Car seat expiration by brand
Each manufacturer sets its own useful life, and it can differ between models of the same brand:
| Brand | Useful life | Where to find the date |
|---|---|---|
| Britax | Willow, Cypress or Arbor infant seat and base: 6 years; Grow With You: 9 years; Poplar, Galaxy360 or One4Life: 10 years; Highpoint, Skyline or UpNGo booster: 10 years | Serial number label; labels from 2018 on show the expiration date itself |
| Chicco | Infant car seat: 6 years; Rotating convertible seat: 8 years; All-in-one seat (8-year models): 8 years; All-in-one seat (10-year models): 10 years; Harness booster: 8 years; Booster: 8 years | Underside of the seat or base |
| Clek | Any Clek seat: 9 years | Barcode label (back of the seat, or under the cover or base) |
| Doona | Doona car seat and stroller: 6 years | Manufacturer's label |
| Evenflo | Made in January 2025 or later: 10 years; Older Symphony, Transitions or Evolve: 8 years; Most other seats made before 2025: 6 years | Date of manufacture label on the bottom, side or back |
| Graco | Plastic-reinforced belt path seat: 7 years; Steel-reinforced belt path seat: 10 years; Belt-positioning booster: 10 years; Infant seat made before 2011: 6 years | Date of manufacture (DOM) on one of the seat's labels |
| Maxi-Cosi | 8 to 12 years depending on the model; the sticker or manual gives yours. | Sticker on the back of the seat |
| Peg Perego | Infant seat (bought from 2023): 7 years; Convertible seat (bought from 2023): 10 years; Booster (bought from 2023): 12 years (from date of purchase) | Production date label; use the purchase date if you have it |
| Safety 1st | 8 to 12 years depending on the model; the sticker or manual gives yours. | Sticker on the back of the seat |
| UPPAbaby | Mesa V2 or Mesa Max infant seat: 7 years | Labels on the bottom of the carrier and base |
Nuna prints the expiration date on a label underneath the seat or base. For any other brand, the label and manual give the number. Lifespans were checked on each brand's website in October 2026.
How to work out the expiration date
- Find the label with the date of manufacture (often "DOM" or "Manufactured in") on the bottom, back or side of the seat or base. Some seats also have a date stamped into the plastic shell.
- If the label says "Do not use after" with a date, that is your expiration date.
- Otherwise, find the useful life in the manual or on the seat, and add it to the date of manufacture.
Is there a law about car seat expiration?
Not in the US. The federal safety standard for car seats (FMVSS 213) requires a permanent label with the month and year of manufacture, and says nothing about expiration. Manufacturers set the useful life, and AAP advises checking the label for the date the seat was made and asking the manufacturer how long to use it.
Buying or borrowing a used seat
A used seat is only safe if you know its history. Before you use one, check that it hasn't expired, that it has never been in a moderate or severe crash, that it has all its parts, labels and manual, and that it hasn't been recalled. If you can't confirm all of that, don't use it.
After a crash
NHTSA considers a crash minor, and a car seat reusable, only if all of these are true:
- The vehicle could be driven away from the crash.
- The vehicle door closest to the car seat wasn't damaged.
- No one in the vehicle was injured.
- The airbags didn't go off.
- You can't see any damage to the car seat.
Some manufacturers, including Chicco, Clek, Doona and UPPAbaby (for the Mesa), say to replace a seat after any crash, so check your manual too. When it's time for the next seat, our car seat stage calculator shows which stage your child needs.