Changes are coming to your child's car seat: All new seats will have to meet updated federal safety standards as of June 30, 2025. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) changed the regulations to help make car seats even safer during side-impact crashes.
"This new standard will reduce the number of children killed or injured in side crashes," NHTSA tells What to Expect.
If you already own a car seat and it doesn't meet the latest standards, that's okay. It's still very safe to use and does not need to be replaced as long as you check the expiration date, follow the manual for proper installation and stay alert to recalls.
If you're in the market for a new car seat, you don't need to wait to buy one that meets these regulations. (That's good news as prices continue to rise due to tariffs.) Many car seats on shelves today already meet these new standards. Here's what you should know.
All new car seats must meet updated federal safety standards to improve side-impact protection as of June 30, 2025.
Your current car seat is still extremely safe to use as long as it's installed correctly and isn't expired.
Check with the car seat's manufacturer to see if it already complies with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 213a.
Why are there new regulations coming right now?
Back in 2022, NHTSA announced that it would change its crash testing requirements to protect children from serious injury during side-impact crashes.
Manufacturers would have three years to run tests and make updates to their seats so that they meet these requirements. Fast forward to now — all car seats sold in the U.S. will meet the updated federal standards as of June 30, 2025.
It may seem confusing that it takes so long for a new safety regulation to go into effect, but that timeframe is necessary: Brands have to review their entire product lines, make any needed changes, manufacture their seats and then certify their compliance, NHTSA tells What to Expect.
What do the new standards say?
The new standard, called Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 213a, states that all harnessed car seats that carry children under 40 pounds must also hold up in a 30-mile per hour (mph) side collision crash test. New dummies are being used for compliance testing — these dummies reflect the sizes of a 12-month-old, a 3-year-old and a 6-year-old. The previous standard required these seats to meet the performance criteria of a 30-mph frontal impact crash test simulation but did not have regulations regarding side-impact crash testing.
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"The child restraints must provide proper restraint, manage side crash forces and protect against harmful head and chest contact with intruding structures," NHTSA tells What to Expect.
Car seat height and weight restrictions also changed.
- Infant car seats must now have a maximum weight limit of 30 pounds, if only tested with the 12-month-old child test dummy.
- Forward-facing car seats must have a minimum weight limit of 26.5 pounds.
- Booster seats now have a minimum weight limit of 40 pounds.
Some brands had to redesign their seats to meet these new standards — any seats that do not meet these standards will be discontinued. And all new models on the market will meet the updated guidelines.
What do I do with my existing car seat?
If you already have a car seat installed in your car, there's no reason to get rid of it, according to NHTSA. It's still extremely safe even if it does not meet the latest version of the safety standards.
It is important to make sure that your car seat is not expired and it's installed correctly. You can also contact the manufacturer to check that it will not be recalled or replaced next month.
If you're in the market for a new car seat, you don't have to wait for the new standards to go into effect to get one that meets these requirements. Since manufacturers had three years to test their car seats and make necessary changes, many already have updated car seats available.
To check if a new car seat already meets the latest regulations, NHTSA says to contact the car seat's manufacturer or check its website to see if it is compliant with FMVSS 213a. Seat labels may also state that they're FMVSS 213a compliant or they're tested for side impact. All car seats manufactured after June 30 will comply with the new requirements.
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