Maxi Cosi vs BeSafe Car Seats

child in a maxi cosi car seat

Along with strollers and cribs, buying a car seat is usually one of the main purchases for couples when they’re expecting a baby.

For this article let’s take a look at how some Maxi Cosi car seats compare with BeSafe. We’ll look at the Maxi-Cosi Cabriofix, Pebble Plus, Mico Max 30 and the Besafe iZi Go.

Table Comparison

Maxi Cosi Cabriofix

  • Weight: 3.35kg
  • Child Weight: birth to 13kg
  • Depth: 66cm
  • Height: 57cm
  • Width: 45cm
  • Compatible with Maxi-Cosi stroller (and other strollers*)
  • Newborn support insert included
  • Sun canopy included
  • Choice of compatible ISOFIX bases

Maxi Cosi Pebble Plus

  • Weight: 4.65kg
  • Child Weight: birth to 13kg
  • Depth: 67cm
  • Height: 44cm
  • Width: 56cm
  • “Easy in” harness
  • Sun canopy included
  • Newborn support insert included
  • i-size compatible
  • Compatible with Maxi-Cosi stroller (and other strollers*)
  • Choice of compatible ISOFIX bases

Maxi Cosi Mico Max 30

  • Weight: 4kg (8.9lbs)
  • Child Weight: Birth to 13.5kg (5-30lbs)
  • Depth: 75cm (29.7”)
  • Height: 62cm (24.5”)
  • Width: 42cm (16.7”)
  • Expandable canopy included with visor
  • LATCH compatible
  • Cozi-Dozi infant insert
  • Compatible with Maxi-Cosi stroller (and other strollers*)
  • Comes with a base

BeSafe iZi Go Modular X1 i-Size

  • Weight: 4.2kg
  • Child Weight: birth to 13kg
  • Depth: 66cm
  • Height: 59cm
  • Width: 44cm
  • Extra large sun canopy included
  • i-size compatible
  • 5 point harness
  • Newborn Hugger™ – stability and support for newborn babies
  • Compatible with a range of strollers*
  • Choice of compatible ISOFIX and i-Size bases

*You’ll need to purchase adaptors separately.

Maxi Cosi Cabriofix – Pros and Cons

Pros

  • Lightweight, easy to carry
  • Not expensive
  • Side impact protection
  • Compatible with most leading brands of pushchairs
  • Choice of ISOFIX bases to go with.

Cons

  • Not the easiest car seat to clean
  • No raincover included.
  • Sun canopy doesn’t fully cover the baby.

Maxi Cosi Pebble Plus – Pros and Cons

Pros

  • Compatible with most leading brands of pushchairs
  • Choice of ISOFIX bases to go with.
  • Side impact protection
  • i-size design
  • Easy to strap in your baby with the “Easy In” harness

Cons

  • No raincover included.
  • Quite heavy to carry
  • Need to buy a separate base if you wish to use i-Size feature.
  • Quite expensive.

Maxi Cosi Mico Max 30 – Pros and Cons

Pros

  • Comes with a base
  • Lightweight, easy to carry
  • Anti-rebound bar
  • Well designed sun canopy
  • Side impact protection
  • Lots of colour choices to choose from
  • Self-wicking fabric – helps babies stay dry if they’re sweating

Cons

  • Accompanying base is a little bulky, which might not be that suitable for small cars.
  • No raincover included

Besafe Izi Go Modular X1 i-Size – Pros and Cons

Pros

  • Compatible with most leading brands of pushchairs
  • ISOFIX and i-size compatible
  • Side impact protection
  • Extra-large sun canopy
  • 5-point harness

Cons

  • No raincover included.
  • Need to buy base separately
  • Quite expensive.
Check Price

Detailed Comparison – Maxi Cosi vs BeSafe

Weight

WINNER – Cabriofix

The Cabriofix is almost a kilo lighter compared to the other car seats, which is a big plus. As your baby grows, they will get heavier (quicker than you can imagine!) so if the car seat is lighter to begin with, it will make it easier on your arms and back. Think if you’ll be carrying your baby a fair distance from your car to your home every day. Every gram counts.

maxi cosi cabriofix

Size

DRAW

There’s not much difference between any of them, apart from the Mico Max 30 which is a bit taller and longer than the other three. You should definitely consider the depth of a car seat, especially if you have a small car as it can press into the back of the front passenger seat.

However, the Mico Max 30 is slightly narrower than the other car seats which means it takes up less space across the rear seats. This is handy if you have other passengers sitting there.

However, just bear in mind that some customers say the accompanying base for the Mico Max 30 is quite bulky and you only gain the real benefits of the small size if you use it without the base. It might not be that suitable if you have a very small car.

Design

WINNER – iZi Go

In terms of features, the Cabriofix lags behind the others.

Being a slightly newer model, the Pebble Plus has some improvements over the Cabriofix. The “Easy In’ harness makes it easier to strap in your baby. Also, it is an i-size car seat  (i-size is an EU regulation brought in 2013), which makes it easier to install, provides better protection from side impacts and keep babies in the rear facing position for longer.

The Mico Max 30 also has more features than the Cabriofix. The integrated sun canopy with visor is a big plus as the Cabriofix canopy sometimes doesn’t fully protect your baby from the sun (depending on the time of day).

The iZi Go is a newer model than the Cabriofix and it possesses some superior features.  The Newborn Hugger™ is an improvement over Maxi-Cosi’s newborn insert. It offers extra stability and support. Furthermore, the sun canopy is larger and it does a better job at keeping your entire baby in the shade.

It’s really a toss up between the iZi Go and the Pebble Plus, but we think the iZi Go just edges it. The Newborn Hugger™ is a great feature to ensure your baby fits snugly and safely into the car seat for the first few months. Also there are some magnetic belt assistants to make it easier to get your baby in and out of the car seat.

Safety

DRAW

All the options are fine and perfectly safe for your newborn baby. However the Izi Go and Pebble Plus are i-size compatible (unlike the Cabriofix which uses ISOFIX). The newer i-size feature makes car seats a bit easier to install, providing better protection from side impacts and keeping babies in the rear facing position for longer (up to 15 months – rather than 12). The 5 point harness also helps protect the baby more in side impacts. The Mico Max 30 uses the US-based LATCH system, which is hard to compare with i-size. It features an anti-rebound bar, which provides an extra safety feature near the foot of the car seat.

Ease of cleaning

DRAW

The covers are fairly easy to remove on the Pebble Plus, Mico Max 30 and the iZi Go and they’re machine washable too, which makes it a lot more convenient and straightforward to clean and remove stains. Some users have said it’s quite hard to remove the covers from the Cabriofix.

How long do they last?

WINNER – Mico Max 30

The Mico Max 30 just shades it as it can be used up to 13.5 kg, not 13 kg like the others. This may have something to do with the fact it’s a US based car seat, where as the others are more prevalent in Europe and they conform to different regulations.

Compatibility

WINNER -iZi Go

All the Maxi-Cosi car seats will fit with Maxi-Cosi strollers, but if you’ve bought, or you’re thinking of buying another brand of stroller, you’ll need car seat adaptors. However, the iZi Go will also work with most travel systems from the leading brands.

Price

WINNER – Cabriofix

The Cabriofix is a winner if you’re on a budget as it’s a cheaper option compared to the other options. However, being an older model it doesn’t have quite as many features. You have to weigh up what is best for you and your baby.

Installation

DRAW

They are all straightforward to install. The Cabriofix, Pebble Plus and iZi Go are compatible with a variety of ISOFIX bases which can be attached to the car fairly easily. However, the Pebble Plus and iZi Go work with an i-size base, which gives you another way to safely install the car seat.

Are they all compatible with my car?

It’s so easy to overlook this, especially for new parents. Chances are you’ll be fine, but it’s best to check with the manufacturer just in case

For Maxi-Cosi, they have an online tool for this.

For the Besafe,  here’s their approved car list for the Izi Go.

What are the main differences between them?

Cabriofix vs Pebble Plus

At a glance, they basically look the same. They both last for the same amount of time, they’re both rear facing and they both work with a number of Maxi-Cosi ISOFIX bases.

However, although they have similar features, including a newborn insert and sun canopy, the Pebble Plus has a couple more options (i-size and “Easy In” harness). Here’s a detailed comparison between the Cabriofix and Pebble Plus.

Cabriofix vs Mico Max 30

Although they are both lightweight options, suitable for infants for the first year or so, the Mico Max 30 has a better sun canopy than the Cabriofix.

They also integrate into different safety systems, the Cabriofix with ISOFIX, and the Mico Max 30 with LATCH.

Size wise, the Cabriofix is shorter and not as long, but it’s wider than the Mico Max 30.

Finally, when you purchase the Mico Max 30, it usually comes with a base.

iZi Go vs Pebble Plus

As you can probably tell from reading the comparison above, there aren’t a whole lot of differences between the two car seats. In fact, there’s a lot more in common than what sets them apart from each other. They are similar sizes, both i-Size compatible and both feature extra large sun canopies.

Bottom Line

WINNER – iZi Go (just!)

Although all the options is fine, the Cabriofix is slightly behind the others in terms of features and ease of cleaning. But if you’re on a tighter budget, the Cabriofix is still a good, safe option to consider.

However, we think the iZi Go is the best option overall as it’s just slightly better designed than the Pebble Plus. It contains a better newborn insert and the magnetic clips make securing your baby in the car seat a lot easier. Yes it’s more expensive, but the fact it complies with more recent EU regulations and it’s easier to clean, just edges it over the Cabriofix and Pebble Plus.

If you’re based in the US, the Mico Max 30 is still a great option. It comes with a base which can save you a bit of money and it’s easy to clean. Just make sure you measure things in your car as it’s a a bit deeper and longer than some other infant car seats.