Axkid One 2 car seat review

The standard model, which will set you back around £625, is suitable for children from 61cm, while the ONE+ 2 includes an additional insert to make it suitable from birth – at a further cost of around £100.

The Axkid ONE 2 is currently the only i-Size, ISOFIX seat that allows a child to remain rear facing up to 23kg and 125cm – or around the age of seven.

Tested By

Victoria tested the Axkid ONE 2 with her 18-month-old son. It was used in the rear passenger seat of a Nissan Qashqai for short journeys around the city, as well as a 1 hour journey for a weekend away. The seat was also tested by several MadeForMums parent testers, with their children aged between 7 months and 5 years.

What were your first impressions of the Axkid ONE 2 car seat?

I admit I was a little sceptical about this product – a rear-facing car seat for up to 7-years-old? But I was certainly intrigued. Taking it out of the box it felt sturdy, with a strong, rigid frame, but surprisingly light (around 10kg) – especially compared to the 360-degree seat we were previously using.

From a design point-of-view, it fits safely in the functional category – prioritising its safety features over a slick appearance. It came as a single unit with just a side-impact protection pad to add on which made the prospect of installing it slightly less daunting.

How do you install the Axkid ONE 2 car seat in your car?

The Axkid ONE 2 is a single unit and can only be installed with ISOFIX connections. They slid in easily (once I’d manage to awkwardly manoeuvre them into place) and gave a reassuring click when secure. The support leg extends using a small grey button tucked away on the back of it. It moved smoothly and easily and there is the usual red/green indicator to let you know it has been set correctly.

It took up a lot of space – filling every millimetre with the front seat as far forward as it could go. When my niece (13) and nephew (10) rode alongside our child in the back, they found it a bit of a squeeze to get into the middle seat in a car that is usually pretty roomy.

How easy was the Axkid ONE 2 car seat to install?

It’s a big seat so it is pretty awkward to pick up and position in the car, but it was far lighter than I expected. I watched a helpful video on the Axkid website before attempting to fit the seat, which helped me to understand how the sizing adjustments worked to get it to the right setting for an 18-month-old.

• Despite the manufacturers claiming it takes 30 seconds, we used the picture instructions to help fit the seat using our ISOFIX points, which took 15 minutes. There were also written instructions but we found the pictures far easier to follow.
• However, because of the size of the seat, I found a lot of the mechanisms on the back of the chair a little fiddly to access. You often couldn’t get your head in to see them and it was too dark to make out any instructions. Once you know where they are, it’s easy to adjust just by feel, but it makes the first few attempts tricky.
• Fellow parent tester Sarah used the seat with their 5 year old. Having fitted other types of extended rearfacing seats using a tether system, she was “pleasantly surprised” by how easy it was to install. “It took me no more than 5 minutes to fit the seat, and that was only because I triple checked everything was correct,” she says. “The instructions are clear, with pictures and written instructions but I found the video on the Axkid website very helpful as I could visually see the fitting process. The steps are clearly identified by yellow numbers on the seat.” Other testers say they found the instructions clear, but definitely appreciated watching the video for clarity.
• Once in place, the seat is on the smallest setting (up to 6 months) and you have to adjust the recline and legroom to make it suitable for your child. Changing that was also a little fiddly, although the online video helped considerably. You need to adjust two points – a dial between the child’s legs for recline and another dial awkwardly tucked below the seat for legroom. However, fellow parent testers overall found the dial easy to use, although one adds: "This is very easy but not very quick, compared to other seat which you simply pull/slide into various positions".
• At first it seemed like it wouldn’t fit in our car on the biggest setting (with the front seat as far forward as it could go) but after a little tweaking, we realised you needed to adjust both settings to the middle position, before adjusting each to the setting for an older child. If you try to move the legroom dial to its roomiest setting straight away, it won’t fit. It probably took us another 10 minutes to complete the process.

• After it was fully installed, it felt really stable and safe. No rocking or movement and the bars on the sides gave it the feel of a safety frame in a racing car.

How does the Axkid ONE 2 compare to the previous version, the Axkid One?

Two years after the launch of the Axkid ONE, the Axkid ONE 2 claims to have more than 150 updates from individual screws through to the mechanisms you use every day - making it the Swedish company's safest car seat to date.

They’ve made the headrest adjustment easier – which now extends smoothly with just one button – and have improved the fit of the textile fabric, which aims to make it more comfortable, as well as how smoothly the harness runs. They’ve also added ventilation holes to the 0-3 years insert and have aimed to make it feel like a more premium product.

What are the key safety features of the Axkid One 2 car seat?

Axkid says this is the safest seat it has ever made. Like its other models, it’s tested to Swedish Plus standards – one of the most thorough forms of testing that uses higher speeds compared with i-Size testing, and shorter breaking distances, as well as using neck sensors.

The manufacturer says the super-padded headrest is specially designed to absorb the force from a crash before it reaches a child and there’s a side-impact protection pad that you attach to the side of the car seat that’s closest to the door

The science behind rear-facing is based on space travel technology. Tests show a crash in a rear-facing seat distributes the force across a larger proportion of the body, while a forward-facing seat puts most force on the neck in the event of a crash.

How long is the Axkid ONE 2 car seat rear-facing for?

The whole point of this seat is that it is rear-facing until 7-years-old (23kg / 125cm). That’s its unique selling point and Axkid are clearly very proud of that. Our 18-month-old had plenty of room and I can see how, with the slight adjustments (which move the seat more upright and back), there would be ample room for an older child too.

Whether it would be comfortable for a 7-year-old, I’m still not convinced, and I struggle to imagine an older child being willing to remain rear-facing for that long. However, this is something Axkid argues is based on a parent’s existing ideas of comfort rather than evidence that a child dislikes it, and to be fair we haven't tested this aspect ourselves.

Does the Axkid ONE 2 car seat rotate?

No, it doesn’t rotate - although that would be amazing! Our previous seat did and I do miss the feature which was much easier on my back. But the frame structure of the Axkid means it wouldn’t be possible and would probably compromise the safety of it. At the toddler stage, getting him into the seat without the option of rotating was sometimes a little tricky. While a newborn is easy to lift in sideways, and an older child could climb in themselves, wrestling an increasingly wilful 18-month-old was a challenge at times.

What would you say are the most unique features of this car seat?

The fact that the Axkid ONE 2 remains the only iSize, ISOFIX seat that allows a child to remain rear-facing up to 23kg and 125cm – or around the age of 7 - is definitely its most unique feature. It’s a pretty compelling one since this car seat is all centred on creating a seat that is as safe as possible for your baby/child.

How comfortable did your child find the Axkid ONE 2 car seat?

He seemed pretty happy and comfortable in this car seat, as it feels well padded and the memory-foam head-rest in particular looks far more comfortable than others on the market. It fit snugly around his head, which got a bit sweaty on hot days, but meant his head was well supported and didn’t loll from side-to-side.

However, I was concerned that in the toddler recline and legroom positions, when my son fell asleep his head often dropped forwards. Although it is possible to put the seat in a more reclined position, this means reducing the legroom too and that was noticeably less comfortable for my little boy. The seat appears more upright than his old one and it may just take a little getting used to.

When taking him out of the seat, both my husband and I found the solid frame of the brace bar often got in the way and we caught his leg several times. He was obviously a little annoyed when that happened although it never caused him any lasting discomfort.

Overall, our parent testers were impressed with how comfortable the seat seems to be for their children, who were aged between 7 months and 5 years.

How do you rate the harness on the Axkid ONE 2 car seat?

As the seat is designed for children up to 7 years old, the 5-point harness extends far more than our previous car seat, which makes it much easier to get your child in and out. I found you had to pull pretty hard to get them tight enough, with customer reviews on Axkid agreeing that the straps are difficult to tighten. It took a few goes to be able to find the button that loosened the straps as it’s tucked below the seat directly under the excess strap, which sometimes got in the way.

Kimren tested with their 10 month old, and says: “It was confusing at first to understand how to adjust the straps, you press a button (which is placed very awkwardly) and you have to use quite a bit of force to pull the seatbelt. This isn’t ideal to do when your child is in the seat as you have to lean over (bearing in mind I am pregnant at the moment) and tug on the seatbelt. I have to remember to pull the seatbelt out before I sit him in it.”

The catch to undo the buckle was also a little fiddly and I didn’t find it got any easier. On the plus-side, I can’t imagine my 18-month-old son figuring it out for himself for a very long time. The shoulder pads are fixed so you don’t have to worry about whether you’ve positioned them properly and once secured, it feels high quality.

How robust does the Axkid ONE 2 car seat feel?

The thing that impressed me most with this seat was just how solid and sturdy it felt. Everything is chunky, the frame is metal and even the casing felt more robust than others I’ve looked at. For a seat to last from newborn to age 7, it would have to be pretty hard-wearing and early impressions suggested it would be capable of lasting the distance.

Does the Axkid ONE 2 car seat recline?

The seat has three recline options – although for newborns the instructions say it should be kept in the most reclined position (42 degrees) for safety and, for the oldest children (3+), it should remain in the most upright setting. Once children are past the napping stage, I don’t see this being an issue. For toddlers, it is possible for the seat to be set at any of the recline positions and at any of the legroom options.

In the toddler position, my son’s head tended to roll forward when he slept so we were keen to recline the seat further but we found it wasn’t possible to use the most laid back setting without making the legroom uncomfortably tight for our little boy.

The mechanism for increasing or decreasing the recline for the different age settings involves turning a grey dial between the child’s legs. I found it a little stiff to get moving at first, but it was pretty easy after the first go. It also means the movement between stages is smooth and can be done while a baby/child is sleeping without causing too much disturbance.

How do you rate the headrest on the Axkid ONE 2?

The memory-foam headrest looks very comfortable and the fact that it sits fairly snugly around my son’s head gave the impression it would be well protected. The manufacturer says the design of the headrest, as well as the choice of material, is especially designed to absorb the force of a crash.

If you need to raise the headrest for your child as they get older, it is operated by a one-button sliding lever on the back, which had a pleasingly smooth movement and was easy to adjust with one hand (once you’d got used to where it was). It has 12 settings and a simple eye-level indicator which makes it easy to work out if you’ve got it in the right place.

Sarah says their 5 year old found the headrest “quite snug”, adding “it can cause his ear to fold over which he does not like. He has to flatten his ears down once his harness is done up, but if he moves about a lot they get squashed.” Other parent testers were fans, however, with one saying they're "really impressed" with the protection it offers and another calling it "super supportive and comfortable".

How easy is the Axkid ONE 2 car seat to clean?

The textile seat cover, insert covers and headrest cover can all be washed at 30 degrees in a washing machine on a gentle cycle and the plastic / metal parts can be wiped down. Getting the covers off the main seat takes a bit of work but the inserts for smaller children come off thanks to a simple zip.

How easy do you find the car seat to carry around?

The manufacturers claim that the Axkid ONE 2 car seat weighs less than 10kg, boasting that it’s 30% lighter than other seats and it certainly felt pretty light. However, because of the length of it – and the need to give a child up to the age of 7 enough leg room – it is awkward to carry when installing. Thankfully, once it’s in, it can potentially stay there for several years.

Does the Axkid One 2 car seat have a sun hood?

No, it does not come with a sun shade but one can be purchased separately if you feel your child needs that added protection on sunnier days.

Would you say the car seat is big enough for a growing child?

There is clearly plenty of growing room in the Axkid ONE 2 with the additional legroom settings and the ability to raise the headrest considerably further. Seeing as it is meant to accommodate a child rear-facing until the age of 7, there is definitely a lot of growing space.

Fellow parent tester Sarah tested the seat with their 5 year old, and says he has plenty of legroom, and was able to climb in and out of the seat easily: “He is 110cm and 5 years, so the seat should last him until he is 7. At first he was not keen on rear facing, having outgrown his previous rearfacing seat at 4. However I simply explained it was a safer seat. He was absolutely fine about that and I think that he will be fine rear facing until age 7. Once using the seat he likes being able to talk to his sister (in the middle seat) face to face. And also that he gets less car sick”

How does the Axkid ONE 2 car seat compare to similar products?

What’s in the box?

• Axkid ONE 2 Car seat
• Instructions
• Inserts
• Side impact protection cushion

What are the additional accessories that you can buy?

• Axkid premium seat protector £44
• Baby mirror £16.50
• Sun shade £29
• iPad holder £22
• Summer seat cover £22
• Cooling pads £35

Now you’ve tested it, what would you have wanted to know before purchasing the Axkid ONE 2 car seat?

Priced at more than £600, it would be good to know that if I was to purchase this car seat, my child would be comfortable rear-facing until they are at least 7-years old as this product is intended to last. It has also gone through rigorous road testing, so it would be useful to know that it’s marketed as the safest car seat of its kind. However, if you were going to have a second child, buying another Axkid ONE 2 car seat would be expensive.

Who would this car seat be most useful for?

The Axkid ONE 2 car seat is ideal for safety-conscious parents with a decent amount of disposable income. The seat is a true test of a parent’s resolve that this level of safety really is the most important thing – because at times Axkid’s dedication to safety means some of the features become a little fiddly and inconvenient.

Is the Axkid ONE 2 car seat worth the money?

At around £625 for the Axkid ONE 2 and £725 for the + version with the newborn inserts, it is definitely on the expensive side. I think the pricetag would have put me off making that initial investment even though it has the potential to take the place of two or even three other seats.

Of course, the safety benefits of an extended rear-facing seat for a child up to 7-years-old are also worth considering when deciding how much to spend and the long-term potential means it isn’t as pricey as it initially seems – but having that amount of money up front when you welcome a newborn is a lot to ask for most families.

Where can I buy the Axkid ONE 2 car seat?

It is available from Axkid, Pramworld and Kiddies Kingdom

MadeForMums verdict:

Overall, the Axkid ONE 2 is a great option for those who want a safe, solid and robust rear-facing car seat to go the distance and grow with their child - as long as you are happy to pay a premium price up front. However, some of the product’s fiddly features and awkward mechanisms such as the straps and buckle let it down, with its bulky size meaning it takes up a lot of room and isn’t easily transported if you wanted to swap it between cars. If you have the funds and want a safe seat that will see your child through until 7-years-old and you have the space to accommodate this hefty piece of kit, it is worth considering the investment.