For years, the fundamental design of convertible car seats remained largely unchanged. They were installed either rear-facing or forward-facing and stayed fixed in that position. However, the landscape of car seat technology has recently evolved with the introduction of rotating car seats, also known as swivel car seats. These innovative models offer a unique feature: the ability to rotate.
The core concept behind rotating car seats is to enhance convenience for caregivers. Imagine effortlessly swiveling the car seat towards the car door to comfortably place your child inside, especially when dealing with a wiggly or reluctant little one. Once your child is secure, the seat smoothly rotates back to the rear-facing or forward-facing position for safe travel. Similarly, upon arrival, rotating the seat towards the door again simplifies the process of taking your child out of the car.
While the promise of easier child loading and unloading is undeniably appealing, our hands-on experience testing four different rotating car seats has revealed a more complex reality. We’ve found these seats can be more intricate, less straightforward to install, and potentially more prone to issues compared to their conventional counterparts. Furthermore, rotating car seats often come with a significantly higher price tag and tend to be heavier than standard convertible seats from the same brands.
The Allure of Simplified In-and-Out
Every parent knows the struggle of properly buckling a squirming baby or toddler into a car seat. The transition from an infant car seat to a rear-facing convertible car seat can exacerbate this challenge, particularly in tighter vehicle spaces. Lifting your child into the seat and maneuvering buckles can become a cramped and frustrating task. While some exceptional convertible car seats, such as the Graco Extend2Fit Convertible and the Clek Foonf, mitigate this issue with their design, the general struggle remains real for many parents.
Adding to the complexity, many young children occasionally resist car rides, transforming into miniature “surfboard mode” toddlers, making the buckling process even more challenging. Therefore, the concept of a rotating car seat, designed to bring the child into a more accessible position for the adult, holds undeniable appeal.
Front view of an Evenflo Revolve360 Slim convertible car seat attached to its base.
Alt text: Evenflo Revolve360 Slim rotating car seat showcasing its detachable base, designed for easier installation and rotation.
Dr. Alisa Baer, a renowned pediatrician and co-founder of The Car Seat Lady, highlights an additional benefit of rotating seats. For families using vehicles with captain’s chairs in the second row, rotating seats can be strategically placed to maintain access to the third row. A rotating car seat positioned in a captain’s chair can be swiveled out of the way, allowing passage to the center aisle. Dr. Baer suggests this feature might encourage parents with such vehicles to keep their children rear-facing for a longer period, which is widely recognized as the safer option. However, she also maintains her stance against captain’s chairs in general, often recommending bench configurations for three-row vehicles due to safety and practicality considerations.
The intuitive ease of securing a child in a forward-facing position, especially for parents accustomed to infant car seats that are often buckled outside the car, further fuels the temptation of rotating car seats.
Significant Downsides of Rotating Car Seats
Despite the initial appeal, our in-depth testing revealed notable drawbacks associated with rotating car seats. We rigorously evaluated four models from various reputable brands, selecting them as the most promising options from the available dozen in the market. We intentionally excluded models exhibiting obvious deficiencies such as low forward-facing weight limits, excessively large footprints, or consistently negative online reviews. While a limited number of infant-only rotating models exist, our focus was on convertible and all-in-one styles designed to accommodate infants, toddlers, and preschoolers throughout their car seat years.
Our evaluation methodology for rotating car seats mirrored the stringent criteria used in all our car seat guides: installation ease, safety performance, and overall user-friendliness. However, the testing process for rotating seats proved considerably more challenging and frustrating compared to standard convertible seats. Rotating car seats exhibited even greater unwieldiness and installation complexity than regular convertible car seats, which are already not renowned for their simplicity.
Furthermore, rotating mechanisms introduced new potential points of failure. We observed instances of seats becoming stuck and failing to rotate smoothly, or at all. The financial aspect also presented a disadvantage. The rotating car seats we tested carried an average price tag of around $400, significantly higher than non-rotating seats from the same manufacturers. While high-end non-rotating seats like the Clek Foonf (approximately $550) often justify their price with premium materials like steel frames, flame-retardant-free fabrics, and user-friendly installation mechanisms, rotating seats seemed to disproportionately allocate cost to the rotating function itself, without a commensurate upgrade in overall component quality. In our comprehensive testing, none of the rotating car seats met the minimum benchmark required for our recommendation.
Mobility Considerations: When Rotation Becomes Valuable
For the majority of parents, the added expense of a rotating car seat may not be justified when weighed against the capabilities of a high-quality regular convertible car seat. However, specific circumstances, particularly those involving mobility limitations for either the caregiver or the child, might shift the value proposition. For instance, a parent who relies on a wheelchair or who is of shorter stature and finds reaching into a rear-facing seat in a larger vehicle challenging might find a rotating seat exceptionally beneficial. Similarly, older adults, such as grandparents, who experience strength limitations when lifting children into standard car seats could also find rotating seats advantageous. In such cases, professional car seat installation is strongly recommended due to the increased complexity of installing rotating models compared to most standard convertible car seats.
Potential Safety Concerns with Rotating Car Seats
Among the four rotating car seats we tested, the Evenflo Revolve360 Slim stood out as the most user-friendly in terms of installation and operation. A distinctive feature of the Revolve360 Slim is its two-piece design, comprising a separate base and seat. While this design contributes to its rotating functionality, it also introduces a potential vulnerability.
Shortly after we concluded our testing, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) initiated an audit query investigation into three Evenflo Revolve360 models: the Revolve360, the Revolve360 Extend, and the Revolve360 Slim. Notably, this was the only car seat audit launched by the NHTSA in the past year. The investigation is prompted by at least six reported crash incidents where the Revolve360’s shell (referred to as the seat by Evenflo) reportedly detached from its base. As of this writing, the underlying cause of these incidents remains undetermined, with possibilities including improper installation or inherent design flaws in the seat itself.
Evenflo, through its vice president of marketing, Amy Magee, issued a written statement to Wirecutter: “At this time, we recommend that families currently using Revolve360 review and follow the instructions provided in the product manual for the proper installation and use. All information available to Evenflo indicates that a properly installed and latched Revolve360 will perform safely as intended.”
One of the appealing aspects of the Revolve360 Slim was its smooth and effortless rotation mechanism. Activating either of the two levers located on the headrest side initiates a seamless swivel. In contrast, the other rotating seats we evaluated required more exertion to initiate rotation. The Revolve360 Slim also uniquely allows rotation in both rear-facing and forward-facing configurations, a feature not universally present in all rotating car seats. Furthermore, it was the only rotating seat in our test group that maintained full rotation capability even when a backless booster seat was positioned in the vehicle’s middle seat.
Installation of the Revolve360 Slim, whether rear-facing or forward-facing, necessitates detaching the seat from the base. The seat belt or LATCH strap (Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children) is then routed through the base’s LockStrong belt tensioner, a lever designed to enhance strap tightening. After tightening the strap, the tensioner is secured, and the seat is clicked back into place.
During seat belt installation of the base, we encountered difficulty in closing the LockStrong belt tensioner after tightening the seat belt sufficiently. This required the assistance of someone with greater physical strength. Subsequently, uninstalling the base also proved challenging, as even the stronger individual struggled to reopen the belt tensioner.
Installation using the provided LATCH straps proved considerably easier. The belt tensioner was less cumbersome to operate, facilitating a tighter installation. However, LATCH installation comes with a significant limitation: lower weight limits compared to seat belt installation – only 35 pounds for rear-facing and 40 pounds for forward-facing, whereas seat belt installation allows for up to 50 pounds and 65 pounds, respectively. This lower LATCH weight limit is the reason why the manufacturer instructions designate seat belt installation as the preferred method.
Like other rotating car seats, the Revolve360 Slim is relatively heavy, weighing in at 28.5 pounds. For comparison, our top pick in convertible car seats, the Graco Extend2Fit Convertible, weighs 19 pounds and is available at a significantly lower price point, approximately $150 less.
Other Rotating Car Seats We Tested
The Cybex Sirona S, weighing 30 pounds, distinguishes itself with a dual-action rotation and sliding mechanism. Rotating the Sirona S requires sliding the seat backward on its base (unlike the Revolve360 Slim, the Sirona S is a single-piece unit). This sliding action can be somewhat challenging, especially with a heavier toddler or preschooler already buckled in. The sliding mechanism also complicates installation. The seat must be pushed back on the base to clear the belt path for installation. However, during our installation attempts, the seat repeatedly slid back into its original position, interrupting the process and hindering our ability to achieve a tight installation.
Alt text: Demonstration of the Cybex Sirona S rotating car seat in use, swiveling towards the car door for convenient child access and placement.
Once securely installed, the Sirona S installation remains fixed. Transitioning between rear-facing and forward-facing positions is achieved by simply rotating the seat forward and sliding it into the desired position. However, the rotation feature becomes unusable in the forward-facing configuration due to the top tether, which is attached to the seat itself. In contrast, the Revolve360 Slim’s top tether is base-mounted, preserving rotation functionality in both orientations. The Sirona S accommodates rear-facing children up to 50 pounds and forward-facing children up to 65 pounds. Uniquely among the tested rotating seats, the Sirona S incorporates a load leg to absorb some of the initial impact force in a collision. However, families needing to install three car seats across their vehicle’s back seat might encounter spatial limitations. We observed that the Sirona S’s rotation was obstructed by a backless booster seat placed in the adjacent middle seat.
The Graco Turn2Me 3-in-1 Car Seat, also weighing 30 pounds, accommodates children rear-facing up to 40 pounds, forward-facing up to 65 pounds, and as a high-back booster up to 100 pounds. Rear-facing installation presented challenges, described as “maneuvering levers inside a pickle jar” due to difficulties with the internal lock-off mechanism. Unlike the other rotating convertible seats tested, the Turn2Me employs distinct installation methods for forward-facing and rear-facing configurations. The forward-facing installation proved equally frustrating, as achieving a tight and secure fit eluded us. (Unlike the Revolve360 Slim, the Turn2Me is a single-piece design without a detachable base). Similar to the Sirona S, the Turn2Me’s rotation feature becomes disabled in the forward-facing mode because of the top tether’s seat-mounted attachment. We also observed that the Turn2Me’s rotation was impeded by a backless booster seat placed next to it in the middle seat.
We previously tested the Evenflo Revolve360 (under a different model name at the time) in 2022 for our convertible car seat guide. This 30-pound seat supports rear-facing children up to 40 pounds, forward-facing children up to 65 pounds, and transitions to a high-back booster for children up to 120 pounds. Like the Revolve360 Slim, it features a two-piece base and seat design that separates for installation. This model is also included in the ongoing NHTSA investigation. During our testing, the Revolve360 experienced a malfunction, becoming stuck in a rotated position on its base. Despite contacting Evenflo’s customer care and engaging in a video consultation with a technician, we were unable to restore its rotation functionality without significant force applied by a stronger individual. We also encountered substantial installation issues in a Honda Odyssey, where the seat belt’s fabric loop obstructed the locking mechanism. (Seat belt installation is the recommended method, although LATCH straps are included with lower weight limits: 35 pounds rear-facing and 40 pounds forward-facing.)
This article was edited by Amy Miller Kravetz and Kalee Thompson.
