9 Best Booster Car Seats of 2023, Tested by Experts and Parents

Keep your little big kid safer and comfortable with this latest Monterey 2XT booster, a few inches larger than the old XT. It easily transforms from a high back booster to a backless booster seat. It's a favorite among our pros because of the nicely padded headrest to ensure your child stays comfy during long trips. That cushy headrest can be set to any of 11 positions, moving up a total of 6.5 inches to grow with your child. "My children always appear comfortable in this comparative to other boosters where they have felt cramped or less supported," says our Chief Technologist & Executive Technical Director Rachel Rothman, a mom of three and our lead tester for car seats and booster seats.

In fact, as a high back booster, this offers both height and width adjustments. It reclines a bit, only to be sure that the seat meets the pitch of your car's backseat. Once kids no longer require the added support, you can remove the back completely.

Kid testers appreciate both the arm rests and the two retractable cup holders. This seat comes in a range of colors, including all black, with covers that remove for machine washing (though we wish the removal was a bit easier). The Diono seatpad is slightly wider than some of the other options on this list and the aluminum-reinforced side-impact protection helps provide extra safety in the case of an accident. Finally, this can attach to your car using the LATCH system, though some online reviewers say they don't find the LATCH straps on this to be as easy to use as those on some convertible car seats.

Perfect for travel, car-pooling and families with multiple cars (not to mention grandparent and babysitter vehicles), this is the most minimalist and best budget booster car seat we tested. Ideal for older kids, it's got no bells and whistles so we won't pretend that it does, but it does boost a child up three inches so that they can buckle themselves in using the car's seat belt correctly — and 9K+ five-star Amazon reviews.

If you frequently car-pool kids to practices or meetings, it can be smart to keep extras of these in the trunk of your car so that everyone rides safely. This booster is also inexpensive enough that family members who drive your kid around can keep one in their vehicle too. And with it weighing only about two pounds, this is easy to put in a tote bag and take with you on trips so your child's always safe in their seat belt, in rideshares and elsewhere.

Note that unlike every other booster on this list, the Topside does not secure to your car with the LATCH system. This seat just sits on top of the car's backseat and the weight of your child holds it down. Even so, it has thousands of parents grateful for its convenience and price.

If you're a road-trip family that spends more than the average amount of time in the car, this exceptionally comfortable pick might be the one for you. Our testers loved the contoured seat and found the double-foam padding to be cushioning for kids. This version is made with the brand's ClearTex fabric, which is removable and machine-washable, and also boasts Greenguard Gold certification for textiles that are low in chemical emissions.

In its high back form, the KidFit offers 10 height positions, adjusting along the waist rather than the neck to offer more protection down the side of your child. Note that some of our younger tester kids did have some trouble buckling themselves in with the back on. But the back also removes completely for bigger kids, and then they have no trouble buckling themselves.

The KidFit connects to your car via a LATCH system and our Lab experts are fans of Chicco's SuperCinch one-pull tightener, which makes it very easy to get this seat fitting snugly. The two dishwasher-safe cupholders are soft and can fold in if you have to fit three people across your backseat and need every inch.

If you're looking for something for an older kid that doesn't take up quite as much room as other booster seats, consider a backless booster like this popular Graco model. It uses the LATCH system to securely connect in the backseat, but it's also a super portable booster seat for kids who don’t need added neck and back support. It still does the job of offering the height needed to get the seat belt in the right place, but kids can feel "bigger" and you can take this on trips or move it from car to car.

The TurboBooster is great for preteens not quite ready to transition to sitting unaided in the car, but looking for more independence. Several of our testers noted how this made it easier for their kids to buckle themselves in. For parents, we found the machine-washable seat pad to be easy to clean. The integrated cupholder and hidden storage compartment are a way to keep a drink and snacks (or a small toy) handy.

You can get a younger kid started in a booster seat if you use one that begins with a five-point harness, such as this Britax. It can accommodate children as small as 25 pounds with the harness, then up to 120 pounds as a belt-positioning booster with a noticeably wider spread than most booster car seats. You can expect to use it from preschool through elementary school, and those extra years of use help justify the higher price.

Our testers said the nine-position headrest was easy to adjust. Both our Lab experts and parent testers also love the Britax ClickTight system, which makes it a snap to lock this booster car seat in place in your backseat when it's in harness mode. The seat fabric is removable and it can even go in the washing machine and the dryer.

With three layers of side-impact protection and the brand's SafeCell Technology that helps absorb the crash energy, you know your little one will be protected. However, this a heavy, substantial booster car seat. Expect to keep it in your main vehicle; it doesn't lend itself much to swapping between cars.

The seatback of the aptly named Alta goes higher than any other booster car seat on our list, stretching up to 33 inches tall at the top level of the seven headrest positions. Though it's only recommended for children up to 57 inches tall, that high back can work well for kids who have a long torso. A belt-routing system guides both the shoulder strap and the lap belt to rest safely and securely. This helps kids learn how to buckle up on their own and ensures that grown-ups put the straps in the right place too.

Secure the seat with rigid LATCH connectors that fit it tightly into your vehicle. Our experts appreciate the specialized foam featured on the sides of the seat that provides additional side-impact protection. Consumer testers could tell that this seat has high-quality construction. "We like the wide shoulder support and the adjustable head positioning," one said. The removable seat fabric is machine-washable, and the seat's one cupholder is removable as well and can be positioned on either side.

Nuna's booster comes in some beautiful colors (pink, teal, dark green), giving it a high-end look without being on the far end of the price spectrum. The seat's fabric is Greenguard Gold certified too. The headrest adjusts to nine different positions; as you push it upwards, the shoulder width moves out as well, so it expands as your child grows (accommodating up to 120 pounds). You can even choose from three seat depths and eight recline positions, making this seat among the most customizable to your child's size.

If your child is most likely to be excited about their seat if it is in a fun color, this will help win them over. The cupholder is not integrated (it just hooks on), but because it removes easily, you can put it through the dishwasher. The fabric comes off as well for washing and the seat connects with a LATCH system. Energy-absorbing foam pads on the sides of the seat help with side-impact protection when this is in high back mode.

This unique and sleek-looking booster seat is on the higher end of the price range, but it includes numerous safety measures that impress our Lab experts. The Oobr, manufactured in North America, is made with rigid LATCH connectors and a winged headrest for increased stability. Plus, it has belt guides to make sure the seat belt rests over your child’s body in the correct places. It's also easy to tell whether or not the seat is properly in place since you'll hear an audible click when secure.

"This booster seat feels solid, though it's still comfortable for my child," says our Textiles, Paper & Apparel Lab Executive Director Lexie Sachs, a mom of two. The headrest adjusts to any of 11 positions and the seat can recline 12 degrees. It also has a removable cup holder and a removable seat cover for easy cleaning. When your child is ready, you can take off the back and use this as a backless booster. And when you're completely finished with it, you can look into Clek's recycling program in partnership with CarSeatRecycling.com.

This harness booster seat, which might not be out of place in the cockpit of a space ship, has kid appeal with the fun latching snack console, two cupholders, and mesh fabric that can help keep a kid's back cooler in hot weather. Parents like that the fabric can unzip to be washed in cold water (hang it to dry), and those cupholders can go in the dishwasher.

The MyFit can accommodate a child up to 54 inches tall in harness mode, making it a way to extend a tall little kid's time in a five-point safety harness if you prefer. In high back booster mode, it does not fit a child as tall or as heavy as some other seats on our list, so we mostly like this for preschool and early-school age kids. The headrest adjusts to nine positions and there are also four recline settings.

This is another substantially heavy choice; once you use the LATCH system to secure it into your main vehicle, you're likely to keep it there. As with the other Chicco choice, the SuperCinch tightener makes this one easier to install than many others.