Car Seat Safety Standards Are Getting an Upgrade: Here’s What to Know

As a parent, keeping your little one safe in your car is a top priority. If you’ve recently heard about new car seat safety standards coming soon, you might be wondering what they are and what they might mean for your current car seats and any seats you buy in the future. 

Beginning December 5, 2026, car seats will be subject to standardized side impact testing requirements for the first time—an important step forward designed to ensure even more protection in certain types of crashes that can be especially dangerous for young children. This compliance date was extended from the previous date of June 30, 2025, to give car seat manufacturers more time to adapt their seats to meet the new standard.

Don’t worry: Your current car seat is still safe to use. But understanding the changes can help you make an informed decision about the car seat you own currently and help you pick your next seat.  

We’re breaking down what's changing, why it matters and what you need to know as a parent to make the safest choices for your family.

What are federal safety standards for car seats?

Car seat safety 101: All car seats sold in the United States must meet certain safety standards. These standards are set by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, or NHTSA. (NHTSA is part of the US Department of Transportation.)

Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 213 (FMVSS 213) is the federal safety standard that regulates car seats. It establishes requirements for how seats must be designed and constructed and how they must perform to protect children in the event of a crash. 

What safety standards are changing?

Research, technology and safety needs are constantly evolving, and because of this, NHTSA periodically amends its federal safety standards for car seats.

The most recent amendment is called FMVSS 213a. It’s a side impact protection standard: it’s designed to make infant and convertible car seats safer from all angles, but especially in the event of a side impact collision.

Many car seats currently on the market already have various levels of side impact protection, and some car seat manufacturers run their own side-impact testing. These new requirements aim to standardize side impact testing across all manufacturers and all seats.

Why is side impact protection important?

Side impact collisions pose a unique risk to young children. While frontal impact testing (safety testing for head-on collisions) has been in place for decades, there has been no federal requirement for side impact testing until now. 

What do the new standards say?

All car seats for children up to 40 pounds and 43.3 inches must now pass a new side impact safety test. 

The new test simulates a side-impact collision—often called a T-bone crash—when one vehicle hits the side of another vehicle. It uses more complex crash test dummies and includes rear-facing and forward-facing car seats installed using LATCH and a seat belt.

In order to pass the test, the car seat must:

• Keep the child secure in the seat.

• Contain the child’s head. (Prevent harmful head contact with structures.)

• Manage crash forces into the child’s body.

When do the new standards go into effect?

The new side impact testing requirements will now take effect on December 6, 2026. Because the deadline was initially scheduled for June of 2025, many larger car seat manufacturers have already complied with the new standards; however, this extension gives all manufacturers additional time to ensure full compliance.

"In their petitions for reconsideration, manufacturers stated that there are not enough test labs and small volume manufacturers don’t have their own sled systems to design and verify their products to meet these new, more advanced safety requirements," says a representative from NHTSA. "To ensure an adequate supply of child restraint systems for consumers to purchase while manufacturers adapt to the new standard, NHTSA is extending the lead time for compliance."

A car seat made before this date can still be sold past the December 6th deadline and is still safe to use—there aren’t any recalls being issued—but any seat manufactured after December 6th must comply with the new testing standards. 

The good news is that this isn’t a surprise to car seat manufacturers. NHTSA announced the new side impact standards in 2022, so manufacturers have had the last three years to update their seats and run new tests. Some car seat brands have already released new and updated seats, and some seats on the market are already compliant with the new standards.

It’s also important to note that many car seats currently on the market already include side impact protection. The new standard ensures that all seats are tested and held to the same side-impact safety requirements.

How will this change car seats?

The new side impact testing standards will change both the design of car seats and the weight and height requirements of some seats. 

Design-wise, changes will include:

• Enhanced side-impact protection

• Noticeable energy-absorbing and stabilizing design features, like deep side wings and pads/inserts

Car seat limits will also be changing:

• Infant car seats will now have a maximum weight limit of 30 pounds. 

  • Prior to this new standard, some infant seats had a maximum weight limit of 35 pounds. The seats had to be crash tested with two different test dummies: a larger and a smaller model.

  • Realistically, most children over 30 pounds are too large to fit safely and comfortably in an infant car seat. (Almost all babies outgrow their infant seat by height, not weight, long before they reach 35 pounds.) The 35-pound weight limit was also not aligned with the way most parents use infant car seats in the real world.

  • The new standards require crash testing infant car seats using only one smaller dummy that more accurately represents the size and weight of actual infants using these seats. This allows NHTSA to better evaluate how an infant car seat might perform in a crash with a real-life child and helps manufacturers avoid having to design seats that overcompensate for unlikely scenarios. TL;DR: These are smarter, more realistic safety standards.

  • If you currently own an infant seat approved for up to 35 pounds, you can continue using it—it’s still safe and has passed all the required crash testing to be used up to that weight. The weight change is simply a design adjustment to comply with these new standards.

• Forward-facing car seats will now have a minimum weight limit of 26.5 pounds.

  • Rear-facing is the safest way for babies and young children to ride. This new forward-facing minimum weight ensures that more children will remain rear-facing longer.

Can I still use my current car seat? 

Yes, it’s still safe to use your current car seat as long as it’s installed correctly, not expired and meets your child’s height, weight and developmental requirements. 

All car seats must pass strict federal testing requirements, and many seats currently on the market already have side impact protection. Seats made before the December 6th deadline aren’t being recalled or going away—they’re still safe to use. Just be aware that seats manufactured before that date may not meet these new side impact standards.  

If you’re purchasing a new seat and want to ensure it’s compliant with the new side impact testing standards, you can contact your car seat manufacturer or check the manufacturer’s website. Some seat labels may also state that the seat is side-impact tested and FMVSS 213a compliant. You can also check the car seat’s date of manufacture for a post-December 6th date.