We are traveling to England and Wales and need to have a car seat for our 4-year-old grandson. We've read that U.S. car seats don't work and aren't legal in Europe. What do you recommend? Renting from the car hire company (we've read that these car seats might be in poor condition) or will we need to buy a car seat when we get there?
Posted by
Portsmouth
5554 posts
You're correct, only EU approved car seats can be used in the UK. We've never rented one, the ones we have seen did appear quite grubby and I wouldn't fancy putting my child in them however car seats aren't cheap. We took ours to the US when we were unaware of the rules and when we travelled within the EU they were compliant.
What rental company are you using? Some have better conditioned seats (Hertz appeared generally OK on those occasions I did notice). It may be worth going for that option, asking for the best conditioned one they have and give it a dose with some antibacterial fabric spray once fitted (and before you place your grandson in it!).
Whilst buying is an option how and when are you going to get the opportunity to buy one? When are you collecting the car? Are you doing it yourself whilst leaving your grandson with your wife, either having taken private or public transport to your accommodation? What are you going to do with it at the end of your trip?
Posted by
Florida
276 posts
When we go to Europe, we bring our US car seat from home. It might not be considered compliant, but we were never stopped by a police officer so didn't have any issues. I am aware that it is not the most ideal situation, but I think it's better for me to have a car seat that I am familiar with than a random car seat from a rental agency that may or may not be installed properly or might not be in good condition. (Also, car seats are free to check on most airlines so it saved us quite a bit of money.)