Parents want to transport their children safely in the car. But when you start looking at the different types of child safety seats, you can quickly lose track of them all: different size classifications, weight categories, mounting options and safety standards all create confusion. buzzwords like "i-size", "ISOFIX" and "semi-universal approval" are floating around in the forums and websites without giving you even a glimpse of what they mean.
Here we explain the differences and similarities between the current child seat standards and point out the pitfalls. Because the most important question is and remains: how do I know which seat I am allowed to use for my child??
On this info page you can read:
> what is a child seat standard?
> what does the test label say?
> which child seats are approved in germany?
> ISOFIX, support foot and top tether: what types of child seat attachments are available??
> how long is ECE R 44/04 still permitted??
the legal regulation in germany: mandatory safety standards for children in cars
the legal regulation of the stvo about the child seat duty in germany is clear: children under 12 years resp. 150 cm body height need a child seat in the car. This "child restraint" must "meet the requirements and be suitable for the child". The stvo does not say what this means in concrete terms. This is what the so-called "ECE standards" are for.
What is a child seat standard??
these ECE standards are an international standard for child car seats. They apply in all EU countries. The ECE standards define certain technical requirements, safety criteria and test procedures for the approval of child car seats. Before they are allowed on the market, all "child restraints" for the car are tested in the EU for heart and kidneys, whether they correspond to the specifications of a valid ECE standard. In germany, this is tested by the TuV. If the seat passes all safety requirements in the test, it receives an orange ECE test seal (not to be confused with voluntary TuV seals such as the GS mark, see box below). child seats that do not comply with these safety standards are generally not awarded a seal of approval. This means that these seats are not officially approved. They may not be sold or used in germany.
"child seat standard" as a mandatory requirement
Contrary to what the name (based on DIN standards) might suggest, ECE standards for child seats are not a recommendation, but a mandatory requirement. Only child seats that meet the specifications of the current ECE standards may be sold and used in germany. Other child car seats are not permitted in germany (and the EU). Even seats that are officially approved in other countries may not be used in germany if they do not bear a valid ECE test mark! If you use them anyway, you risk a fine and points in flensburg. Quite apart from the fact that it is not clear which safety standards these seats (do not) meet.
The ECE test seal: how to recognize the approval standard of your child seat
the ECE test seal can be recognized by a orange sticker directly on the child seat, usually at the back of the seatback.
What is written on the test label?
- Manufacturer (not mandatory)
- Designation child seat model (not mandatory)
- ECE standard
- type of approval
- Child seat group (weight category or. height)
- Capital "E" in a circle: european test mark. The number after the "E": shows the EU country in which the seat has been approved (1=D, 2=F, 3=I, 4=NL)
- sequence of numbers under the "E": approval number of the seat. The first digits "129R", "04" or "03" indicate the ECE test standard according to which the seat is approved.
The year of construction of the seat is not recognizable on the basis of the ECE sticker. the production date is either noted by the manufacturer on a separate sticker or stamped into the plastic of the seat.
IMPORTANT: please never remove the sticker, otherwise, the police will not be able to determine whether the child seat is officially approved in the event of an inspection. If the label is missing, the child is treated as if it were traveling without a child seat! As a consequence there is a fine and points in flensburg.
Notethe ECE mark should not be confused with other marks, such as the seal of approval "TuV certified" or the GS-sign for "tested safety"! These marks have nothing to do with whether a child seat is approved in accordance with the regulations.
Which child seats are approved in germany?
In the EU, three ECE standards are currently valid for child car seats: ECE R 44/03, ECE R 44/04 and ECE R 129 (also known as the "i-size standard"). Seats with these test standards may be used in the EU (and therefore in Germany) for transporting children in cars. You can recognize the test standard of a child seat by the orange test seal that must be affixed to the seat (see below). Seats approved according to the oldest ECE standards R 44/01 and R 44/02 may no longer be used. These standards are no longer valid since 2008.
Even child seats with the test standard R 44/03 are no longer recommended. Technically, the test requirements of the ECE R 44/03 standard do not differ from the requirements of the ECE R 44/04 standard, but they do differ from the ECE R 44/03 standard. Since models of the standard R 44/03 are no longer allowed to be sold since 2009, these seats are now at least (!) ten years old. However, it can be up to 25 years, because ECE 44/03 was already introduced in 1995. These child seats may still be used officially. However, you should bear in mind that the material of a seat that is this old will fatigue. It becomes brittle and fragile, and the protective effect is no longer guaranteed. We therefore recommend replacing these seats as soon as possible.
From when does the new standard ECE R 129 apply??
Child seats with the approval standards ECE R 44/04 and ECE R 129 are currently available on the market. Both child seat standards apply in parallel in the EU until further notice. So you can currently buy and use both child seats of the standard R44/04 and the standard R129.
The introduction of the new approval standard is the result of current findings in safety research and technical advancements. The older standard ECE R 44/04 has been in existence since 2005. The more recent standard ECE R 129 was adopted by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe in 2013 and also adopted by Germany as a legal requirement in 2014.
This latest update to child car seat approval regulations brings some important changes:
- Seats are now registered and classified according to the child’s body size instead of weight. The previous "child seat groups" no longer officially apply to seats according to R 129.
- The obligation to transport babies backwards has been extendedR 129 standard, the smallest children must be able to sit in a booster seat until they are at least 15 years old. Driving against the direction of travel during the first month of life.
- For the first time, every child seat must be tested before registration side impact test exist. So far, only the protective effect in frontal and rear-end accidents has been tested.
- For the safety tests of the child seat, it is necessary to more modern crash-test dummies are used. Innovative manikins help testers better understand the impact of an accident on a child’s body.
- booster seats without backrest are only for children from 125 cm body height allows.
These new requirements are designed to make driving even safer for children. Details and more detailed explanations of the changes can be found on our information page on the differences between ECE R 44/04 and ECE R 129.