Britax Emblem vs Allegiance – What’s the difference in 2024?

Is it just a face lift, or there’s more to the Emblem?

This comparison was highly requested by many of my readers. OK, so here we go. Let’s how does the Britax Emblem vs Allegiance compare.

At first glimpse, they look the same. This is why I have dug into the details. By reading this article to the end, you will know exactly what’s the difference. Plus, you will know which car seat will be the best fit for you.

Look:

Here’s the bird’s eye view of the Britax Emblem Convertible Car Seat. It’s great for a growing child. You can use it both front and rear-facing. Super easy to move your little one in and out of the seat.

Here’s the bird’s eye view of the Britax Allegiance Convertible Car Seat. This car seat offers the best safety possible if you prefer to do extended rear-facing, that’s possible as well.

Direct Comparison Britax Emblem vs Allegiance Convertible Car Seat

	Britax Emblem Convertible Car Seat	Britax Allegiance Convertible Car Seat
Safety	Steel Frame Impact Absorbing Base Two Layer SIP 5-point harness	Steel Frame Impact Absorbing Base One Layer SIP 5-point harness
Size Limits	Rear Facing: 5-40 Forward Facing: 20-65 49”	Rear Facing: 5-40 Forward Facing: 20-65 49”
Installation	Push button Latch	Push button Latch
Fabric/Material	Hand Washable	Hand Washable
Bonuses and Features
Cup Holder	No	No
Recline Position	2	3
Headrest Position	10	10
Rethread Harness	No	No
Extended Use	Yes	Yes

Breaking it down

Since I’m reviewing a bunch of car seats, I had to create a system. Without it, I would be all over the place. The table above is my system. Actually, it’s my cheat sheet when I’m checking out a new car seat. You can copy it if you like to.

So #1 on the list is safety. Whenever I want a new car, seat, safety is the top priority. Here’s my recommendation to get the most safety as you can afford.

Next comes the size limits. To get the most mileage out of the car seat, pick the one that gives you the most months or years of use.

Ah, installation it’s the most difficult part of these car seats. Some brands are notoriously hard to install correctly, and others are a breeze. We’ll see where this Britax seats land on this scale.

The next item on the list is fabric. Now, these car seats cater for younger kiddos, so there will be accidents. And as a parent, you have to clean up the mess.

Finally, I take a look at the secondary features. Maybe there’s something very good hidden there.

Safety

Safety is a top concern. Let me reveal the industry’s dirty little secret. Every car seat on the market is indeed safe. If there’s an issue, the recall is immediate. Also, all car seats have passed the minimum requirements.

The secret is here. Some brands have barely passed the minimum requirements. Which car seat would you like to protect your child? The one that barely passed or the one that went the extra mile?

Usually, I break down the part into two. These car seats are so similar that I don’t want to bore you with repeating myself. So I will cover this at the same time.

Both the Britax Emblem and the Allegiance have a steel frame. This will keep your little one safe and secure no matter what. They both have an impact-absorbing base.

As you know, during a collision, there’s a lot of energy traveling through the car. The seat absorbs it so it won’t reach your child.

Here’s the first difference between the two. The Britax Emblem has two side impact protection layers while the Britax Allegiance has only one. This is good to know if there’s a T-bone accident.

They both have a 5-point harness, which is the safest one on the market. Slowly it’s becoming the industry standard.

Size Limits

These car seats are expensive, so let me share with you a money-saving secret. Plan for the long run. If you like, you can buy 3-4 car seats during your child’s life. But if you can cut it down to two or even one you will be saving a lot of money. Plus, they have a convenient short expiration date.

Both the Britax Allegiance and the Britax Emblem cater to infants and young kids. They have two ways of use, which is the rear-facing mode and forward-facing mode. Here’s a hot tip. It’s highly recommended to keep your child in the rear-facing mode as long as possible, preferably until the age of two.

This mode gives the best protection in case of an accident.

The lower limit is set to 5 pounds. So if you like, you can take your newborn home from the hospital with any of these car seats. And the upper limit is set to 65 pounds or 49”.

Both car seats are in the same weight category around the 20-pound mark.

Installation

Here’s where the rubber meets the road. This is the most cumbersome part of a child’s car seat. You need to get it installed. Let’s see how hard the Britax is.

Are you surprised? It’s the same process. Are these clones? We will see it by the end.

I will be upfront with you. The seat belt option is a bit complicated than the latch option. For that, to work, you will need to remove the cover material, run the belt through the path, and you need to use the lock-off mechanism.

This is the old-school method. Man, I miss the Clicktight install that was a breeze.

Check out the manual, and if you have to go online and see the install videos.

Fabric/Material

Since the base is the same, the material behaves the same way. Since you have to remove partially the cover for the install, you get the hang of it. The removal process is quite easy.

Now here’s the kicker. You are allowed to only hand wash it. Ever since I got use to machine washing, it’s hard to look back. And of course, air drying is the preferred way to dry both covers.

Everything still is the same.

Bonuses and Features

Let’s see maybe over here in this section we can find some kind of meaningful difference.

First, of not, the Britax Allegiance or the Britax Emblem has a cup holder. After the toddler age, it would be beneficial so that they can put toys there.

Here’s a minor difference. The Britax Allegiance has 3 recline positions while the Britax Emblem only has two.

The headrest options are the same. Both of them offer ten ways to adjust.

Here’s some good news. There’s no more manual rethreading what so ever. Whenever you adjust the headrest, the harness is adjusted as well. This goes for both car seats.

It’s still the same. Where is the difference?

Britax Emblem Convertible Car Seat

Pros:

It’s super easy to install just listen to the “Click” sound

It’s top-rated on Consumer Reports

Padded side protection for older kids not many car seats offer this

Cons:

The material stitched on by elastic that par won’t last

There’s no leveling guide, so you have to guess

Britax Allegiance Convertible Car Seat

Pros:

It’s lightweight even if it has a steel frame

It has one of the highest safety ratings

No headaches about the manual rethreading

Cons:

Only one rear-facing recline position which is not good enough

The manual vaguely talks about a leveling line, nowhere to be found

Also read: Unbiased Britax grow with you clicktight review with pros and cons

Britax Emblem vs Allegiance Verdict

This is frustrating. After investing all this time, there’s no meaningful difference.

What I can tell that the Britax Emblem Convertible Car Seat seems to be a newer version of the Britax Allegiance Convertible Car Seat. It has one more side impact protection layer, and that’s it.

If you compare the pictures, you can see that the Britax Emblem has a different headrest style, and that’s it.

If you want a meaningful difference, then I guess it’s the colors. The Britax Emblem has Fushion and Dash while the Britax Allegiance has Azul, Confetti, Luna, and Static. The price difference is minimal, as well. So might as well go with the newest version.

I feel disappointed with this comparison. I mean, the difference is one extra layer of side protection and colors.

We have reached the end of the Britax Emblem vs Allegiance Convertible Car Seat comparison. At least now you know what the difference is. You get the one that fits you the best. Get them soon because the stocks are running low.

If you like to leave feedback or you have some tips drop them in the comments section below.

Catch you next time!

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What is the difference between Britax car seats?

There are many differences between Britax car seats. First of all, there’s the infant car seat. These are typically for rear facing mode only. The next stage is the convertible. These car seats allow both rear and front facing. The final stage is the harness booster car seats which are for front facing only. Of course, there are all-in-one car seats that cater from the baby stage all the way up to young adult age. If you are interested in the key differences then check out my reviews and comparisons. I’ve done most Britax seats.

What is the difference between the Britax Marathon and Boulevard?

The key difference between Britax Marathon and Boulevard is that the Boulevard has an extra layer of side protection while the Marathon only has one. The Boulevard is heavier by 10 pounds while the Marathon is lighter. Finally, the Britax Marathon is slimmer than the Boulevard.

How do I recline my Britax allegiance?

Yes the Britax allegiance has a recline function both for front facing and rear facing mode. For the recline to work you push on the red button and pull on the car seat.

What are the safety features for the Emblem and Allegiance car seat?

There are so many so let’s get to it. It comes with a V-shaped tether. The V-shaped tether reduces forward movement crash impact. Make sure you connect the V-shaped tether to the latch anchors. If you’re familiar with britax convertible car seats then you know that these car seats offer two layers of side impact protection. As you know the more side impact protection a seat offer the better safety for your child. In case of T-bone accidents if you can have at least two layers of side impact protection then you are in safe hands. Both car seats are equipped with safecell technology (safe cell technology). With safecell impact protection your little one will be safe from harm. In case of a crash the safecell impact protection will absorbed the energies and protects your loved one from harm. The safecell impact protection has a honeycomb structure. For seat belt installation there’s built-in lock-offs. To my surprise the Britax Allegiance car seat doesn’t have built-in lock-offs. This will make sure that the seat belts stay put. We shouldn’t forget about the stabilizing steel frame. With the stabilizing steel frame your little one will be safe from harm no matter what. Some frames only have plastic not with Britax they are using a stabilizing steel frame. They are known for the ease of use. These would be the safety features.

How can you use these two britax convertible car seats?

These Britax convertible car seats can be used in

What’s the base width for the combination car seat?

The base width is the same for the emblem car seat as for the allegiance it’s 18.2 inches. The seat weight is the same 19.5 pounds.

What are the weight limit for these convertible car seats?

The weight limit is exactly the same for these two car seats, the emblem convertible and the allegiance. In rear facing mode (infant insert included) it’s 5-40 pounds. The generous weight limit allows extended rear facing up to 40 pounds. For front facing harness positions the weight limit is 20-65 pounds.

When it comes to comfort which of these convertible car seats is the best?

The Britax Emblem has two layers of side impact protection while the allegiance has three layers of side impact protection. There are more than enough recline positions to choose from. The 10-position harness automatically adjusts. There’s not manual harness rethreading thanks to the 10-position harness. These two car seats fair the same way. Harness positions allow you to give the most comfort to your child. On harness position won’t be good for a child but for another, it would be. This means that there are multiple harness positions to choose from. The harness height is the same for these child seat which is 29.5 inches (shell height, harness height). The car seat size is 19 x 18.2 x 29.5 inches. As you can see the emblem and allegiance are the same in more aspects than one.

How can you was the emblem and allegiance seat cover?

first of all it’s easy to remove the seat cover. Then you put it in the washing machine and it will be good as new. The car Seat cover gets stained the fastest.

Can it be used as a booster seat?

No these are convertible car seats and can’t be used as boosters.

How do you install the emblem and allegiance car seat?

You have two options to go with there’s the push button latch connectors and the belt installation. There’s no difference between the belt installation and the latch connectors. It’s easy to use all of them.

What other features do the emblem and allegiance have?

Here are some additional features to check out: latch connectors, lower anchors, built-in lock-offs, impact absorbing, head protection, body pillow. As you know the body pillow and the head protection is super important with a baby seat. Also there’s an infant insert included with the package. The final list of features: harness adjuster, recline option, harness straps, chest pads, belt installation, head restraint, car clip buckles.

Britax Boulevard vs Britax Advocate which one should I get?

Britax Advocate is the better choice for most people.

Last Updated on November 7, 2023 by Brian Beasley