Car Seat Showdown: Britax Boulevard Vs Chicco NextFit Comparison
The sheer force of the impact dented the metal… while my nephew…
Every car seat has to pass the government-set minimums. But it’s a whole other scenario when you experience a crash in real life.
Yes, one of these car seats has been tested in a real crash. And my nephew was sitting in it while it happened. Stick with me, and in a bit, I will share with you which of these car seats has saved the life of my nephew.
Look:
Here’s the bird’s eye view of the Britax Boulevard Clicktight Convertible Car Seat. It’s a long-lasting car seat (10 years). Real good value for the money. It has a five-star safety rating.
Here’s the bird’s eye view of the Chicco Nextfit Convertible Car Seat. It’s one of the highest-rated car seats in Consumer Reports. It has all the safety features you will ever need. Plus, it’s super comfy for the baby.
Direct Comparison Britax Boulevard vs Chicco Nextfit
| Chicco Nextfit Convertible Car Seat | Britax Boulevard Clicktight Convertible Car Seat | |
| Safety | EPS energy-absorbing foam
Steel Frame Duo Guard Protection 5-point harness |
SafeCell Tech
Steel Frame Double Side Protection 5-point harness |
| Size Limits | Rear Facing 12-40
Front Facing: 22-65 49” |
Rear Facing 5-40
Front Facing: 20-65 49” |
| Installation | Super Cinch LATCH | ClickTight |
| Fabric/Material | Machine Washable | Machine Washable |
| Bonuses and Features | ||
| Cup Holder | 1 Flexible | 1 Flexible |
| Recline Position | 9 | 7 |
| Headrest Position | 9 | 14 |
| Rethread Harness | No | No |
| Breathable | Yes | Yes |
| Extended Use | Yes | Yes |
Breaking it down
I have made a nifty little checklist, which is my typical go-to guide when it comes to checking out a new car seat. You can copy it maybe it will be useful in the future.
The first thing I check is the safety features. I highly advise not to skim on this when we’re talking about a child’s protection. The second important thing is the size limits. If I can get away with it, I will use it as much as I need to. These car seats are expensive. Every extra month counts.
Next on the list is the installation. Now there are all types of seats on the market. They range from the super easy to the insanely hard-to-install ones. You must read this section because it’s important.
My last point on the list is the fabric. Now we’re talking about kids, so one thing is for certain they will make a mess. It’s important to know how easy it is to remove the fabric and clean it.
My bonus section is about minor features. Sometimes when the score is tied, this makes the difference.
Let’s get this Britax Boulevard vs. Chicco Nextfit comparison started. Just one more thing…
I have something special for you in the end. I have compiled a quick pros/cons list. The things I’ve found are quite interesting, to say the least.
Safety
This is the most important part of them all. Now there are all kinds of brands on the market. All of them have passed the safety tests. If they had failed, they wouldn’t be in the marketplace. Now there are a few brands that have barely passed this test. Would you want to gamble with them?
Now both Chicco and Britax clicktight are superb car seats. They have not just passed the safety tests, but they have gone the extra mile. And one of these two car seats has saved the life of my nephew.
Britax Boulevard Clicktight Convertible Car Seat
The Britax Boulevard Clicktight is one of the top-of-the-line car seats. It has everything you need when it comes to child safety. It’s built on a steel frame, so no matter the accident, everything will be kept safe.
The Boulevard Clicktight has the SafeCell tech. This means during an impact that massive force is absorbed by these cells. So the energy doesn’t travel up in your little one’s body. They have thought of everything. The Boulevard Clicktight comes with double-side protection.
Last but not least, your little one is kept in place by the 5-point harness. This is the most secure one on the market.
Chicco Nextfit Convertible Car Seat
This is the car seat that has saved my nephew from harm. Let me share with you the story.
My brother just parked and popped out to get something from the store. He has left his son playing in the car. It will only take a minute to say to him. Not a minute passed, and there was a deafening sound as metal shrieked and contorted.
My brother’s car got T-boned. Glass shards were flying everywhere. The airbags exploded. The SUV hit my brother’s car on the driver’s side.
On the driver’s side was his son sitting. Filled with adrenaline and fear, he has ripped open the doors. And then saw his boy.
He was playing with his stuffed toys as if nothing had happened. He started crying only when he saw his dad’s fear. He had no scratch on him.
The Chicco Nextfit is an excellent car seat. Thanks to the steel frame and the energy-absorbing foam, my nephew got away without harm. The side impact protection did wonders.
Winner
No contest the Chicco Nextfit wins.
Size Limits
This is the second most important criterion when checking the car seat. How long can you use it? Let’s face it; these seats are expensive. After they have the best safety ratings, then you should check how you can get your money’s worth.
Chicco Nextfit Convertible Car Seat
The Chicco Nextfit caters to toddlers all up to 6 years old. It’s a convertible car seat. This means that it has a rear-facing and front-facing option. It’s highly recommended that you use the rear-facing mode as long as possible. It’s a good idea until the child reaches 2 or even 4 years of age.
Rear-facing offers the most protection from any type of impact. The Chicco Nexfit helps with extended rear-facing thanks to the generous 40-pound upper limit.
In the rear front-facing mode, you can use it until your child reaches 65 pounds or 49”. After that, it’s time to upgrade. Typically kids reach it around the 6th year mark.
This car seat weighs 25.1 pounds.
Britax Boulevard Clicktight Convertible Car Seat
The Britax Boulevard Clicktight is a bit different. They cater to infants and the 6th year of age. The lower weight limit is set to 5 pounds. This means that it will be perfect for taking your newborn home from the hospital.
The other specs are quite similar. You can do extended rear-facing until 40 pounds. And for front-facing, the upper limit is the same as Chicco’s, which is 65 pounds. The only difference is that Britax Boulevard Clicktight allows faster frontal facing.
These car seats aren’t light, so this weighs 29.4 pounds.
Winner
The point goes to the Britax Boulevard Clicktight Convertible Car Seat.
Installation
This is the bane of existence for many car seats. Some are extremely easy to install while others are a real pain. Now let’s check out which works best for you.
Chicco Nextfit Convertible Seat
The Chicco Nextfit is one of the most intuitive and easiest-to-install car seats on the market. I mean, you don’t even need a manual. All you have to do is just follow the instructions on the seat.
This car seat allows both latch and seatbelt installation. The latch install is the easiest and fastest. First, you level the seat, and then you connect the latches. The straps are even-numbered, so you know which one to tighten first. In a matter of a minute, you’re done.
Now the seat belt install requires a bit of elbow grease. It’s nothing hard. It only takes a few more seconds to get the perfect mounting.
Britax Boulevard Clicktight Convertible Car Seat
The Britax Boulevard Clicktight uses a different method, and it’s called the ClickTight method. You have to press down on the Clicktight button and then turn it. That will make the seat pop.
For some odd reason, the seatbelt install is faster and easier than the latch one. For some reason, the latch install seems to be complicated. It takes more time to get the right fit than the Chicco.
Winner
The point goes to Chicco.
Fabric/Material
This is the last important item on my list. Kids will have accidents, and they will spill things, so you have to know how easy or hard it is to wash the cover.
I won’t break down this section because it’s similar. So I won’t bore you by repeating myself.
Here’s the thing you need to know. Both the Chicco Nexfit and the Britax Boulevard Clicktight Convertible Car Seat have easy removable covers. You can reinstall them just as easily.
Both of them have washing machine-friendly materials. The only thing you have to be careful with is to use a gentle program and cold water. After the washing is done, you have to air dry it. Luckily you won’t have to wash the covers frequently.
Winner
It’s a tie.
Bonuses and Features
Let’s see if the minor features will make a difference in the score. At the moment, the Chicco is leading 2-1. These minor features could be great helpers or a nuisance let’s see what we have to install.
After your little one reaches the toddler, each of the cup holders becomes a handy accessory. Now sadly, both brands opted for the clip-on. Normally it’s not a problem, but some crafty toddlers will figure out how to undo them and use them as a projectile.
There’s only one cup holder for the Chicco and the Britax. Two would be the ideal number. Because one cup holder will keep the drink, and the other one will be for toys.
To make these car seats as comfortable as possible, they need to have a recline feature. Again both brands excel in this department. The Chicco has 9 options while the Britax has 7.
The Britax comes strong with the headrest adjustments. While the Chicco only has 9 options, the Britax has 14. So they have even the score again.
The biggest issue with these car seats is the harness. Luckily there’s no manual rethreading of the harness. This is the only thing that I can never get right with car installs. For both the Chicco Nextfit and the Britax Boulevard Clicktight Convertible Car Seat, the straps get automatically adjusted every time you adjust the headrest.
Both car seats offer extended rear-facing mode. This is good for parents who want to keep their little one rear-facing as long as possible. The limit is the same for both 40 pounds.
Winner
It’s a tie.
Chicco Nextfit Zip Convertible Seat
Pros:
By looking at your child you know, they are safe it’s like a protective shell
The frame is made out of reinforced solid steel, that’s safety in my book
It’s very comfortable on long rides
Cons:
It’s a TANK very heavy and bulky
It’s hard to move from car to car once it is fixed it stays there
Britax Boulevard Clicktight Convertible Car Seat
Pros:
Opting for the ARB bar is a life-changer
It’s a GAME CHANGER chair that lasts for ten years
This car seat is a beauty the colors are so alive
Cons:
It’s a challenge to transfer in and out of the car
It’s a wide chair, and three across will not be possible
Final Recount
Chicco Nextfit Zip Convertible won with two points (2/5)
Britax Boulevard Clicktight Convertible Car Seat lost by one point (1/5)
The other categories were a draw.
Britax Boulevard vs Chicco Nextfit Zip Verdict
In the safety section, they were pretty much equal. The Chicco Nextfit has the same type of protection as the t Britax Boulevard. The only difference is that the Chicco Nextfit zip was tested in a real crash and saved a life.
In the size limits category, Britax Boulevard Clicktight has earned a point. Since it caters to infants, you can get more mileage out of it than the Chicco Nextfit zip.
The installation section was interesting. It was pretty close. But the Chicco Nextfit zip is easier to install and thus has gained an extra point.
In the other categories, both Britax Boulevard Clicktight and Chicco Nextfit Zip were equal.
I tried to be as unbiased as possible. When the Chicco Nextfit Zip protected my nephew from harm, it has proved to me that that’s the better car seat.
We have reached the end of the Britax Boulevard vs Chicco Nextfit Zip. I hope this article helped you make the right choice. Now it’s your turn and get the one that’s the best fit for you. Get it soon because stocks are running low.
If you want to give feedback or you have something to share, drop me a line in the comment section below.
Catch you next time!
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ):
Is Britax or Chicco better?
It’s quite tough to decide between Britax and Chicco. Britax makes the safest car seats while Chicco makes the coolest looking ones. Both Chicco and Britax have award-winning car seats.
Which is better Graco or Britax?
Both the Graco and Britax make great car seats. Graco is more affordable than Britax. Britax makes the safest car seats.
Which is the best Britax convertible car seat?
The Britax convertible car seat is the Britax Advocate.
What kind of safety features do the Chicco Nextfit vs Britax Boulevard convertible car seats have?
These convertible car seats come with many safety features. Here are the most important ones. First up is the clicktight installation system. Then there’s the safe cell impact-absorbing base. The easy-to-install latch system. Of course the side impact protection. The Chicco Nextfit zip has two layers of side impact protection and the Britax has also two layers of side impact protection. As you know after the latch system the side impact protection is the most important safety feature. Other safety features would be the tether straps, harness indicator, and multi-recline options. The chest clip has multiple options as well. Make sure that the chest clip is below the armpit level.
How do you install these Chicco Nextfit vs Britax Boulevard Clicktight convertible car seats?
Since these are convertible car seats it means that you can install them in rear-facing mode like infant car seats or forward-facing mode. Before you get started make sure that the level indicator is in the right place. And make sure to consult with the manual. It’s easy to install after that. If the level indicator can’t be nudged then use a pool noodle. As far as baby gear goes these seats are meant to be installed in the back seat. Both rear and forward-facing modes can be installed with the latch system. As you know the latch system is the fastest and easiest way to install. The clicktight installation system is out of this world it’s so easy to use. You have to pop the seat open and feed the vehicle seat belt through. Both front and rear-facing can be installed with the seat belt. Before you install make sure you check the bubble level indicator (bubble indicator). The latch system is the fastest way to install these car seats. Also using the latch system makes it so simple and easy. There’s no second guessing on what goes where or if it’s good enough with the latch system. The multi-position headrest should be leveled.
What is the main feature of the Chicco Nextfit vs Britax Boulevard Clicktight convertible seats?
There are different recline positions. The Chicco next fit zip has 9 recline positions while the Britax Boulevard Clicktight has 7 recline positions. Of course, there’s the clicktight installation system. The impact-absorbing base can’t be missing. These come with a big enough cup holder. A level indicator for a stable install, rear, and forward facing mode. Final feature list: side impact protection, latch system, and multiple recline options. The safe snug harness straps are easy to adjust.
What would be a good alternative for this Chicco and Britax infant car seat?
Just like any other baby products, there are alternatives and a good one would be the Britax marathon. The Britax Marathon is highly recommended by baby guides.
What are the weight limits for the infant insert for the Britax and Chicco seats?
The weight limits are the same which is 11 pounds for the infant insert. Both car seats come with cup holders but this comes later when the child gets older. Thanks to the different recline positions car rides become comfortable. Both the Chicco and Britax have many different recline positions. Especially on long car rides multiple recline positions come in handy.
Which car seat has the best weight limits from Britax vs Chicco car seats?
The weight limits are the same 40 pounds for rear-facing and for forward-facing the weight limits are 64 pounds. The harness height limit is 49 inches. The safe snug harness straps are adjustable with the harness height. Pick the best recline options from them all.
If we compare Britax Boulevard with Advocate which car seat is better?
Britax Advocate is the clear winner.
Last Updated on April 6, 2024 by Brian Beasley
