seat allows kids to rear-face until 50 pounds, an important feature since research shows that rear-facing is the safer way for babies and young children to ride. “The Extend2Fit is one of the only affordable car seats with this 50-pound rear-facing limit,” explains Kimminau. As its name implies, the seat has an extendable footrest panel to give your child more leg room. “The footrest extension gives so much peace of mind as [my daughter] will be able to comfortably sit rear-facing for longer,” one parent noted in the Best Baby Products survey.

The Extend2Fit also shines in both ease of installation and fit. It’s quick and simple to install using LATCH (the anchors and tether system found in any vehicle made after September 2002), and a bit trickier to install using the vehicle seat belt, but “not too hard,” says Kimminau. And the seat fits well in almost any type of vehicle. “Because it can sit almost upright when rear-facing, taller parents or parents with smaller cars can still get a good fit,” she says.

The main downside of this seat is its width. Because Graco requires the cup holders to be attached, it adds to the seat’s width, so it’s not a good choice if you’re looking for more room in your back seat or need to install three seats across. The Extend2Fit is also not a great choice if you need to forward-face your child before they reach 40 pounds thanks to a strange rule that requires the seat to be at a specific incline setting, resulting in an install that’s almost impossible to get right. And some parents comment that the straps can be tough to tighten.

If you don’t mind spending a bit more, check out the all-in-one version of this seat, the Graco Extend2Fit 3-in-1. It works in rear-facing, forward-facing and high-back booster mode and still comes in at just under $250.

Additional Specs

• Child Guidelines: Rear-facing: 4-50 lbs, up to 49”; forward-facing: 22-65 lbs, up to 49”

• Product Weight: 19.3 lbs

Parents often ask me for a travel-friendly convertible car seat recommendation. That’s because once your child outgrows their infant car seat, it becomes tougher to get around with your baby or toddler in tow. (Unlike infant car seats that are fairly light and portable and often click into a stroller, convertibles are heavy, bulky and designed to be installed in a vehicle and stay there.) My answer is almost always the Cosco Scenera Next. While it doesn’t attach to a stroller—99% of convertible car seats don’t—it’s lightweight, easy to use and extremely affordable.

“The Scenera is super lightweight and makes a great seat for travel with toddlers who have outgrown their infant seat,” echoes Kimminau. At just about eight pounds, it’s much lighter than the average convertible seat, making it a great option for city families who regularly rely on taxis or rideshares. It’s also FAA-approved so you can take it along on your next plane trip to keep your little one safe and secure onboard. (Yes, your baby should use a car seat on a plane, according to both the FAA and the AAP.)

And the price? It’s truly unbeatable. For the same cost as a few weeks of Starbucks, you can buy a car seat that’s sturdy, safe and easy to clean. The Next features side-impact protection and a slim profile (three-across works in most vehicles) as well as an adjustable five-point harness and a removable cup holder.

You can install the Scenera Next using either your vehicle’s seat belt or LATCH system, but note that if you’re using the seat belt it does take a bit of practice. (The brand’s installation video is really helpful.) You’ll also need to rethread the harness as your child grows in order to adjust the height of the straps. And while the seat has a 40-pound weight limit, it’s only safe for kids up to 40 inches rear-facing and 43 inches forward-facing—so your child is much more likely to outgrow it by height long before they reach the weight maximum.

Additional Specs

• Child Guidelines: Rear-facing: 5-50 lbs, 19-40”; forward-facing: 30-40 lbs, 34.4-43”

• Product Weight: 7.8 lbs

Travel doesn’t stop as your little one grows—and the Sonus 65 is a solid affordable option for when that happens. “It’s my top pick for a travel car seat for kids over two-and-a-half to three years old, since most kids outgrow the Cosco Scenera Next around that age,” says Kimminau. Because of its light weight, it’s also a good choice if you need a convertible car seat to switch between cars easily.

The Sonus weighs about 11 pounds, only a few pounds heavier than the Scenera Next. But what you gain in weight you’ll also gain in longevity; you can use this seat until your little one reaches 65 pounds or 50 inches, as opposed to the Next which maxes out at 40 pounds and 43 inches.

The Sonus is a fairly narrow seat, so it won’t take up much room across your back seat and can be used three-across. There’s also a built-in ventilation system, a nice perk at this price point, plus a reinforced frame and five shoulder strap positions. And thirsty kiddos rejoice: there are two cupholders.

The two biggest downsides of this seat are the crotch buckle—parents say it’s wide and can be uncomfortable for some kids—and the straps, which twist easily and can sometimes be tough to tighten.

Additional Specs

• Child Guidelines: Rear-facing: 5-40 lbs, up to 40”; forward-facing: 22-65 lbs, up to 50”

• Product Weight: 11.3 lbs

All-in-one car seats—convertible car seats that work from day one through the elementary school years—can save you time and effort. But most are fairly pricey. Graco’s TrioGrow is an exception, coming in at well under $200. “This convertible car seat is a fantastic all-in-one option for an amazing price,” says Kimminau.

As the name suggests, the TrioGrow has three stages: rear-facing harness, forward-facing harness and high-back booster. That means you’ll be able to use it with an infant, a toddler and a big kid, up to 100 pounds and 57 inches.

And because of the seat’s SnugLock technology, it’s super simple to install. “It has a lock-off [a built-in clamp that locks the seat belt into place] that allows you to get a tight installation every time with very little effort,” explains Kimminau. I always prefer a seat with a lock-off over one that doesn’t have one. It takes much of the guesswork out of installation and ensures that the seat doesn’t budge over time. And a correctly installed car seat equals a safe car seat.

One thing to note about this seat is that the cupholders are required—you can’t remove them even if you don’t want to use them, because the manual specifies they need to be attached while the seat is in use, so it’s on the wider side, and some parents say the straps are tough to tighten and loosen.

Additional Specs

• Child Guidelines: Rear-facing harness: 5–40 lbs, head must be at least 1” below handle; forward-facing harness: 22-65 lbs, up to 49”; high-back booster: 40-100 lbs, 43-57”, at least 4 yrs old

• Product Weight: 21.5 lbs

If you’re in the market for an affordable convertible car seat that will fit three across or just prefer a slimmer profile seat, the Diono Radian 3R should be on your list. “Dionos are well known for being some of the first car seats to work three across in most vehicles,” explains Kimminau. This is ideal if you’re transporting multiple kids in your back seat.

There are a few unique features to know about this well priced seat. Safety-wise, there’s a steel-reinforced frame, an uncommon feature for car seats at this price point. It’s also an all-in-one design, so you’ll be able to use it from infancy through the big kid years up to 120 pounds. It has removable, machine-washable seat covers and a high rear-facing weight limit of 50 pounds. And it folds for travel.

There are a few downsides, though. The lower height limit in forward-facing harness mode means that “many kids outgrow the seat forward-facing before they’re fully ready to transition to a booster seat,” says Kimminau. (CPST pro tip: your kiddo isn’t booster ready until they max out their forward-facing seat, meet the height and weight requirements of a booster seat and are mature enough to sit properly 100% of the time.) It’s also one of the trickier seats to install, especially when rear-facing and trying to get the correct recline angle. And while it does fold for travel, it’s really heavy, weighing in at nearly 30 pounds.

Additional Specs

• Child Guidelines: Rear-facing harness: 4–50 lbs, up to 44.1”; forward-facing: 22-120 lbs, up to 57.1”

• Product Weight: 29.3 lbs

Sooo this seat is technically over our $250 limit by about fifty bucks. But! It’s by far the best affordable rotating convertible car seat on the market, so we think it deserves a spot on our list. (And remember to look out for a sale 👀!)

Joie is a newcomer to the US market (but a well-known entity across the pond), and the Chili Spin is their take on the rotating car seat. Rotating car seats hit the scene a few years back and have been growing steadily in popularity ever since. They swivel at the base, making it easy to get your little one out in and out of the car. The rotation feature is particularly useful when you have a rear-facing toddler; I’ve been exclusively using one for about two years now and I can’t imagine ever going back.

The Chili Spin is an impressive seat all around, but even more so when you consider the price point. Installation takes under a minute and is really secure thanks to the lock-off panel. The rotation activators are large, well-positioned and easy to reach. It’s fairly compact front-to-back, with good recline options, so it fits well in most vehicles. There’s an anti-rebound bar built into the base and side-impact protection. And overall the seat looks and feels like something much more expensive than its $300 price tag.

The one big downside of this seat is that you do need to uninstall and reinstall it when you make the switch from rear- to forward-facing. Since installation is quick and easy, it’s not a huge deal, but it is something to note so you don’t forget about it when the time comes. I also found the shoulder pads on the harness to be stiff and oversized. The good news is they’re optional once your baby hits 22 pounds and must be removed when you’re using the seat with a child who’s between 40 and 65 pounds.

Additional Specs

• Child Guidelines: Rear-facing: 4–40 lbs, up to 49”; forward-facing: 30-65 lbs, up to 49”

• Product Weight: 26.6 lbs