The Britax Evolva 1-2-3 Plus Review

I have told you all before how much we adore Britax as a brand, when it comes to car seats I believe that safety is everything, and I know that by choosing Britax I am getting the very best for Leo. When the time came to choose Leo’s next stage car seat around the age of 9 months, I knew I was going to go with Britax, there was no doubt in my mind about this decision. People recommended them and the reviews I read spoke for themselves, and since making the purchase back in 2012 I have not looked back or regretted my decision.

Last year my little blog and I joined forces with Britax as part of their Mumbassador programme, I was so pleased to be representing a brand that I truly love and respect. As part of the scheme from time to time I share product reviews with you, and this is one of those occasions. Leo has been sent the Evolva 1-2-3 Plus to try out in my shiny new Mini Cooper, so we took the opportunity to move Leo’s second Britax seat from my car into Daddy’s van, as I am much more assured knowing that he is in a solid car seat just in case anything should happen. I hadn’t been happy with the existing car seat brand he had been using for a while and feel a lot better knowing he now has a Britax in both vehicles.

The Evolva 1-2-3 Plus is an ergonomically designed seat that adapts to the changing needs of a growing child, it can be used with a child from the weight of 9kg (19.8 lbs) around the age of 9 months old, and can be used up to 36kg (79.3 lbs) or around 12 years old. For a child’s seat that will see your child through to an age where they no longer need a seat, £174.99 seems very reasonable, and that’s before I even tell you about all of this particular car seats extensive features.

Product Features

Forward Facing Installation

Multiple Recline Positions   

Deep, Soft Padded Side Wings

Adjustable Width Positions

Performance Chest Pads

Click & Safe Audible Harness System

Height Adjustable Head Rest and Harness

Harness Retainers

Belly Pad

Pull Out Drink Holder and Snack Tray

Quick Remove Cover

Softly Padded Cover

Lightweight

Installation with 3-point seat belt

First Impressions

As you can see the Evolva 1-2-3 Plus has a number of desirable qualities that we all look for in a car seat, getting it out of the box for the first time I was impressed to see just how sturdy and strong it felt. Everything looked as I expected it too, and the high Britax qualities that I demand were not disappointing.

I instantly liked how soft and padded the seat is, the side wings provide great support and can even be heightened or lowered to meet your child’s needs.

Installation

In terms of installation I am not going to beat around the bush, it all goes straight over my head and I manage to complicate the most simple instructions. So after I spent an hour trying to fit it into the back of my car in the complete wrong way, I handed the seat over to Luke to fit properly. And sure enough within minutes that is exactly what he had done. It was simple and now safely secure in the back of my Mini. The seat is secured by the car’s seatbelt and basically straps it into position, it is so secure in there that even if I jiggle it around it stands firm.

After installation we realised that we needed to heighten the seat, and the side wings so that Leo could sit comfortably.  I thought that we would be able to do this while it was still installed in the car, but you actually have to remove the seat and make the adjustments prior to re-installing. It’s definitely worth sitting your little one in the seat before installing it so you can see exactly how they are sat, and whether you need to make any adjustments. This is again a task I assigned to Daddy, who read the instructions and then made the adjustments without any issues. Then it was just a case of putting it back in the car again, which again took him mere minutes.

What I really like about this car seat is that it can literally grow with your child, this could be the only seat you need to buy as a follow on car seat. We are using it with Leo with the 5 point harness, as I am much happier knowing that he is completely restrained and safe, but as he continues to grow we can actually use the seat with the traditional seat belt, we can even continue to adapt the seat to cater for our growing boy. Not only can we heighten the height of the car seat, we can even adjust the width to make sure that Leo has exactly enough space to be comfortable.

Even in the back of my Cooper the Evolva sits perfectly, and Leo is really pleased with his new seat. I have never seen a child so excited at the prospect of a new car seat before, although I think it was because he was a little bit excited at the prospect of a new convertible…

Overall Thoughts

As always we have been really happy with our Britax experience, they are a brand that I used and loved long before my blog was around. The Evolva lived up to my expectations and has continued to do so each day since. We have been using it in the Mini since the end of July and it suits us perfectly. I don’t tend to take it out very often, and it will be a job for Luke as and when the scenario presents itself, but for how sturdy and comfortably it sits Leo, I really cannot fault it. The only point that I would raise with the Evolva is that you have to remove it from the car in order to alter the height.

Over all we are really impressed with the Evolva 1-2-3 Plus and will be continuing to use it with Leo over the coming years.

You can purchase the Evolva for £174.99.

Disclaimer: I was sent the Evolva 1-2-3 Plus for the purpose of this review. All views and opinions expressed are completely honest and my own.