Maxi-Cosi Mica 360 Pro car seat review

Coming in at £349.99 for both the car seat and base, the Mica 360 Pro offers good value for money, particularly as it's designed to be used from birth to around 4 years old. It also comes in an impressive choice of 7 colourways, from quirky terracotta to classic black.

What were your first impressions of the Maxi-Cosi Mica 360 Pro car seat?

The box looked huge and it was heavy too, so I did wonder how easy it was going to be to fit it in the car. I needed help from my husband to get it out of the box but it looked sturdy yet comfortable at the same time.

How easy is it to install the Maxi-Cosi Mica 360 Pro car seat?

The instructions are very brief, but luckily not much direction is needed as it really is so easy to use and quite self-explanatory. I found an online manual for the seat that was more helpful just to check there were no features we had missed, but by that point we had worked it all out for ourselves, including how to pull out and tighten the straps.

It took just a couple of minutes to install the seat in the car, and the same for taking it out again. However, due to the weight of the seat, I had to ask my husband to give me a hand carrying it out to the car. Overall, it was a very simple process but the weight (nearly 15kg) will probably put you off taking it out and installing it again regularly.

How do you install the Maxi-Cosi Mica 360 Pro car seat?

All we had to do was fold out the support leg and fit it into the car using the ISOFIX connectors built into the base of the seat. There are green indicators so you know when you’ve got it right. Honestly couldn't be easier!

Despite the seat looking huge when we unboxed it, it actually doesn’t feel like it takes up that much space in the back with a width of just 45cm.

How does the Mica 360 Pro compare to similar car seats for this age range?

It's pretty competitively priced for a car seat and base, however there are some cheaper options, such as the Joie i-Spin 360 (£250), which is a comparable model from a rival brand. It shares many of the same features including 360-degree one-handed rotation, one extra recline position (the Joie model has 6 recline positions compared to Mica 360 Pro’s 5 positions) and that it can be used rear-facing from birth to 4 years, with the option of forward-facing from 15 months.

How does it compare to other Maxi-Cosi car seats?

The Mica 360 Pro is among the first car seats from Maxi-Cosi to include their new slide technology ‘SlideTech’. This means the seat slides out of the car and has resulted in the chair being certified by AGR as 'back-friendly' as you don’t have to bend to buckle your child up.

I struggled at first to see why you would pay £60 more for the Mica Pro 360 compared to the Maxi-Cosi Pearl 360 Pro (£299.99). But on closer inspection the Pearl is only suitable from 3 months (or you can buy the newborn inlay separately) and the SlideTech technology only works in combination with the FamilyFix 360 Pro base, which is also sold separately for £219.99.

What are the key safety features of the Maxi-Cosi Mica 360 Pro car seat?

It was reassuring to know that the safety cushions in the headrest reduce the risk of head injury by up to 20%. The seat also has clear green indicators so you know it’s been installed correctly without needing a trip to Halfords or checking numerous pictures to confirm you’ve done the right thing.

The Mica 360 Pro also has an ‘anti-misuse button’ to lock rotation so children under 15 months always travel in the rear-facing position. And G-CELL technology has also been built into various parts of the car seat for protection from side-impact collisions. Maxi Cosi says the panels in the headrest and side wings redirect G-forces, absorb the impact and guide a child’s head into the ‘most secure zone of the headrest’ for maximum protection.

How long is the Mica 360 Pro car seat rear-facing for?

It can be rear-facing for the lifetime of the chair, which is up to 4 years old. My eldest boy is at the top end of the age range (3.5 years old) and he was happy to sit in it rear-facing with a good amount of room for his long legs.

Does the car seat rotate?

This is one of my favourite things about the Mica 360 Pro car seat — it glides around like a dream!

I could even spin it with one hand, which is handy when you’ve got a wriggly toddler in your arms. And as the name suggests, it rotates 360 degrees so it would be easy to turn it into a forward-facing seat if you chose to do so.

Any unique features of the Maxi-Cosi Mica 360 Pro car seat?

There are 4 main features of this seat which could all be considered game-changers alone, but combined make for a very impressive package.

Being able to rotate it one-handed ensured I didn’t have to battle with getting a car seat in the right position in the rain and the ‘easy-in harness’ also further helped smooth the process as the straps stay out of the way so you’re not fiddling around underneath bottoms to strap them in.

There are 5 recline positions which were useful depending on whether we wanted the boys to sleep or stay awake during longer journeys.

But I’ve saved the best feature until last — Maxi-Cosi’s SlideTech technology is the kind of thing parents with older children will look at and longingly say ‘I seriously wish we had that when my kids were little’.

It allows the seat to slide out helping you to avoid banging your head on the car roof while you’re getting your little ones in or out of the car. And it’s been certified by AGR as 'back-friendly', so lifting your toddler in and out of the car has probably never been this comfortable.

How comfortable did your baby and child find the Mica 360 Pro car seat?

The seat looked really comfortable and there were no complaints from my toddler and a lot less screaming from my newborn who had previously despised going in the car seat!

Quite often we would get them out of the car seat and their backs would feel very warm and sweaty from being in the car seat. This didn’t happen with the Mica 360 Pro but it’s hard to know whether that was just because the weather was particularly cold during testing or if the ClimaFlow panels in the car seat were doing a great job of keeping the airflow.

We took the newborn inlay out as our 4-month-old looked a little bit too big for it (the specification says it’s only needed up to 60cm) but it was very soft and you would feel happy leaving the hospital with your newborn knowing they were tucked in safe in the back of the car.

The 5 reclining positions also helped add to the comfort if they wanted to sleep during the journey or sit up and look out of the window.

How well did the Maxi-Cosi Mica 360 Pro work with your different aged children?

The car seat was ideal for both children and really easy to adjust. All I had to do was extend the harness straps and then pull up the headrest which has 9 height positions. I felt confident both were safe and well protected and for my eldest boy, I was pleased to see his legs didn’t look squashed when it was rear-facing.

Is the car seat big enough for a growing child?

My eldest boy is at the top end of the age range and he sat in the Mica 360 Pro car seat comfortably. I could take the newborn insert out with minimum fuss and from that point, all I’ll need to do is adjust the headrest as he grows.

How do you rate the straps on the Maxi-Cosi Mica 360 Pro car seat?

The harness was incredibly easy to adjust for both children. Best of all it was easy to give grandparents instructions on how to use it too when they wanted to help put one of the children in the car; rather than having to show them where the button was or fiddling around under the seat to find it for them, I could just tell them to press the white button and pull the straps. So simple!

The straps also lived up to the promise of staying out of the way, so it was easy to get both children strapped in.

How robust does the car seat feel?

It definitely feels like a car seat that will last until my baby boy is 4 years old.

How did you find the recline on the Mica 360 Pro car seat?

The recline is really smooth and there are 5 positions to choose from. Others may experiment with each one but we generally either had the boys sat up or reclined as far as possible so they could have a sleep and it reclined far enough for this.

How easy is it to clean the Maxi-Cosi Mica 360 Pro car seat?

We had a couple of spews during the testing period but they were easily wiped clean with a damp cloth. The car seat covers are machine washable and there were clear diagrams in the online manual which parts could be washed to freshen up the seat.

Does the car seat have a sunhood?

No. There’s no sun hood which was a little disappointing considering the price and that the seat has been made for newborns.

What’s in the box?

• Mica 360 Pro car seat and base (it all arrived as one piece)
• ‘Baby Hugg’ inlay (for the newborn phase)

What are the additional accessories that you can buy?

There are no essential items with this seat but you can also buy:

• Back seat car mirror
• Back seat protector
• Organic cotton summer cover

How sustainable is the Maxi-Cosi Mica 360 Pro car seat?

Around 90% of the packaging was recyclable as it was all cardboard. The only exception was a plastic bag that covered the seat. The cardboard around the seat ensured the seat wasn’t damaged in any way when it arrived and this all felt necessary and appropriate.

All Maxi-Cosi car seats are made with sustainable, 100% recycled EcoCare fabrics. This is produced with 75% less energy, 85% less water and 75% less CO2 emissions throughout the production process. The Mica 360 Pro fabrics contain 49 recycled 500ml bottles.

What are the repair options if it breaks?

All Maxi-Cosi products have a 24-month warranty and you would need to first contact the dealer or retailer to arrange repairs.

What would you have wanted to know before purchasing the Maxi-Cosi Mica 360 Pro car seat?

I was a little surprised there was no manual in the box and I had to search online to find it. But that's it!

Who would the Mica 360 Pro car seat be most useful for?

This seat would be ideal for any parents with concerns about their back, as they wouldn’t have to bend over to buckle their child in thanks to the slide technology. It could also be a great choice for grandparents as it’s so easy to adjust if they have grandchildren with a variety of ages between 0 and 4, and they could rotate and slide them into place with minimum effort.

Is the Maxi-Cosi Mica 360 Pro car seat worth the money?

This may not be the cheapest option out there, but the standout feature is obviously the slide technology. If you have spent time fiddling around in the past trying to fasten straps and banging your head on the car door then the convenience of this seat is probably priceless.

Where can I buy the Maxi-Cosi Mica 360 Pro?

It is available from John Lewis, Mamas&Papas and Maxi-Cosi.

MadeForMums verdict

Overall, I’m a big fan of this car seat and think the convenience is worth the price tag. If you’ve ever had to battle in the wind and rain with a little one who doesn’t want to get into their seat then paying a bit more for a seat that spins with next to no effort, is easy to strap them into and you can save your back feels worth the money. It's padded, comfy and with plenty of space for a growing baby – I'd definitely recommend it.