If you’re planning on driving your baby home from the hospital or driving anywhere at all with them in the first few years of their life, you’re going to need a good car seat. Just remember when purchasing a car seat, you want one like a great relationship—safe, cozy, and worth the hassle.

Sometimes scrolling for the best car seat options can make our heads spin. That’s why our team at Rebelstork did all the research for you—so you don’t have to.
Let’s take a look at the best car seats in 2023.

Best Car Seats 2023

We’re here to make it as easy as possible for parents to choose and purchase a car seat. Where do you even start? 

Begin with the three most popular types of car seats you’ll be looking at for your babes:

• Infant Car Seats
• Convertible Car Seats 
• Booster Seats

If you’re already thinking about college tuition and looking for ways to save, Rebelstork open box and overstock products are the best car seat options because you get high-quality and safe seats at affordable prices. Rebelstork is also a great option for multiple car seats, as you can get value when you buy from us and avoid moving them around so frequently.

So, what are open box and overstock car seats? These car seats have never been used—and sometimes they’ve never even been touched—but got sent back to the store as a return because Mama actually wanted the red one and not the black or she simply received the wrong order (because humans and machines make mistakes). All of that means you come out with savings on your car seat. 

Parenthood is a bumpy ride, but riding in the car with your little one shouldn’t have to be. Here are our Flock’s number-one best car seats that hold their value in each of the car seat categories. Plus, you’ll find the pros and cons for each type of seat, if you’re down to nitty-gritty comparisons!

BEST INFANT CAR SEAT—CHICCO KEYFIT 35 CLEARTEX CAR SEAT

Chicco KeyFit 35 ClearTex Car Seat

What We Love:

The Chicco KeyFit 30 has been a cult favorite for a while. It’s not a surprise that the best car seat of 2023 for infants is the upgraded Chicco KeyFit 35 ClearTex. The KeyFit35 can be used up to 35 pounds and 32 inches, versus 30 pounds and 30 inches with the prior crowd favorite. With a ridiculously easy latch installation that even your disinterested and moody teen daughter could easily snap into place for you, it’s a car seat that just can’t be beaten. 

Like most infant car seats, the KeyFit 35 is more compact and portable than any convertible car seat counterparts. Did the baby fall asleep during a relaxing car ride to the grocery store? It’s a seamless transition from the backseat to a Chicco travel system—clicking the car seat right into the stroller. 

What sets this particular infant car seat apart from others? Its crash-test results give every parent peace of mind. At the end of the day, all the glitz and glam of a car seat mean nothing without the ability to protect our precious cargo. 

For our green and clean mamas with sustainability in mind, this car seat fabric is unique as it contains zero added chemicals. This GREENGUARD Gold Certified car seat also means that it contributes to healthier air quality for babies. Speaking of clean, this car seat is one of the easiest to clean with a machine-washable pad that zips right off. You can finally catch up on your favorite Netflix series while the washing machine does its thing. That alone makes the KeyFit 35 at the top of our list of best car seats in 2023.

What Makes Us Cringe a Little:

The only side eye that this car seat gets is the fact that it’s an infant car seat. That means it only works for babies 4 to 35 pounds and up to 32 inches tall. Your little one will eventually outgrow it and need a convertible one.

BEST CONVERTIBLE CAR SEAT—CYBEX SIRONA S SENSORSAFE CAR SEAT

Cybex Sirona S Sensorsafe Rotating Convertible Car Seat

What We Love:

The safety experts over at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration strongly encourage parents to keep their children rear-facing for as long as possible. It’s the safest position for a baby.  

The CYBEX Sirona S is one of very few rear-facing car seats that will accommodate up to 50 pounds! Trying to maneuver a 50-pound baby into a rear-facing car seat sounds exhausting, right? Well, the 360° rotatable seat makes it easy to get them in, out, and off on their way. As the first, and arguably best, fully rotating convertible car seat, your back will thank you as reaching across the seat and bending over become things of the past with this tech-filled seat. 

Once your baby is ready to turn forward, the seat accommodates up to 65 pounds for about a 4-year-old. Safety features like the load leg keep the seat stable in the unfortunate event of a crash. Finally, the SensorSafe technology is a cool feature for our modern-day mamas. It uses a Bluetooth-enabled chest clip to alert you on your phone if your curious little one decides to play with their straps and unlatch themselves. Safety features like this make it so that this isn’t just the best rotating car seat; it’s the best convertible car seat—period.

What Makes Us Cringe a Little:

Things that make you go “hmmm” about the Sirona S are its price tag and heaviness. This definitely isn’t a car seat for anyone planning on traveling with a baby in multiple vehicles or on an incredibly tight budget. Luckily, with our open box and overstock car seat options, it’s possible to find the Sirona S at a discounted price.

BEST BOOSTER CAR SEAT—MONTEREY 2XT EXPANDABLE BOOSTER

Diono Monterey 2XT Expandable Booster

What We Love:

Does it feel like you blinked and all of a sudden your baby isn’t a baby anymore? They’ve outgrown the infant car seat and convertible car seat, and they’re ready to graduate to a high-back booster. Don’t worry; high school graduation is still a ways off, so there’s time to emotionally prepare, but if your babe is turning 5 years old soon and they’re anywhere from 40-120 lb, then this booster seat is for them.

The Monterey 2XT is the original expandable booster, with a simple one-hand height and width adjustment and 11 different headrest positions to custom-fit your kid. It also converts into a backless booster car seat as well for the continued growth of your little one. Unlike a clunky and heavy convertible car seat, this lightweight, 14-pound booster seat can be passed along to Grandma’s car when you’re in desperate need of a break away from it all.

What Makes Us Cringe a Little:

Just as no family is perfect, no car seat is perfect. There’s always room for improvement and parents who own the Monterey 2XT have mentioned they’d like to see the brand add a little more cushion for comfort. Overall, we’d say that’s not a dealbreaker.

How to Shop the Best Car Seats in 2023—Rebelstork

It’s no secret that car seats go through spilled milk, millions of Cheerios, and for some lucky parents, explosive diapers. For those reasons and more, parents shy away from buying pre-loved, gently used car seats. Understandable. On a more crucial note, however, used car seats are an extreme safety hazard. You can never be 100% sure of a secondhand car seat’s history. 

Rebelstork allows you to buy open box and overstock car seats so you can purchase baby gear that’s never been used, for a fraction of the retail price. It almost sounds too good to be true. We know. But, super mamas like you deserve it, so we partner with parents, brands, and retailers to make the too-good-to-be-true a reality. Learn more about the unbelievable deals at Rebelstork and shop for all the best car seats in 2023.

Want to Know Which Car Seat Is Right for You? Take Our 5-Minute Quiz and Get Inspired!

1) How are your arms doing, AKA how much does your little one weigh right now? 

a. Less than 35 pounds
b. 35 to 50 pounds
c. 50+ pounds 

2) How old is your bundle of joy (and sometimes terror)? 

a. I’m enjoying the snuggles of my precious babe (newborn to 2 years old).
b. I’m chasing around an active toddler (2 to 4 years old).
c. It feels like I have a mini tweenager (5 to 8 years old).

3) Which of the following best describes your vehicle situation for your little or not-so-little peanut? 

a. It’s like a game of hot potato, bouncing between Mom and Dad’s vehicles.
b.We have one designated family van/car for kids, baby shark tunes, and all the snacks.
c. The limit does not exist. Between family and carpooling for sports and activities, the answer is a lot of vehicles.

If you answered mostly As—you are an infant car seat!

For parents always on the go, you need something small and compact that will travel well, like the Chicco KeyFit 35 ClearTex car seat. An infant car seat allows you to click right into your stroller and run all the errands at Target. You don’t have any errands to run at Target? Trust us; there are always “errands” to run at Target.

You are the CHICCO KEYFIT 35 CLEARTEX CAR SEAT. 

If you answered mostly Bs—you are a convertible car seat!  

For our mommies who don’t mind splurging a little to invest in something that will simplify life, the Cybex Sirona S convertible car seat is for you. Rotating car seats are as viral and trendy for moms as Stanley cups and crossbody bags. Being the first on the market, Cybex has been able to improve and prove itself as the clear front-runner of all rotating convertible car seats. 

 You are the CYBEX SIRONA S SENSORSAFE CAR SEAT. 

If you answered mostly Cs—you are a booster car seat! 

Breathe mama—your baby isn’t a baby anymore! Not ready to let them run off and get married yet? Ease the transition between a convertible car seat and sitting in the back seat with a seatbelt buckled up like a full-grown adult with the Monterey 2XT Expandable Booster. Stay safe with a booster that will raise and position your little peanut properly. With a booster, the vehicle’s belt fits properly over their body instead of itching at their neck and bugging their face. Keep them safe and snug just a little bit longer with a booster seat. 

 You are the MONTEREY 2XT EXPANDABLE BOOSTER.