Where do the best Joie car seats fit? There’s a vast selection of car seats on the market. Your child’s age and height is the biggest factor in deciding which option is best for you, as they have to be in car seats until they are 135cm tall or 12 years old – whichever comes first.
Getting the right Joie car seat for you can be a minefield of ISOFIX, seat bases and seat groups. Happily at Parkers, we’re here to talk you through all the basics and highlight the best options offered by one of the best-known brands, Joie.
If you’re coming into this as a first-time parent or looking to purchase a new seat and seeing what’s on the market, we’ll guide you through the world of Joie car seats. What is good, bad, and potentially a new feature or just marketing jargon such as ISOFIX car seats.
The best Joie car seats at a glance:
Editor’s pick: Joie i-Gemm 2 -Size – buy from Amazon
Best multi-stage Joie car seat: Joie Every-Stage FX – buy from Mamas and Papas
Most comprehensive early years Joie car seat: Joie i-Plenty Signature – buy from Mamas and Papas
We’ve broken the selection down into car seat groups. From toddler car seats to multi-stage ones, to keep things nice and clear and help you pick the best Joie car seats for your need.
The best Joie car seats
Editor's pick
This is the second generation of the much-loved Joie Gemm; it comes with updated safety features and is said to be comfier for your child, thanks to the patented Intelli-Fit™ memory foam. It’s suitable from birth up to 85cm or 13kg, whichever comes first. The Grow Together™ multi-height headrest adjusts as your child grows and does not require any threading of the five-point harness.
The fundamental safety feature of this seat is the Tri-Protect™ headrest which has three layers of protection in the wings of the car seat.
Pros
- Offers high level of protection and comfort
- Compatible with most Joie car seat bases and most pushchairs
Cons
- Some extras may have to be added to some pushchairs
Best lightweight Joie car seat
While it can fit into many strollers without adapters, the Juva Classic will only go into the Joie clickFIT Base or secured using your vehicle’s 3-point seat belt.
Pros
- Lightweight
- Compatible with a variety of strollers
Cons
- Only compatible with clickFIT base
The best Joie car seats: Group 1/2/3
Most practical Group 1/2/3 Joie seat
With four reclining positions and a five point harness at the realm, the Joie Fortifi is an ideal seat to accommodate to growing bundles of joy. It's an ideal multi-stage seat as it accommodates children weighing from 9 to 36kg (when they reach approximately 12 years old.
When your child has grown big enough to use a proper seat belt, you can simply stow away the harness in the seat's storage places when using it as a group 2/3 booster seat.
Pros
- Versatile multi-stage seat
- Very practical
Cons
- Not the most adjustable out there
Best multi stage Joie car seat
There are two rear facing positions and four forward positions to set, and Joie state that it adapts from birth all the way up to 12 years old. Another important factor is that the seat has ample side impact protection embedded into the head guards. The headrest and harness system is also adjustable, ensuring your child is safely tucked in when enduring on a long journey.
Pros
- Endlessly adjustable from birth to 12 years old
- Comes with ISOFIX and many safety guards
Cons
- Might not be the most comfortable Group 2/3 seat
Most comprehensive early years Joie car seat
It also has ISOFIX points, a top tether, and parts which are easily removable and machine washable. A handy feature considering the many quirks of raising a child in their early years. The seat is suitable for children aged between 15 months to 12 years old.
Pros
- R129 Certified
- Much adjustment and ISOFIX installed
Cons
- Age range doesn't extend to birth
Car Seat Groups
Car seats, including Joie car seats, are separated into different groups for your child’s age, height, and weight. These three things are important parameters because it’s how you define if your child moves up a group. Weight, not age, is probably the most important because the child’s weight can affect the usefulness of a car seat. We’ve even created specified guides on the best car seats for children of a certain age, such as the best ones for two year olds.
The four groups are defined as such:
• Group 0 – suitable from birth to 10kg (around 12 months) – these are usually lie-flat carrycot options that combine with a buggy or pushchair chassis to form a travel system
• Group 0+ – suitable from birth to 13kg (around 18 months-2 years) – these can usually combine with a buggy to form a travel system and are also known as infant carriers
• Group 0+/1 – suitable from birth to 18kg (around 4-5 years)
• Group 0+/1/2/3 – suitable from birth to 36kg or 135cm tall (about 12 years)
What is ISOFIX?
If you can’t get your head around ISOFIX, don’t worry, it’s for babies, as generally are 360 car seats. Plus, it’s nothing to worry about as it’s quite likely that your car already has ISOFIX points. ISOFIX stands for International Standard Organisation Fix. ISOFIX points are possibly the best and safest way to ensure your car seat is secured. They’re effectively anchor points on your car’s internal shell. This means when connected, the base of the child seat is attached to the vehicle rather than held in place by a seatbelt.
It became common to see these anchor points in cars released after November 2012. But at that point, it wasn’t an industry standard. Since November 2014 however, all new vehicles are legally required to have ISOFIX fitted. Thankfully, plenty of Joie car seats and bases have ISOFIX points fitted.
How do I know if my car has ISOFIX?
Happily, ISOFIX on modern cars is easy to find and access; they’re generally under covers on the back seats with a logo that looks like a person sitting in a seat. It never used to be so evident in older cars. You had to feel between the back of the seat and the base of the heart to see if the ISOFIX was there. This made fitting them very difficult. This new system makes fitting car seats a doddle and takes seconds. This leaves your little ones more time to enjoy their favourite car seat toys.
Myles Warwood is an Autos Products Writer for both Parkers and CAR, specialising in child seats and e-bikes. In his spare time, he’s a freelance cycling journalist and dog owner.
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