Child Car Seats

Keep your child safe in the car. Make sure your baby is in a rear-facing car seat until they are at least 2 years old. Keep your child in a booster seat until they are 148cm tall - for most children, that's somewhere between 10 and 12 years of age.

Key points to remember about car seats

properly using a car seat is one of the most important things you can do to keep your baby or child safe
New Zealand law says all children in vehicles must be correctly secured in an approved car seat (restraint) until their 7th birthday
to be safest, children need to be in booster seats until they are 148cm tall - this is usually when they are somewhere between 10 and 12 years old
keep your baby in a rear-facing car seat until they are at least 2 years old

All of NZTA's car seat videos are also available in te reo Māori.

What should I look for when buying a car seat?

The New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) website has tips on buying a car seat at their website. Their videos talk you through the legal requirements for using car seats in New Zealand.

Where should I put the car seat in my car?

Watch this NZTA video to find out the best place to install your car seat in your car.

How do I install my child's car seat?

Watch NZTA's introduction to fitting guide video, then answer the questions at the bottom of the page, and the site will point you to a video showing you how to install your type of car seat.