When used with the i-AnchorFIX base or i-Base, this is an i-Size seat suitable from birth until your baby weighs around 13kg.
It can also be installed using the vehicle seat belt. It fits all Joie pushchairs (plus other brands with Maxi Cosi adaptors) to form a travel system. We like the height-adjustable headrest.
Related: Best car seat
Tested by mum Suzanne Sendama for the M&B Awards 2017:
Would you recommend this to other mums?
The Joie i-Gemm seat looked incredibly smart but it also appeared to be very comfortable for my little one. She was immediately settled when I put her in it and was contented on car journeys. It was incredibly easy to take the seat in and out of the car using the base which could either be belted in or fitted with isofix. The seat itself wasn't too heavy which meant I could comfortably lift it out of the car to use on my buggy base (with adaptors).
How did this product make your life easier?
My daughter was never really comfortable travelling in the car until we tried the Joie i-Gemm seat. She was very settled in the seat both when travelling in the car and when I put her in it in the house which meant that it could double up as a baby seat in our home. It was very simple to fit the base in the car and once fitted, the seat itself just clicked in and out making it very quick and easy to move the baby in and out of the car.
Would you choose this product to win?
The i-Gemm looked incredibly smart. I loved the fabric and the extendable sun canopy provided excellent coverage. I particularly loved the mesh section in the canopy which allowed air to circulate better - perfect on warm summers days. The base of the car seat was perfectly curved to allow for rocking when used in the house as a seat.
What changes would you make to this product?
My baby, only 8 weeks old and 5kg, looked incredible snug in the seat and I wasn't convinced that it would last her until she was 13kg/one year old. Whilst the removable insert would have been useful for a smaller baby, perhaps there could have been a further removable insert to allow the seat to grow with the baby to avoid it being too snug in a couple of months' time.
Tested by mum Kirsty Rogers for the M&B Awards 2017:
Would you recommend this to other mums?
This baby car seat is a fantastic group 0+ option which is compatible with a whole range of travel systems. It has a lovely sunshade over the seat shielding baby from the sun and is comfy with secure straps and easily fitted into the car both with and without the seat's corresponding base. It doesn't feel overly cumbersome when carrying and my fun felt nice and snug in the seat. It certainly got his approval.
How did this product make your life easier?
The seat is a good all round seat at it's price point but for me the quality of the attached sunshade was far superior to similar models. It was a more solid construction that kept the sun out well and the overhanging 'lip' was very effective. This was particularly useful on our summer drives to swimming where our previous seat had let us down.
Would you choose this product to win?
I would choose this car seat because it offers a safe, secure and comfortable group 0+ car seat at a reasonable price. It is easy to fit both with and without the use of a base and the sunshade is well constructed. The Velcro covers over the straps are fully removable and wipeable for any messy scenarios.I felt confident when my son was in the seat that he was safe and snug and most importantly he always looked happy going in it.
What changes would you make to this product?
The only thing I would change was that the sunshade would often catch when using the carry handle over the top of it. This didn't matter when the seat was installed in the car but when it was removed it would catch and you either couldn't get the handle up or couldn't adjust the sunshade.If this could be improved the seat would be perfect.
Tested by mum Nicola Abrahams for the M&B Awards 2017:
Would you recommend this to other mums?
I like a few features on this car seat which would make me recommend it to a friend - in particular, I liked the head rest which seemed to provide my son with excellent support (particularly while he is little and unable to hold his head on his own) rather than dropping to one side. I also like the rocking base.
How did this product make your life easier?
The rocking base of this car seat makes life easier when transporting my son from the car to the house when he is sleeping/it is nap time. I find that often the move from the car to the house causes him to wake up but found with this car seat that he was rocked back to sleep very quickly and his sleep was therefore less disrupted.
What changes would you make to this product?
This car seat comes in at a competitive price compared to others representing good value for money however I did feel like it was lacking something in the overall finish and I would happily pay a little extra for it to ensure a higher finish/quality to the product and a more luxury car seat but this would not put me off buying it as it is reflected in the price already.
Tested by Fiona Hatcher, 33, mum to Jude, seven weeks. She says:
This seat is smart and functional, rather than stylish. It’s too heavy to carry far, and installing it requires both hands and braced knees.
But the infant insert gives great security and comfort. And I loved the rocking base: when I took Jude out of the car and he woke up, I rocked him back to sleep in the house with one foot while I had a cup of tea!
Tested by Vikki Slattery, 33, mum to Aidan, seven months. She says:
The base is easy to install and I like the adjustable headrest support.
The strap adjustment design is brilliant: you just raise the headrest so there’s no dreaded re-threading of straps. I love the mesh panel on the sunshade too – nosey Aidan discovered he could peek through it, which kept him entertained in a particularly tedious traffic jam!
Tested by Mahjabeen Brammall, 33, mum to Zahra, 12 months. She says:
This isn’t the lightest base, but it slots on and off the anchor points very easily. The seat seems very secure once it is installed and looks really comfortable.
I especially like the adjustable recline feature, it’s ideal for naps. The straps are fiddly but then Zahra is very wriggly! It’s heavy to carry with her in it, though, which is a definite downside.
Watch our video review of the Joie i-Gemm car seat below.
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Tested by mum Vicci Hughes for the M&B Awards 2016:
Why would you recommend this product to a friend/fellow mum?
I liked this baby car seat even better than the one I've got for my baby! It's very sturdy and strong, and makes mine appear rather wimpy! It was easy to install, and my little baby looked so snug. The sturdiness gave me an additional feeling of security, which was great. I appreciated that all the parts could be put in the washing machine.
How does this product make your life easier as a mum?
This is probably the best baby car seat I've tried. I know my baby is very safe sitting in it. It's fully padded and looks extremely comfortable. The washable bits make life a lot easier. Would certainly recommend it.
Tested by mum Carmen Bell for the M&B Awards 2016:
Why would you recommend this product to a friend/fellow mum?
Excellent value for money for a first class baby seat! Haven't tried one quite as heavy before, but I felt that my baby had never been safer in a car seat! It was very well padded and with the right amount of cushions. When my baby was a bit sick I was glad that I could put the parts in the washing machine!
If you could change one thing about this product what would it be?
How about different colours?
Tested by mum Carolann Dick for the M&B Awards 2016:
Why would you recommend this product to a friend/fellow mum?
My baby was certainly safe and snug in this car seat! It is very sturdy and it's obvious a lot of thought went into making it as safe and as comfortable for a baby! It's very well padded and a bit on the heavy side. I like that the parts could be put in the washing machine.
How does this product make your life easier as a mum?
This is probably the best baby car seat I've tested! A bonus is that the base is curved so baby can be rocked and nod off to sleep. My life is made easier by the removable and washable cushions.
Tested by mum Emma Young for the M&B Awards 2016:
Why would you recommend this product to a friend/fellow mum?
I loved this baby car seat for my baby! I don't think my little one could be any safer! The headrest is adjustable, and the harness adjusts with it automatically. Overall, it gives a great impression that safety has been paramount in its design. The base of the seat is curved so I can rock my baby when the seat is on any flat surface.
How does this product make your life easier as a mum?
What makes my life easier with this car seat is that the covers are removable and can be machine washed, therefore it's a lot more hygienic than same other baby car seats.
Tested by Chris Evans for the M&B Awards 2016:
Why would you recommend this product to a friend/fellow parent?
Great design in terms of how it folds up, with the great extendable / retractable hood. We also liked how it fits into the standard brackets which attach to a lot of prams. Install was fairly straightforward though the instruction manuals (3 of them) did not always read in a logical way with lots of going backwards and forward.
How does this product make your life easier as a parent?
Getting the car seat into the car is so much easier with this product (together with the ISOFIX base) which I have experienced with previous carriers. It takes literally a second without any discomfort / disruption to an often sleeping baby and likewise is easy to remove at the end of the journey.
If you could change one thing about this product what would it be?
Our newborn is what you would call a standard weight (8lb) but we really struggled putting her into the newborn insert so that the straps were not squashing her arms and legs. There doesn't appear to be an awful lot of 'give' in the strap which feeds through the legs and so we have never been very confident when going out without little one.
Tested by mum Lindsay Kennedy for the M&B Awards 2016:
Why would you recommend this product to a friend/fellow mum?
We were looking for a car seat that also fitted into a car seat base, the Joie i-Gemm does this and also fits into the pram frame which we had bought for our first child and not only specific Joie Brand prams. The newborn pillow specifically appealed to be as baby looked very snug and secure in this and as a whole the car seat is very secure with the extra comfort of the car seat base. The seat is pretty lightweight for something which is also secure and the handle adjusts to 3 different positions for carrying, rocking and as a stand.
How does this product make your life easier as a mum?
Having not used a car seat with a car seat base option before this makes the world of difference, especially when you have more than one child and need to get in and out of the car quickly, I also feel that it is a safer option. The canopy is also great and comes down enough to nearly completely cover baby for when you are using the seat with a pram frame.
If you could change one thing about this product what would it be?
We found the straps were too tight when using the newborn pillow and they didn't look like they fitted comfortably over the babies shoulders, we couldn't see anything in the instructions about how to loosen them anymore than they were. When we took out the pillow the straps were fine.
Tested by mum Leigh Adams for the M&B Awards 2016:
Why would you recommend this product to a friend/fellow mum?
With a baby car seat safety is the obvious major factor, the I-Gemm meets all the necessary standards including recent changes. It's well-padded and looks very secure. It sees the baby from newborn to approximately 4 years old so taking out the need to buy a new seat for different stages. With the car seat base the seat can be rear facing until 15 months after which it has the option of rear or front facing. All of this for me makes the design of the I-gemm amazing value for money and a well thought out product.
How does this product make your life easier as a mum?
Using the I-Gemm combined with the I-anchorsafe system makes it very easy to get the seat in and out of the car, perfect on rainy and cold days, it also gives you different degrees as to which you recline the seat, so handy for trying to get baby to sleep. The straps are also easy to release to make it easy to get the baby in and out of the seat.
If you could change one thing about this product what would it be?
I thought the seat was a bit heavy. It would be great if you could buy a rain cover for the seat for when using it on the pram.
Tested by mum Cathy Evans for the M&B Awards 2016:
Why would you recommend this product to a friend/fellow mum?
We used the I-Gemm car seat with the car seat base which even though the instructions were quite hard to follow it was actually relatively easy to fit. Due to the length of the base it wouldn't fit a small car unless the person in the seat in front is also small. In comparison to other car seats on the market I thought this was really good value and doesn't look cheap.
How does this product make your life easier as a mum?
Combined with the car seat base the I-Gemm is really easy to get in and out of the car. The sun canopy has great coverage and is also handy in light rain. There is a rubber grip in the handle which makes it more comfortable to carry the seat and the handle also as three positions, one is for rocking the seat.
Tested by mum Elizabeth Emmanuel for the M&B Awards 2016:
Why would you recommend this product to a friend/fellow mum?
This car seat is good, especially as it came to test it with an isofix but still a little too expensive. Love the quality.
How does this product make your life easier as a mum?
Yes, it's small and compact, just what every mum needs as long as you don't have a big baby.
Product Information
IANCHORFIX base: £115