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“It genuinely caught me off-guard when I first lifted it” — we tested one of the lightest infant car seats

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“It genuinely caught me off-guard when I first lifted it” — we tested one of the lightest infant car seats

Find out how the Avionaut Pixel3 infant car seat performed in real-life testing, including installation, newborn support, comfort, weight and value for money.

Megan Allen

Published: August 31, 2026 at 11:30 AM

Our Rating

4.0

A star rating of 4.0 out of 5.

GBP £239 RRP

+ £199 for Avionaut IQ Orbit 360 Base

Save

In a nutshell

One of the lightest infant car seats available, offering ergonomic newborn support and straightforward ISOFIX installation, though premium pricing may not suit every budget.

What we tested

Ease of installing

5.0

A star rating of 5.0 out of 5.
Comfort

3.4

A star rating of 3.4 out of 5.
Safety features

3.2

A star rating of 3.2 out of 5.
Style

3.7

A star rating of 3.7 out of 5.
Durability

4.3

A star rating of 4.3 out of 5.
Worth the money

4.1

A star rating of 4.1 out of 5.

Overall Rating

4.0

A star rating of 4.0 out of 5.

Pros

Lightweight shell - easy to lift and carry
ISOFIX is easy to install
Base has light and sound indicators to ensure seat is attached
360-degree rotation on base
Ergonomic insert offers reassuring newborn support

Cons

Minimal harness support compared with some infant seats
Upright position meant our newborn’s head sometimes fell forward
Lightweight shell felt less stable when placed outside the car
Shock absorber kept falling off
Sunshade doesn’t offer enough cover
Limited to infant-stage use, up to 13kg
High price point

The Avionaut Pixel3 is a premium infant car seat designed for babies from birth to 13kg. Weighing just 2.5kg, it’s one of the lightest infant car seats on the market, making it particularly appealing for parents who regularly carry a car seat between the house and car, or who want a lighter option after birth.

Avionaut says the Pixel3 has been developed with physiotherapists and uses a modular insert system to support newborn positioning, including for smaller and premature babies. Used with the IQ Orbit ISOFIX base (£199), it also offers 360° rotation and light and sound indicators to help reassure you that the seat is attached correctly.

Priced at £239, the Pixel3 sits in the premium infant car seat category alongside models such as the Silver Cross Glide Plus 360 car seat (£225) and Cybex Cloud T,(£199.95) but its standout selling point is its very low weight. Our tester used it with her newborn on daily short journeys and longer weekend trips to see whether its lightweight design, upright positioning and premium features work well in real family life.

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About our parent tester Megan Allen tested the Avionaut Pixel3 with her newborn on daily short car journeys and longer weekend trips, using it with the IQ Orbit ISOFIX base. Megan is a mum of three, senior journalist and freelance travel writer, specialising in rural tourism and travel.

How easy is the Avionaut Pixel3 to install with the IQ Orbit ISOFIX base?

The base is really easy to install. You simply pull down the support leg and use the sliding clips to lock the base onto the car’s ISOFIX points.

The indicator will beep and light up green to indicate that it has been installed correctly. This includes the support leg: if it is not extended properly, or is knocked out of place, the indicator alerts you that the installation needs checking.

Attaching the seat is also smooth and straightforward, I could do it one-handed. The seat simply clicks into place and then the seat is turned to the rear using a lever.

Likewise, to remove it, you use a button at the back to unlock the seat and lift it off the base.

Once installed, it feels really sturdy and is hard to move. My baby has slept soundly in it for hours.

How easy is it to strap your baby into the Avionaut Pixel3?

It was quick and easy to secure my newborn into the seat, both in and out of the car. When attached to the IQ Orbit ISOFIX base, the seat swivels 360-degrees with the pull of a lever.

The redesigned harness has 2 shoulder straps that pull down and clip into a buckle between the legs. The height of the shoulder straps cannot be changed, but the tightness is adjusted with a strap and quick-release button at the base of the seat.

This made it easy to clip in one-handed, but I would have preferred the harness to feel more substantial, even if that made it slightly less convenient.

There is an additional booster cushion, which the brand says is suitable for premature and smaller babies, but I didn’t need it for my newborn, who was around 3.5kg at the time we started using it. The newborn insert was suitable enough.

How supportive is the Avionaut Pixel3 for a newborn?

The seat positions newborns more upright than some other infant car seats, with the brand stating that this helps support the spine, stomach and diaphragm.

However, when using the seat on the ISOFIX base, we found she sat quite upright and, with the harness feeling minimal to us, her head fell forward several times. We had to pull over to reposition her. When we strapped the seat in using the seatbelt, we were able to tilt it back further to avoid it happening.

Otherwise, the modular insert seemed to really support her and she appeared very comfortable.

How comfortable is the Avionaut Pixel3 on short and longer journeys?

We used the seat for both short and longer journeys, keeping our newborn in the seat for up to 2 hours at a time. She was between 4 and 10 weeks old during testing, so she slept a lot on car journeys.

Other than her head falling forward on occasion, the newborn insert provided significant padding to keep her supported and I felt the more upright position helped her seem settled for longer.

How lightweight is the Avionaut Pixel3?

The seat is under 2.5kg, making it one of the lightest on the market and genuinely caught me off-guard when I first lifted it. It has made carrying it between the house and the car much easier — especially after a C-section. As my baby grows, the seat naturally feels heavier to carry, and I’m having to use 2 hands more often.

Compared to other car seats we have used, it is much lighter, meaning we’d probably use it as a newborn seat for a little longer than we have before. However, we did find that because it is so lightweight, it felt less stable when placed on the floor or a chair, and I was conscious it could be knocked over more easily than heavier seats.

How practical is the Avionaut Pixel3 for everyday use?

I have two older children — one school-age and one in nursery, so we are in and out of the car a lot. I used it for commutes, shopping trips, errands and for holidays. We were also able to clip it onto our pram using the correct adaptors, which made it useful as part of a travel system for short trips.

My biggest practicality issue is the sunshade, which has been redesigned for this model. It barely covers my baby's face, so depending on the seat’s position, we found the sun was getting into her eyes quite a lot and that was upsetting her.

What safety and support features does the Avionaut Pixel3 have?

The modular insert system stands out as one of the seat’s key support features, offering extra padding and positioning for newborns. I also really liked the ISOFIX indicator system which had red and green lights to show when the base and the seat were fitted properly.

The seat also comes with a side-impact shock absorber, but it kept falling off, so we gave up trying to use it.

I would have liked more substantial harness and head support for my newborn, as the setup felt minimal to me and her head fell forward several times during travel.

How well made does the Avionaut Pixel3 feel?

The seat is really well made and I can see it lasting a while. As it is recommended up to 13kg, it could be used up to around age two, however, I probably wouldn’t be carrying it between the house and car for that long.

The breathable fabric has a quality feel and it is soft and foamy. However, the sunshade, while lightweight and flexible, feels flimsy.

The shell itself doesn’t feel very strong — probably because it is so lightweight — however, when it is installed on the base, it feels much sturdier.

How easy is the Avionaut Pixel3 to clean?

The seat cover is easy to remove — it slips on and off in one piece and can be machine washed at 30°C.

We’re fortunate in that our baby doesn’t make much mess at the moment, but her brothers do, so I’ve been able to brush or wipe crumbs, mud and chalk off it easily.

How does the Avionaut Pixel3 compare with other infant car seats?

We have previously used a Maxi-Cosi car seat and a Bugaboo Turtle Air and the weight of the Avionaut Pixel3 is the notable difference between the three. This is also the first time we have used an ISOFIX base, instead of a seatbelt, and the ease of getting the seat in and out of the car makes such a difference to time and to my back.

What’s in the box?

The Avionaut Pixel3 Infant Car Seat and IQ Orbit ISOFIX Base come in two separate boxes and there is no assembly required.

How sustainable is the Avionaut Pixel3?

The car seat is designed to be used up to 13kg, which the brand suggests is around 2 years, and it feels durable enough to be kept for future children. The base can be used with other models as well, so has a bit more scope for longevity.

The EPP (expanded polypropylene) material is designed to be strong and lightweight, and the brand states that it is recyclable.

Is the Avionaut Pixel3 worth the money?

The Avionaut Pixel 3 Infant Car Seat and IQ Orbit ISOFIX Base is currently priced around £438, with the seat and the base available separately for £239 and £199 respectively.

It is really easy to install and use, and its lightweight design is a real advantage if you regularly carry an infant seat between the house and car. However, if you are wanting to invest in something that will grow with your child, this isn’t the model for you.

Where can I buy the Avionaut Pixel3 car seat?

It is available from Natural Baby Shower and Kiddies Kingdom

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MadeForMums verdict: should you buy the Avionaut Pixel3?

The Pixel3 stands out for its lightweight design and modular newborn inserts, which may particularly appeal to parents of smaller babies or those looking for extra positioning support from birth.

Its more upright position may also appeal if your baby prefers not to lie too far back, although this is something to weigh up alongside the head-position issue we experienced, as my newborn’s head fell forward several times in testing.

The lightweight design does make a huge difference, especially as someone who has had 2 C-sections. However, as my baby grows, I think I’d still struggle to carry it longer distances, despite the seat being suitable up to 13kg.

Overall, this is an easy-to-use, premium-feeling infant car seat that felt very stable and reassuring when attached to the IQ Orbit ISOFIX base. Despite the streamlined harness, my newborn seemed comfortable for much of our testing, and the seat looks and feels high quality.

However, when used out of the base, the lightweight shell felt flimsier and easier to tip backwards than heavier infant seats, which worried me. The sunshade also wasn’t big enough for us, so I often found I needed extra shade to keep the sun out of my baby’s eyes.

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Authors

Megan Allen