You may have seen some test labels next to Swandoo products. Here is the story behind them, and why you should look out for them…

Every year, in May and October, the leading independent organisations, ADAC (“Allgemeiner Deutscher Automobil-Club eV”, the largest automobile federation clubs of Germany and Europe), TCS (Touring Club Switzerland), and ÖAMTC publish their crash test results on a selection of new car seats sold in the European market.

These tests are carried out taking into account 4 main criteria which make it possible to obtain a final overall score, and give you an indicator of how safe your car seat is:

1° SAFETY:

The car seats are installed in a car shell tested for frontal impacts at 64 km/h and side impacts at 50 km/h. These front and side impacts are tested with dummies in different size categories relevant to the car seats being tested. In addition to the crash scenarios, belt routing and stability on the vehicle seat are evaluated.

2 ° HANDLING:

Handling is made up of subcategories mainly relating to the installation of seats. These include handling, misuse, restraining, seat installation and seat modification. All of which are evaluated by experts and independent users.

The installation tests are carried out with mannequins and real children in various types of vehicle.

3 ° ERGONOMICS:

Internal dimensions, Space in the vehicle, Seating position and Comfort for the child provide the subcategories in the area of ergonomics. In terms of considering comfort, experts also looks at the position of the legs, overall posture, the field of vision of the child, and the quality of the protective foams.

4 ° ADDITIONAL CONSIDERATIONS:

Harmful substances are also considered. This is a criterion based on the presence and the number of types of substances dangerous for humans and for the environment such as phthalates, flame retardants, aromatic hydrocarbons, etc. The analysis takes into consideration the composition of the fabric cover and will impact the overall score if a chemical is present over a certain limit.

THE RESULTS?

When publishing results, ADAC and TCS publish the final marks according to these 4 criteria with a singular notation reading. For example, ADAC shows a rating of 0.6 to 5.5 (the lower the score, the better it is). The TCS awards 5 stars for “Excellent” or 4 stars for “Very Recommended” etc. …

For an independent view on how Swandoo car seats do in the tests:

Albert i-size: ADAC score 1.6, TCS 4 stars (Double test winner and best results of 2019)

Marie 3: ADAC score 2.4, TCS 4 stars (Best in category for 2021)