Over 91,000 children are injured in motor accidents each year. With those numbers looming over any safety-conscious parent, paying extra for a luxury car seat is sometimes not so much a luxury as a necessity. Continue reading to learn about the 8 most expensive car seats that money can buy to keep kids safe (in style!).
8. Roosevelt Car Seat
Brand: Merritt Manufacturing
Weight limit: 35-115 pounds
photo source: Especial Needs
The Roosevelt Car Seat has a weight capacity of 35 pounds minimum and 115 pounds maximum. The height limits are 33.5” to 62”, with slots for five different shoulder strap heights and a 30-inch seat.
Padded seat extenders that can be adjusted up to three different depths allow the parent to customize the seat depth not only for each child but for each leg separately.
The seat comes with an EZ-Tether system that makes it unnecessary to tether or add external supports, which is especially helpful when installing the Roosevelt Car Seat in older cars.
The Roosevelt car seat by Merritt Manufacturing usually sells for around $925.69.
Did you know?
This car seat comes with many optional accessories, including an EZ-Up headrest, incontinent cover, scoliosis harness, and chest clip guard. In general, these accessories give parents with special needs kids options to make the seat even safer and more secure.
7. Therapedic Integrated Positioning Car Seat
Brand: Therapedic
Weight limit: 20-102 pounds
photo source: Flaghouse
The Therapedic Integrated Positioning Car Seat is a lightweight seat designed for kids with special needs. It fits not only in cars but also in school buses and on airplanes. The seat is rated to be latex and silicone-free, crash tested and fire retardant, and features a very sturdy construction. The shell is made from vacuum-form ABS plastic with side tubes made from chromed steel.
The back seat angle adjusts to 88 degrees and the seat weighs a very light 11 pounds for a seat like this. It fits kids up to 60” in height, weighing between 20 and 102 pounds.
The Therapedic Integrated Positioning Car Seat retails for around $1,022.
Did you know?
Therapedic is a mattress company, founded in 1957. They are now respected as one of the top 10 mattress brands in the country with several technology patents and over fifty licenses worldwide.
6. Thomashilfen Recaro Monza Nova 2 Reha Car Seat
Brand: Thomashilfen
Weight limit: 33-110 pounds
photo source: Medical eShop
The Thomashilfen Recaro Monza Nova 2 Reha Car Seat is a 5-point harness car seat that meets very high safety standards and is adjustable for both safe positioning for various conditions and for sleeping.
The neck support for this seat is also optimized for kids with stability issues, sporting an inflatable air cushion built right into the headrest.
The side pads of this seat are fitted for stability with anti-static material. They allow the seat to protect the rider from crash forces, according to the company, 30% better than other seats.
The Thomashilfen Recaro Monza Nova 2 Reha Car Seat retails for $1,358.95.
Did you know?
The weight capacity for this seat is 33 – 110 pounds. It was tested for safety by the US Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards and Regulations (FMVSS 213).
5. Spirit Car Seat Standard – Colombia Medical
Brand: Inspired by Drive
Weight limit: 25-130 pounds
photo source: Especial Needs
The Spirit Car Seat was made by Inspired by Drive and sold through Colombia Medical to offer above-average support for kids that have specific positioning needs. The seating area and back support of this seat are both made from memory foam for comfort and adjustability.
The seat accommodates kids from 25 to 130 pounds (not infants) and heights of up to 5’6”.
This allows parents to keep the same car seat for a long time as the kid grows up. The Spirit seat has an open shell construction, optional trunk supports and swing-away hips, and an abductor that makes the seat easier to transfer.
All these are available (plus a seat depth extender) through a package known as the Spirit + Seat.
This seat costs $1,497.95, but at least it will last a family a long time.
Did you know?
The seat weighs 33 pounds and has a maximum seat-to-back angle of 98 degrees. Inspired by Drive specializes not only in seats for children but also pediatric rehab tools for seating and positing, walking aids, and toileting aids.
4. Spirit APS Car Seat
Brand: Inspired by Drive
Weight limit: 25-130 pounds
photo source: Flaghouse
The Spirit APS Car Seat was designed to accommodate kids with special needs. To do it, Spirit ensured that the head supports are soft and padded, the recline bar is optional, and the side profile of the seat is low. This allows easier transfers in and out of the seat, which is essential for special needs situations.
The seat is designed with a five-point harness and has a machine-washable cover with padding. The swing-away hip and trunk support not only accommodate kids of different sizes from 25 to 130 pounds but also allow for finer adjustments depending on the rider’s specific needs.
The maximum height capacity of this seat is 5’6” and the price is $1,704.
Did you know?
The Spirit APS Car Seat by Inspired by Drive comes with many optional accessories, including a seat extender, trunk support sizes, hip support pads, a tether strap, and a seat abductor.
3. The Jefferson Car Seat
Brand: Merritt Manufacturing
Weight limit: 7.5-40 pounds
photo source: Health Cared Me
The Jefferson Car Seat was made especially by Merritt Manufacturing for babies suffering from a medical condition called an omphalocele (see below). The seat fits babies between 7.5 pounds and 40 pounds in weight and features two specially sculpted support cushions to support children with this condition.
The “EZ Leveling system” allows you to securely adjust the seat up to 50 degrees for the baby’s needs. The seat has two buckle positions that work around the area affected by the omphalocele, as well as a soft foam buckle custom-designed to keep babies with this condition safe. The seat’s construction and even its Naugahyde cover are all medical grade.
This specialty car seat runs for about $1,775.
Did you know?
Omphalocele is a condition in which a baby’s abdominal wall is defective from birth. Their intestines and other organs like their liver protrude out of the belly button, covered in a thin sac that doesn’t break, but it leaves organs exposed to the outside.
This requires extremely special care, such as avoiding conventional car seat buckling and support systems and opting for one that is specially made for infants with this condition.
2. Diono Rainier 2AXT Prestige Latch All-in-One Convertible Car Seat
Brand: Diono
Weight limit: 5-120 pounds
photo source: pishposh baby
This Diono Rainier 2AXT Prestige Latch All-in-One Convertible Car Seat fits kids from the age of 0 up to 120 pounds in size. It has an adjustable headrest with 12 positions, which is crazy, and side-impact seat protection is enhanced by the seat’s construction. It includes a 5-point safety harness.
One unique feature of the Rainer 2AXT is a rear-facing secondary seat that can fit small babies up to kids weighing 50 pounds, which can be convenient for travel. The seat is done in luxury modern leather over a core of Diono steel, which gives the seat a lot of added protection.
This seat costs $2,250 to own from the luxury baby care retailer, pishposh baby.
Did you know?
In 1999, Diono was founded, though it was called Sunshine Kids Juvenile Products at the time. Its first product was the Mighty-Tite, which tightened seat belts around car seats for added safety. After winning several product innovation awards, Diono turned to manufacturing luxury safety seats of their own.
1. Drive Spirit Plus Car Seat
Brand: Spirit Plus Car
Weight limit: 10-130 pounds
photo source: School Specialty
The most expensive car seat is the Drive Spirit Plus Car Seat. This seat accommodates up to 130 pounds, so even older kids can use it. Its back support and seating area are made from memory foam. The max height of the seat is 5 feet, 6 inches so it can fit pretty much anyone.
The seat has an open shell design and an optional hip bar that swings away. The trunk support adds strength, and the abductor makes it easier to adjust for room and take the seat in and out of the car. The seat is machine washable (the cover is, anyway) and is certified as being free of silicone and latex.
This car seat sells in a variety of colors for a plush $3,935.99, making it the most expensive car seat you can buy on the regular market. The dimensions of the seat imply that it can fit not only bigger kids but even young adults, if necessary. The seat has an overall width of 21.5 inches, a seat-to-back angle of 98 degrees, and an inside front width of 19 inches.
Did you know?
Dartz Motors created a Kevlar Seat for a single anonymous buyer that was advertised as being bulletproof. While we’d guess that this seat is one of, if not the most expensive car seats ever made, the price has never been disclosed and the seat cannot currently be bought.
