Nuna Pepp Next Pushchair review

The ride is smooth when unfolded and there is multiple suspension on the front and back wheels, as well as an ingenious canopy system that extends to ensure a cool and dark environment for your child to sleep.

It’s not a one-size-fits-all purchase, though – our reviewer wasn't convinced it's suitable for a newborn, and it is priced at the higher end of the market.

Tested by:

Joe tested the product with his 3-year-old daughter – although he didn’t feel comfortable using it with his 4-week-old baby.

How does the Nuna Pepp Next compare to the Pepp?

The Next is certainly an upgrade on the previous releases like the Pepp and the Pepp Luxx – it’s far more comfortable for your child, with added suspension and excellent manoeuvrability, and the overall look is more sophisticated – it features an added leatherette handlebar, a glossy black frame and silver-accented wheels.

The zip-out mesh seat for warm weather is also an ingenious touch. Aside from that, many of the key features you may have loved in the Pepp are carried through to this latest release – including an adjustable recline, calf support and the Dream Drape cover.

What were your first impressions of the Pepp Next?

The Pepp Next is pretty much ready to go straight from the box with the wheels and the seat fabric already attached to the frame. Once I attached the hood and clip the bumper bar on, we were ready to roll.

My first thought – as with all Nuna products – is that it showcases great quality and style. The fabric and frame are of a great quality and feel sturdy and built to last, and the leatherette handle is a lovely touch.

At just under 10kg, it’s not a particularly lightweight pram but it seems to have struck a good balance between feeling sturdy yet not back-breakingly heavy.

How comfortable is the Nuna Pepp Next seat unit?

The seat is softly padded with an added adjustable calf support, which means you can make the seat even more comfortable as your baby grows.

It’s built for all seasons as well – during cold weather the fully padded seat is warm and snug, but when it’s warmer you can remove all the padding, leaving just a soft mesh for better airflow to your baby’s back.

The padding is also machine-washable, meaning you’ll be able to keep it looking as good as new, even once the inevitable food-based destruction occurs with regular use.

What age is the Nuna Pepp Next Pushchair seat suitable for?

The seat is meant to be able to be used from birth as you can adjust it to lie flat – but we didn’t feel comfortable putting our newborn daughter in it. The seat just doesn’t seem to be solid enough to protect a newborn, and we felt the harness position would have been uncomfortable.

On top of this, there is also no option to swap the seat to a parent-facing position, which means you’d have to peer over the canopy to check your baby was OK.

At the other end of the age spectrum, the maximum weight capacity of the seat unit is 15kg – and it felt solid enough to comfortably handle a child of this weight.

Does the seat recline?

The seat reclines to 3 positions – and this is operated by zips as opposed to the more common options of buttons or straps. I think this is a nifty feature that allows quick and one-handed reclining.

When in the upright position, the seat is virtually vertical – giving our daughter a great viewpoint. The first zip causes the seat to recline slightly to a snoozing position, while unzipping the final zip reclines the seat fully.

Is the Nuna Pepp Next Pushchair seat reversible?

No, it's not reversible, which is a feature we'd like to have seen if using it from birth.

How is interacting with your child when in the Pepp Next?

The pram is outward-facing, so we couldn't see our baby and our baby couldn't see us – if a parent-facing option is important to you, then the Pepp Next isn’t the right pram.

What did you think of the seat harness?

I found the harness really tricky – although perhaps it’s something that gets easier with time. The 5-point harness clips into a central buckle, and you have to match up all the parts before clicking it in.

While this sounds easy in theory, when you have a writhing toddler who doesn’t want to be in the seat or a toddler who wishes ‘to help’, it becomes quite a tricky operation. The harness is neatly padded, though, and once clipped in, is simple to adjust and undo.

How easy is the Nuna Pepp Next to manoeuvre when walking around town?

I found the pram really easy to push – the wheels are chunky yet nimble, so are quick to turn around the tightest of corners.

It feels like the pram has quite a low centre of gravity, giving it a really solid feel, and this meant I felt confident twisting through the busy high street without ever feeling like I was losing control of the pram.

The inbuilt suspension provided a smooth ride for me and my child and the handlebar is also adjustable, so even the tallest of operators shouldn't need to stoop to push.

It’s worth noting that you can also lock the front wheels to give you even more control when taking the pram somewhere with challenging terrain.

How does the Nuna Pepp Next Pushchair ride on challenging surfaces?

The suspension ensures the pram is able to deal with most urban environments – its strength lies within its manoeuvrability and turning ability, but due to the size of the wheels and its low-slung frame, I’d be wary of using this pram on more rugged ground. If you’re someone who goes on long country walks, my hunch is that it would struggle on muddy or snowy terrain.

How much does the Pepp Next weigh?

At just under 10kg, it isn’t as lightweight as similar prams in its category – but it certainly doesn’t feel particularly heavy or sluggish. It’s obviously well designed, with quality parts ensuring a smooth ride when pushing the buggy.

How easy is it to lift?

It’s incredibly easy to carry – the pram folds into a nice, compact, sturdy parcel and there are plenty of places you can get a good grip on it when lifting it. It's so compact that it doesn’t feel unwieldy at all. When it's folded, you’re also able to wheel it along – the same way you would a suitcase – so you would only need to carry it when lifting it into something like a car boot.

How does the Nuna Pepp Next Pushchair fold?

It's straightforward to fold and unfold this stroller – but I found I did need 2 hands to do it.

The way it folds is perfect if storage is an issue, or if you travel regularly on trains or planes, as it is compact and can be carried in a travel case (which can be bought as an optional extra). The compact storage also means it won’t take up too much space in your boot.

• First, you pull up the 2 levers on either side of the frame at the same time
• The buggy then flips forwards, folding in half, leaving a long but very flat and compact package
• There is a rubber strap on the frame that then hooks over a pin and secures the fold – once you’ve got this in place, the buggy can stand on its own (useful if storing in a cupboard), or you can even wheel it behind you like a suitcase

What do you think of the wheels on the Pepp Next?

The wheels are proportionate to the size of the frame – this isn’t the largest pushchair on the market, so I wouldn’t expect it to be able to cope with really tough terrain conditions (we have a big heavy iCandy with bigger wheels to handle this sort of scenario). It’s very much an urban pushchair – shops, buses and trains are its natural home, rather than country paths or rough terrain.

Does the Nuna Pepp Next Pushchair's brake feel effective?

The brake feels sturdy and strong and it’s also hard to miss – it's a large pedal right in the centre of the frame.

Is the hood big?

The hood on the Pepp Next is really well designed and is one of the main selling points of the pram. It gives good coverage and the thick fabric is lined to keep your baby well sheltered from both the sun and the elements. If you unzip the central panel of the hood, you will also find the Dream Drape – this is made of a stretchy material and reaches all the way down to the pram’s bumper bar. It’s a great alternative to draping a muslin over a pram when your child is taking a nap.

How sturdy is the Pepp Next?

It’s a sturdy, well-built pram that feels like it will be able to take knocks and scrapes.

How compact is the buggy when folded?

The buggy flattens into a compact shape that is easy to store – when folded it stands perfectly on its back wheels, meaning you are able to store it folded up against a wall if you wish.

How spacious is the basket?

I found the basket really annoying, to be honest – it’s quite deep, but due to the small footprint of the frame, the actual size of it is very small – you wouldn’t be able to fit your changing bag in there, but you would be able to fit a few loose items, such as a drink, a coat and some snacks.

The shape of the handlebar means I don’t think it would be that easy to hook your changing bag to that, either – which confirms that this is very much a pram for a nip into town rather than anything lengthier.

How effective is the Pepp Next's rain cover?

It’s a good-quality rain cover with a soft material wrapping around the main, clear element of the cover. It secures completely around the seat quickly with Velcro – with the tabs placed underneath the seat frame.

Does the Nuna Pepp Next fit in the boot of your car?

The compact fold and small footprint of the pram ensures it is a great space saver in the boot – it’s substantially more compact than our current iCandy. You can easily put shopping bags and suitcases around it, making the pram a good choice for people who travel often and don’t want to rearrange their boot each time they pop to the supermarket.

Can the Nuna Pepp Next be used as a travel system?

We tested the pram with the Nuna Pipa Lite LX car seat. It’s fairly simply to detach the seat fabrics from the frame and click the car seat adapters in and they feel safe and sturdy. But, these do need to be purchased separately. Another handy feature is that you can fold the frame with the adapters on as well – which saves a lot of time if you’re planning to use the pram with the car seat a lot.

How stylish is the Pepp Next?

It looks classy, well-made and has a pleasing shape, but personally I didn't like the dingy green colour (olive) we tested. It looks like it would be great if you were using it to hide from someone in a forest, but it’s less attractive when walking through the aisles at Tesco.

From pictures, the other colours look a lot more stylish – you can choose from frost and grey (both greys) as well as aspen (a striking black).

Is it easy to build the Nuna Pepp Next?

The pram is pretty much ready to go from the moment you get it out of the box – all you have to do is fix the canopy to the frame, which is pretty straightforward and takes about 5 minutes.

Is the product value for money?

In my eyes, this is definitely an additional pram as I didn't feel it’s ideal to use from newborn, so you’ve got to factor that in when deciding if the money is worth it.

At £250, you can get cheaper ‘second’ prams, so for me the value of the pram is placed in how much you want something that’s compact and easy to store with great manoeuvrability.

Where can you buy the Pepp Next?

The Pepp Next is available from Little Angels, Pramworld and BuggyBaby.

Do you have to buy a lot of additional extras?

No, but you can buy a Pepp footmuff and Pepp Next car seat adaptors.

Who would the Nuna Pepp Next be most useful for?

This pram would suit a family who like to travel – the fact you can pop the pram in a travel case or wheel it like a suitcase is a major bonus. It’s also extremely compact, meaning you can put it in your boot and still have plenty of room.

The spring-loaded suspension and small footprint of the frame means it would suit someone who lives in a town, rather than a family who takes their pram on local country, muddy walks.

Also, I wouldn’t feel comfortable putting a baby in it before they are at least 6 months due to the fact the canvas padding doesn’t feel that secure and the straps seem to be quite high up, so I'd use it for babies older than 6 months.

How does the Nuna Pepp Next compare to similar strollers?

Both the Silver Cross Avia and Ergobaby Metro City Compact Stroller sit in the same £250+ price bracket and all 3 products are aimed at those who are space-conscious and like to travel. However, I would say the Pepp Next looks like the best buy as it has added features such as bigger, sturdier wheels, a large canopy and the Dream Drape.

MadeForMums verdict:

This is a premium pushchair with a well-designed frame, leatherette handle and fully loaded suspension to ensure a smooth ride for both baby and parent. The hood has excellent coverage and the Dream Drape adds further protection to your baby from the light and heat to help them sleep.

The pram isn’t the lightest, but it is sturdier than other similarly priced competitors – and on top of this, it folds easily and into a compact shape. The fact that you can wheel it like a suitcase or pop it into a travel case will appeal to families who are often away on trips.

On the flip side, I don’t think it’s suitable for a newborn, so it’s definitely an additional purchase pram and the basket is too small to fit a lot in. This means it’s very much a pram to pop into town with for a couple of hours, rather than a main pram to use from birth through to toddlerhood.