Silver Cross Motion All-Size 360 Review

Car seats can be a total minefield and are a big financial outlay, albeit necessary if you want your children to travel safely by car. Silver Cross brought one of the first iSize all-stages car seats to the market, massively simplifying the car seat selection journey for new parents. The Motion 360 could be the only seat your child ever needs, from birth until age 12, when they can sit in the car with just a seat belt.

Approved to the latest R129/03 safety standard, the Silver Cross Motion All-Size is rigorously tested for maximum safety and security on every journey. With extended rear-facing until four years old, a 360-degree swivel seat for side loading, adjustable headrest, and back support for up to 12 years old forward-facing, this seat promises to become the only seat you'll ever need to buy. At just £395, it certainly is a tempting purchase!

Pros & Cons

Features

Specifications, Weights & Dimensions

Get Yours Now

What's in the box

• Car Seat on ISOFIX Base
• Instructions
• Newborn Insert

Colour Options

• Almond Beige
• Glacier Grey
• Cedar Green
• Space Black

The Parent Test

Kirsty is a Trainee Solicitor, Zero-Waste business owner, and mum to two little boys named Cassius (4) and Edmund (1). She has blogged since 2011 about everything from travel to make-up and is excited to turn her hand to blogging with a focus on parenting. Having previously worked in the education sector, most recently in SEN, she is very passionate about children's development and creative ways of supporting that. Kirsty is looking forward to sharing her passion for travel with her children. She loves growing vegetables on their allotment, interior design and shopping for functional but aesthetically pleasing baby products.

First Impressions

My first impression of the seat was positive; it looked roomy and comfortable for my toddler son to sit in, and it was ready to fit in the car straight out of the box. It also comes with a newborn insert if you plan to use the seat from birth.

The seat is heavy, much heavier than an infant carrier, and incompatible with a travel system. It is designed to remain in the car once fitted, although it is easy to fit and move between cars if needed. I had no difficulties fitting the seat, and it has not compromised driver leg room with the space required. You do lose some storage space in the footwell due to the post, but there is still plenty of space in my SEAT Arona for the changing bag and the ubiquitous basket of snacks and toys.

Comfort & Ease of Use

The seat's best feature is easily the swivel base. It allows you to swivel the direction of the seat to load your child into the car without contorting yourself and is ace when you have an uncooperative toddler arching their back with limbs flailing, and you just need to get them into the car. However, after a few months of daily use, we noticed that the swivel function became stiff and difficult to manoeuvre, even using two hands. I have little confidence that the swivel function would survive the entire lifespan of the seat and certainly wouldn't stand up to use for multiple children and siblings in one family.

The harness is easy to adjust and comfortable for the child sitting in the seat. Each harness section has a cushioned pad that velcro is on and can be removed for cleaning. The buckle is wide and easy to undo, but the base cushion pad is not fixed to this part of the harness and was quickly lost forever!

I could have been more impressed by the recline on this seat. Even in the most reclined position, a baby or toddler's head can loll forward if they fall asleep. That said, both of my children have suffered from terrible reflux, so they have preferred to be more upright in the car. Small hooks help keep the harness out of the way when you put the child into the car, but these are fiddly and are never used by us.

Safety Features

The Isofix fittings on the seat are very easy to manipulate. Green shows on the base and the post when fitted correctly, making this seat more or less idiot-proof to fit. There are some extra side impact protection bumpers on the seat, but these make an irritating rattling noise when the car is in motion, as they are only fixed by screws and washers through the polystyrene body of the seat. They had worn through the polystyrene in less than a year, making the impact bumpers loose. Thankfully I have no experience of efficiently using these bumpers in a crash.

Value for Money

The seat retails in the region of £395, which is very good for a seat that accommodates extended rear-facing until age four and could be the only car seat your child ever needs from birth until adolescence.

Final Thoughts

This seat is still in daily use, my oldest son has moved forward facing, and my toddler now uses this seat after outgrowing his infant carrier. I do not see this seat lasting much longer because it is not very durable or sturdy, and the cover already has difficulty staying put, exposing the polystyrene shell. When it last came loose, I also noticed the shell had cracked where the bumper screws went through, meaning the carcass was in chunks; therefore, I now deem the seat unsafe to use. After 18 months of constant use, the swivel function is also close to breaking point, and ultimately, I think I would prefer a seat that could rear face for longer than when my child hits 18kgs. The idea of one seat seeing you through childhood is amazing, but I do not think the Motion 360 is robust enough to last.

Get Yours Now