New Silver Cross Perform child car seat review
If safety is at the top of your list when it comes to child car seats, look no further than the Swedish Plus Tested Silver Cross Perform
Verdict
The Silver Cross Perform is yet another high quality product from the popular brand. It ticks all the boxes when it comes to comfort and durability. However, the lack of versatility will be an issue for some people, especially in a seat that costs almost £400. That said, you can’t put a price on safety, and this really is at the top of the pile when it comes to that.
- Price: £395
- Contact: Silver Cross
We have tested many Silver Cross car seats over the years here at Auto Express, and have always come away highly impressed. They are usually versatile, comfortable and extremely well made. Now, its latest car seat has arrived on the market, but this one is a little bit different.
The Silver Cross Perform is the brand’s first ever Swedish Plus Tested car seat, meaning safety really is at the forefront of its design. If you’re unaware of the Swedish Plus Test, it’s essentially the strictest car seat test in the world, focusing on neck safety during full-frontal impacts. If a car seat passes the test, it is deemed to be at the very top when it comes to infant protection.
However, the Swedish Plus Test is only carried out on rear-facing seats, meaning the Silver Cross Perform’s versatility is somewhat limited. Considering there are so many rotating and all-size car seats on the market, is it a trade off worth having? To find out we lived with the seat for three weeks and thoroughly put it to the test during that time.
Used - available now
2023 Mercedes
A-Class
24,791 milesAutomaticPetrol1.3L
Cash £15,495
2017 Ford
Focus
76,070 milesManualPetrol1.0L
Cash £5,995
2023 Hyundai
Kona Electric
44,590 milesAutomaticElectric
Cash £14,880
2023 Maserati
Levante
28,935 milesAutomaticPetrol2.0L
Cash £34,990Firstly, as you’d expect from Silver Cross, this is a luxury car seat made with high quality materials. Our little tester clearly found the seat comfortable based upon how often he fell asleep in the back. The reclining feature is easy to operate as well, meaning it can be done with one hand and without waking the occupant in the process.
Everything else is pretty standard fare, the harness is easy to operate and the expandable headrest is also very easy to move. Some car seats can be an absolute nightmare to take in and out, and I’ve had no end of fights with Isofix points over the years. However, it’s not something I have ever had to say about Silver Cross products, and you’ll be pleased to know the Perform is no different. It’s simple to install and remove with a click of the button on either side. At just 11.5kg, it’s not that heavy when moving around, either.
Not being able to rotate the seat was a bit of an issue. With so many others, including Silver Cross’ own Motion 3, offering the ability to turn the seat, it does feel a bit outdated and it was initially a bit of struggle to get our tester in and out.
The Perform is able to grow with your child, though. Silver Cross states it is good for children up to seven years of age, but in our experience it might be a stretch to fit them in. The unique rebound bar can be moved to increase the leg room, but it’s going to be tight for any child bigger than a toddler.
We tried to fit a seven year old in the seat, and he couldn’t get anywhere near squeezing in, although he is admittedly quite tall (the limit is 125cm). The bigger issue will probably be persuading children of that age to remain rear facing, especially as they will have to keep their legs crossed for the duration of the journey. Most slightly older kids are keen to start looking forwards and interacting with their surroundings.
Safety is what this seat is all about, though. We don’t perform any crash tests at Auto Express, but the Perform’s credentials speak for themselves. Passing the Swedish Plus Test will give parents a sense of relief if they are ever involved in an accident . And after just a week of testing, we soon got used to the lack of seat rotation, but whether this will be the same for others is entirely subjective.
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