Two car seats from big-name brands have failed Which?’s latest crash tests, and both have now been recalled. Which? published the results on 12 October 2026, naming the Axkid Minikid Core and the Britax Römer Baby-Safe Pro + Vario Base 5Z.
If you’ve got either seat in your car, here’s what went wrong and what to do about it.
Which? crash tested the Minikid Core rearward-facing in a frontal impact, with a dummy the size of a six-year-old. The support leg retracted during the crash. It happened with the seat upright and again with it reclined.
The support leg is what braces the seat against the car floor. Once it collapses, the seat (and the child in it) moves much further forward than it should.
In the reclined test, the harness also pulled away from the seat shell, so the dummy wasn’t properly held in.
This one’s an infant carrier. Which? tested it rearward-facing and reclined on its ISOFIX Vario Base 5Z, with a dummy representing an 18-month-old. In the frontal impact, the harness buckle opened and the dummy came loose.
That only happened in the reclined-on-the-base setup. Upright on the base, or fitted with the car’s adult seatbelt and no base at all, the buckle held and the seat passed.
If you have a Minikid Core, Which? says stop using it now. Axkid has launched a voluntary recall and will swap affected seats for free. Register through the Axkid product safety page to get your replacement.
Axkid is also telling parents they can carry on using the seat until the updated version arrives, based on its own internal testing. Which? doesn’t agree, and still recommends you don’t.
If you have a Baby-Safe Pro, don’t use it reclined on the Vario Base 5Z for now. Which? says it’s fine upright on the base, or fitted with the adult seatbelt and no base.
Britax has recalled every Baby-Safe Pro made between 26 December 2025 and 30 September 2026, whether it was sold on its own or as a set with the base. Flip the seat over: the item number and production date are on the label underneath the shell.
Baby-Safe Pro sold on its own:
| Item number | Colour |
|---|---|
| 2000039636 | LUX Soft Taupe |
| 2000039637 | LUX Urban Olive |
| 2000040835 | Classic Deep Black |
| 2000040837 | Style Carbon Black |
| 2000040838 | Style Mineral Grey |
| 2000040841 | Style Teak |
| 2000040842 | Style Harbor Blue |
| 2000040844 | LUX Warm Caramel |
| 2000042124 | Style Sage Green |
| 2000042125 | LUX Onyx Black |
Baby-Safe Pro + Vario Base 5Z set:
| Item number | Colour |
|---|---|
| 2000039740 | LUX Urban Olive |
| 2000039741 | LUX Soft Taupe |
| 2000040845 | Classic Deep Black |
| 2000040847 | Style Carbon Black |
| 2000040848 | Style Mineral Grey |
| 2000040851 | Style Teak |
| 2000040852 | Style Harbor Blue |
| 2000040854 | LUX Warm Caramel |
| 2000042126 | Style Sage Green |
| 2000042127 | LUX Onyx Black |
Britax is setting up a dedicated recall site. Until it’s live, the Britax Römer safety notice has the latest details.
Axkid’s explanation is that the seat moved so much in the impact that its base hit the support leg hard enough to release the adjustment mechanism. It says its own tests never showed this, and that the Minikid Core still meets every legal requirement. But the results didn’t meet Axkid’s internal standards, so it chose to recall.
Britax Römer called the result unexpected. Its own vehicle and development tests, run under the same conditions, showed nothing unusual. It also pointed out that the buckle is an industry-standard part from a common supplier, and other manufacturers use it too. The recall came after Which? first published the story.
Both seats are legally approved, which is the bit most parents will find unsettling.
Which? runs its tests with a group of European consumer organisations and motoring bodies, using crash scenarios based on Euro NCAP. The forces are higher than R129 approval testing requires, but they’re still realistic for a real crash. Lots of manufacturers design their seats to pass Which?’s tests on top of the legal minimum.
So passing R129 tells you a seat meets the legal bar. It doesn’t tell you how it copes with a harder hit.
Multimac is R129 approved and crash tested at VTI, the Swedish research institute that developed the Swedish Plus test. Testing covers 11 different child age and weight combinations, using 28 dummies.
The frame is aluminium, and the seat is held in by tether straps fixed to your car’s chassis. The support legs are patented and designed to deform in a crash, absorbing energy along with the Adjustamac and chest pads. Every seat has a five-point harness that children can use up to the age of 12.
There’s more on how Multimac is built and tested on our safety page, or you can get a quote for your car.
Source: Which?, 12 October 2026
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