The world is now a global village, such that our attention is needed daily in a variety of places. It means we often have to go with a car. When we have a child that is below the age of 10 years old, it is important for us to have foresight for the little one’s seating arrangement. A child car seat offers a safe way of transportation. If you want to buy the best seat for your kids, you should consider this comparison review between Britax frontier vs pioneer vs pinnacle. This article will provide more details about the 3 choices so you can make a well-informed decision.
Why you would need a car seat
Once you have a child between the ages of 4 and 12, and you want to transport him around it is best to put him into a car seat. Every parent knows or should know that they are not allowed to sit with a child in the front seat. The reason is that the kid could get injured when the airbag of the car inflates in case of an accident.
Keeping children on the back seat of a car without a proper car seat is also dangerous. There is a risk of the kid distracting the driver when he tries to get out of his seat. In case of an accident, the impact could make the kids fly out of the car’s window or windscreen.
Things to consider
When you want to consider buying a car seat, the most important points are discussed below.
Size and weight it can support
The size of the car seat and the weight it can support are very important features to consider. You want a seat that is comfortable to sit in. You also want to be sure that it is strong enough to support his weight.
Design
There are two major things to keep in mind. The first is that there are 3 main design types which suit different age groups. There is the rear-facing version that can be attached to the back of the driver’s seat or back of the front passenger seat. The rear-facing version is ideal for kids from birth to the age of 3. For this type of seat, the kid faces the back of the car. The forward-facing seat is the one that is attached to the back seat with the kid facing the front. It is ideal for kids from the age of 1 to 7 years. There is a booster seat that is bigger and supports more weight for kids from the age of 4 to 12 years.
You would also want a design that is beautiful and probably has a curved headrest that can cover both sides of the head. This gives protection from any debris in the event of an accident.
Security
When it comes to security, the main thing to consider is the complexity of tightening the car seat. It must always be properly fitted so that there is almost zero chance of the seat sliding off in the event of a sudden movement or jerk from the car. Britax convertible car seats now come with a ClickTight feature which ensures that the seat is tightly fixed. If you hardly ever remove the seat, you might not bother about the ClickTight system; just make sure that the seat is properly installed the first time. However, if you have to regularly remove the car seat or switch the car seat between dad’s and mom’s car, the ClickTight feature will make your life easier.
Durability
You would want a seat that would last for a very long time. Durability means it won’t easily get damaged when in use as that can be harmful for your child in case of a real accident. It also means it would serve you for a very long time and you won’t have to keep buying new seats every other year.
Precautions
The most important precaution for car seats is to make sure that it is properly and tightly installed in your car. You should also make sure you properly strap in your kid before driving.
Overview table
The table below gives you a quick overview of the features, how their implementations compare between the 3 brands.
| Feature | Frontier | Pioneer | Pinnacle |
| ClickTight |
Yes |
No | Yes |
| Curved headrest |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Weight supported |
25 to 120 |
25 to 110 |
25 to 120 |
| Age range |
1 to 12 |
1 to 10 |
1 to 12 |
| Design – Forward facing (Booster mode supported) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Relative price among one another |
Mid-Priced |
Cheapest |
Most Expensive |
Each car seat reviewed – Britax Frontier, Pioneer, Pinnacle
Britax Frontier
If you want a seat that promises convenience, comfort, and safety, then you should consider the Britax Frontier. It is very easy to install due to the ClickTight technology. It comes with a system of impact protection that protects a child in the event of a crash. Some of the features of such a protection include staged release stitches to reduce and slow the forward movement, a V-shaped tether to minimize the rotation of the seat, a base that absorbs energy and a steel frame. All of these work together to make sure that your child has a high level of protection. Two cup holders are integrated into the car seat where you can keep snacks and drinks that kids can easily reach.
Product Info:
- Age: kids between 3 – 6+ years
- Weight: 24.9 lbs
- Size: 21 x 19 x 28 inches
- Can support a weight of up to 120 lbs
- Color-coded
- Easy off/on lower anchors
- SecureGuard Clip Compatible
- Integrated cup holder
- Multiple recline position
- 2 layers of side protection
- SafeCell system of impact protection
Pros:
- ClickTight Feature
- Great if you want to regularly remove the seat from the car
- Cover can be easily removed for washing
Cons:
- Harness problems could arise if you don’t have a concave rear seat – it can be solved with a plastic board
Britax Pioneer
It is another one of the list of best car seats from Britax. The seat is designed such that you can transition to a belt-positioning booster as your child continues to grow. Even though it doesn’t feature the ClickTight technology, you can use the seatbelt of your vehicle or the latch to secure it. It features the 2 layers side impact protection that can contribute to keeping your child safe. The chair can support between 25 and 70 pounds in harness mode as well as between 40 and 100 pounds in booster mode.
It is affordable and therefore more suitable for those on a budget.
Product info:
- Age: kids between 2 – 10 years
- Weight: 26 lbs
- Size: 19 x 21 x 28 inches
- Material: Steel
- Weight recommendation: 25 to 110 pounds
Pros:
- Less expensive
- Offers adequate protection for your kid
- Can be used in harness and booster mode
Cons:
- It does not fit in every car type, therefore check if it fits for your car
- Does not have the ClickTight technology
Britax Pinnacle
If you are looking for an easy-to-install car seat for your child, then you should probably consider the Britax Pinnacle model. It comes with the ClickTight technology that makes it very easy to install it. As opposed to most other Britax car seats, it has 3 side impact protection layers.
The car seat provides the highest level of protection for your kids. It also has all the features you would find on other Britax seats and more.
![Britax Pinnacle ClickTight Harness-2-Booster Car Seat, Venti [Discontinued]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51Y38fEwjiL.jpg)
Product info:
- Age: kids between 2 – 12 years
- Weight: 26.5 pounds
- Size: 21 x 22.5 x 28 inches
- Can support a weight of between 25 – 120 pounds
- Material: Steel
- Two-integrated cup holders
Pros:
- ClickTight technology
- 3 side impact protection layers
Cons:
- A bit difficult to fix the shoulder strap
- Some noise comes from the seat even when it is properly installed.
Wrap-up
If you want to buy the best car seats for kids, I recommend the Britax Pinnacle. It comes with the ClickTight technology making it very easy to install and remove. You could literally fit it in a car within 30 seconds. It is also the safest type of car seat available on the list as it has 3 layers of side impact protection as opposed to 2 for the other model.
If you want to get the most affordable one, then you could opt for the Britax Pioneer option. This is also a good choice if you are going to be using the seat just inside your car and it is going to be permanently installed there. This option does not have the ClickTight technology, unlike the others. So it would require more time and effort to fix it securely.
If you are more concerned about the cheapest Britax option that has the ClickTight feature, then you could consider the Frontier ClickTight feature. It comes with virtually every feature you would find on the Britax Pinnacle car seat for kids except that it has only 2 layers of side impact protection as opposed to the 3 layers of side impact protection in the Britax Pinnacle.
Last update on 2024-04-07 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
