# Car Seat Expiration Calculator

> Car seats expire, usually 6 to 10 years after the date they were made. Enter the date of manufacture from your seat's label and its useful life (or pick your brand) to see exactly when it expires and how long it has left.

- Interactive calculator: https://www.leoella.com/tools/car-seat-expiration-calculator
- Plain-text version: https://www.leoella.com/tools/car-seat-expiration-calculator.md
- Category: Car Seats & Car Travel
- Publisher: Leo&Ella (https://www.leoella.com)
- Last reviewed: October 19, 2026

## How it works

The calculator adds the useful life your seat's manufacturer gives, in years, to the date of manufacture on its label, or takes a printed "do not use after" date as it is, and compares the result with today's date. Picking a brand and seat fills in that brand's published lifespan, but the label on the seat has the final say. A seat within 6 months of expiring gets a note to plan a replacement, and Peg Perego seats count from the date of purchase rather than manufacture.

## Key facts

- There is no federal expiration rule for car seats in the US: the federal safety standard, FMVSS 213, requires a label with the month and year of manufacture, and each manufacturer sets how long its seats should be used. [2]
- The AAP advises checking the label for the date a car seat was made and asking the manufacturer how long it recommends using the seat. [1]
- Graco gives a useful life of 10 years for belt-positioning boosters and seats with a steel-reinforced belt path, and 7 years for seats with a plastic-reinforced belt path, counted from the date of manufacture. [8]
- Clek says every Clek car seat expires nine years after its date of manufacture. [5]
- Peg Perego counts car seat lifespans from the date of purchase: 7 years for infant seats, 10 years for convertible seats and 12 years for boosters bought from 2023. [10]
- As the AAP explains, NHTSA considers a crash minor, and a car seat reusable, only if the vehicle could be driven away, the door nearest the seat wasn't damaged, no one was injured, the airbags didn't go off and the seat shows no damage. [1]

## Reference data

### Car seat lifespans by brand

As each manufacturer publishes them (checked October 2026). The label on the seat has the final say.

| Brand | Seat | Useful life | Counted from | Where to find the date |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Britax | Willow, Cypress or Arbor infant seat and base | 6 years | Date of manufacture | Serial number label; labels from 2018 on show the expiration date itself |
| Britax | Grow With You | 9 years | Date of manufacture | Serial number label; labels from 2018 on show the expiration date itself |
| Britax | Poplar, Galaxy360 or One4Life | 10 years | Date of manufacture | Serial number label; labels from 2018 on show the expiration date itself |
| Britax | Highpoint, Skyline or UpNGo booster | 10 years | Date of manufacture | Serial number label; labels from 2018 on show the expiration date itself |
| Chicco | Infant car seat | 6 years | Date of manufacture | Underside of the seat or base |
| Chicco | Rotating convertible seat | 8 years | Date of manufacture | Underside of the seat or base |
| Chicco | All-in-one seat (8-year models) | 8 years | Date of manufacture | Underside of the seat or base |
| Chicco | All-in-one seat (10-year models) | 10 years | Date of manufacture | Underside of the seat or base |
| Chicco | Harness booster | 8 years | Date of manufacture | Underside of the seat or base |
| Chicco | Booster | 8 years | Date of manufacture | Underside of the seat or base |
| Clek | Any Clek seat | 9 years | Date of manufacture | Barcode label (back of the seat, or under the cover or base) |
| Doona | Doona car seat and stroller | 6 years | Date of manufacture | Manufacturer's label |
| Evenflo | Made in January 2025 or later | 10 years | Date of manufacture | Date of manufacture label on the bottom, side or back |
| Evenflo | Older Symphony, Transitions or Evolve | 8 years | Date of manufacture | Date of manufacture label on the bottom, side or back |
| Evenflo | Most other seats made before 2025 | 6 years | Date of manufacture | Date of manufacture label on the bottom, side or back |
| Graco | Plastic-reinforced belt path seat | 7 years | Date of manufacture | Date of manufacture (DOM) on one of the seat's labels |
| Graco | Steel-reinforced belt path seat | 10 years | Date of manufacture | Date of manufacture (DOM) on one of the seat's labels |
| Graco | Belt-positioning booster | 10 years | Date of manufacture | Date of manufacture (DOM) on one of the seat's labels |
| Graco | Infant seat made before 2011 | 6 years | Date of manufacture | Date of manufacture (DOM) on one of the seat's labels |
| Maxi-Cosi | Varies by model | 8 to 12 years depending on the model; the sticker or manual gives yours. | Date of manufacture | Sticker on the back of the seat |
| Peg Perego | Infant seat (bought from 2023) | 7 years | Date of purchase | Production date label; use the purchase date if you have it |
| Peg Perego | Convertible seat (bought from 2023) | 10 years | Date of purchase | Production date label; use the purchase date if you have it |
| Peg Perego | Booster (bought from 2023) | 12 years | Date of purchase | Production date label; use the purchase date if you have it |
| Safety 1st | Varies by model | 8 to 12 years depending on the model; the sticker or manual gives yours. | Date of manufacture | Sticker on the back of the seat |
| UPPAbaby | Mesa V2 or Mesa Max infant seat | 7 years | Date of manufacture | Labels on the bottom of the carrier and base |

### Worked examples

Expiration date = date of manufacture (or purchase, for Peg Perego) + useful life.

| Brand | Seat | Counted from | Useful life | Expires |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Graco | Plastic-reinforced belt path seat | Made June 1, 2023 | 7 years | June 1, 2030 |
| Clek | Any Clek seat | Made June 1, 2023 | 9 years | June 1, 2032 |
| Britax | Poplar, Galaxy360 or One4Life | Made June 1, 2023 | 10 years | June 1, 2033 |
| Peg Perego | Booster (bought from 2023) | Bought June 1, 2023 | 12 years | June 1, 2035 |

## Frequently asked questions

### Do car seats really expire?

Yes. Every major manufacturer gives its seats a useful life, most often 6 to 10 years from the date of manufacture, and some up to 12. There's no federal expiration rule: federal law requires the month and year of manufacture on the label, and the manufacturer sets how long the seat should be used.

### Where do I find my car seat's expiration date?

On a label on the bottom, back or side of the seat or its base, or stamped into the plastic shell. Some labels print a 'do not use after' date; others give the date of manufacture, and the manual says how many years the seat lasts. Add those years to the date of manufacture.

### How long do Graco car seats last?

Graco gives 10 years for belt-positioning boosters and seats with a steel-reinforced belt path, and 7 years for seats with a plastic-reinforced belt path, counted from the date of manufacture on the label. Graco infant seats made before 2011 expired after 6 years.

### Does the expiration date count from when I bought the seat?

Usually not. Most brands count from the date of manufacture, so a seat that sat in a warehouse has less time left when you buy it. Peg Perego is an exception: since 2023 it counts from the date of purchase, or from manufacture if you don't know when it was bought.

### Why do car seats expire?

Manufacturers give a useful life because a seat wears with years of use, vehicles change, and safety standards keep improving; Graco names those three reasons. Past that date the manufacturer no longer stands behind the seat, so it shouldn't be used.

### Do I need to replace a car seat after a crash?

After a moderate or severe crash, yes. NHTSA considers a crash minor, and the seat reusable, only if the vehicle could be driven away, the door nearest the car seat wasn't damaged, no one was injured, the airbags didn't go off, and there's no visible damage to the seat. Some manufacturers say to replace a seat after any crash, so check your manual.

## Sources

1. [American Academy of Pediatrics (HealthyChildren.org): Car Seats: Information for Families](https://www.healthychildren.org/English/safety-prevention/on-the-go/Pages/Car-Safety-Seats-Information-for-Families.aspx)
2. [Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 213, 49 CFR 571.213 (labeling)](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/subtitle-B/chapter-V/part-571/subpart-B/section-571.213)
3. [Britax: car seat expiration](https://us.britax.com/the-journey/tips-advice/why-do-car-seats-expire)
4. [Chicco: car seat expiration](https://www.chiccousa.com/baby-talk/common-car-seat-questions-answered/)
5. [Clek: car seat expiration](https://support.clekinc.com/hc/en-us/articles/360039400632-When-does-my-seat-expire-What-is-my-seat-s-expiry-date)
6. [Doona: car seat expiration](https://www.doona.com/en-us/parenting-tips/myths-vs-facts-what-you-need-to-know-about-car-seat-safety)
7. [Evenflo: car seat expiration](https://www.evenflo.com/blogs/evenflo-blog/when-do-car-seats-expire-what-parents-need-to-know)
8. [Graco: car seat expiration](https://www.gracobaby.com/carseatexpirationpage.html)
9. [Maxi-Cosi: car seat expiration](https://maxicosi.com/pages/car-seat-expiration)
10. [Peg Perego: car seat expiration](https://www.pegperego.com/en_us/baby/car-seat-expiration-policy)
11. [Safety 1st: car seat expiration](https://safety1st.com/pages/car-seat-expiration)

## About this page

This is general information for parents; the labels and manuals of the products involved always have the final say. The calculator runs in the visitor's browser and stores nothing they enter. When quoting this page, cite "Car Seat Expiration Calculator, Leo&Ella" and link https://www.leoella.com/tools/car-seat-expiration-calculator.