How Long Are Car Seats Good For?
Most car seats are good for about 6 to 10 years from the date of manufacture, but there is no single legal number. Each manufacturer sets the useful life for each model, and it is printed on the seat's label or in the manual. Evenflo notes that across the industry lifespans can range from about 4 years up to 10 or 12 years (Evenflo).
Published lifespans from manufacturers
| Brand | Seat type | Useful life (from DOM) | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Britax | Infant seats and bases | 6 years | Britax guide |
| Britax | Convertible, all-in-one, boosters | 10 years | Britax guide |
| Britax | Harness-2-booster (Grow With You) | 9 years | Britax guide |
| Chicco | Infant seats | 6 years | Chicco |
| Chicco | Rotating convertible, harness booster, booster | 8 years | Chicco |
| Chicco | All-in-one | 8 or 10 years | Chicco |
| Evenflo | All car seats and boosters made from January 2025 | 10 years | Evenflo |
Checked against the manufacturer's own page on October 31, 2026. Models and policies change, so the label on your seat and your owner's manual always win.
The clock starts at manufacture, not purchase
Britax and Chicco count the lifespan from the date of manufacture (DOM) on the serial label. Evenflo says most brands use the DOM but some may allow counting from the purchase date, so read your own manual. A seat that sat in a warehouse for a year has already used a year of its life.
How to work out your seat's expiration date
- Find the label with the model number and DOM (bottom, side or back of the shell, or under the cover).
- Look for a printed "do not use after" date. Newer Britax seats print the expiration date directly on the label.
- If there is no date, find the sentence in the manual such as "do not use this child restraint if it is older than … years".
- Add those years to the DOM, or let the car seat expiration date checker do it.
Why seats have a lifespan
Manufacturers give three main reasons: plastics and webbing age with heat, cold and daily wear; safety standards and testing improve; and labels and instructions get lost over time (Britax, Evenflo, Chicco).
Other reasons to replace a seat early
A seat may need replacing before it expires if it was in a crash (see the after-accident checklist), has cracks, frayed straps or missing parts, or its labels are missing. Check recalls with your model number and DOM on NHTSA's site.
Related tools and guides
Frequently asked questions
Are car seats good for 7 or 10 years?
It depends on the model. Some brands use different lifespans for different seat types, for example Britax lists 6 years for infant seats and 10 years for its convertible and all-in-one seats. Check your seat's label or manual.
Is a 5-year-old car seat still good?
Only if its stated useful life is longer than 5 years and it has not been in a moderate or severe crash, damaged or recalled. Many infant seats have a 6-year life, so a 5-year-old infant seat is close to the end.
Do booster seats expire?
Yes. Britax, Chicco and Evenflo all publish lifespans for their booster seats.