Discover the Maxi-Cosi Pebble Plus, the baby car seat that embraces your baby offering state-of-the-art safety performance and optimal comfort and ease of use from birth to approximately one year. The Maxi-Cosi Pebble Plus provided our panel of parent testers with the peace of mind necessary when driving baby. The seat is easy to click into the pace, with an innovative light and sound system informing you when it is in the right position.
Pros
• Different colours and designs: Originally, there were fifteen different print and colour combinations to choose from.
• Hood with rubber eyelets: Hood shields their eyes from the sun while the rubber eyelets keep the hood securely in place.
• Newborn insert included: Provides extra cushioning and support around their head, neck and back.
• Tape measure included: Measure was included to help you determine whether your child fits the car seats' measurements.
• Easy to install: Clear and easy-to-follow instructions mean the seat is easy to set up.
• Birth to 4 years+ option: You can upgrade the car seat as baby grows to adapt until up to four years old.
• Alert lights and safety sounds: The safety function alerts the user as to whether or not the seat is clipped into the ISOFIX fixing points correctly.
• Car seat adapters: Smooth transition from car seat to pram.
• Compatible with other brands: Is compatible across prams from other brands, such as Bugaboo, Quinny and iCandy.
• Comfortable: Well padded, comes with an insert for newborns, supports their head well.
• Convenient: Fits into the ISOFIX fixing points with ease, easy to fasten clasps on the seat easily, straps are easily adjustable, taking the seat out is also easily done.
• Solid, sturdy, secure: Built to last, the seat is stable and secure in the base.
• 2wayfix base flexibility: Seat can be adjusted from rear facing to front facing as baby grows, can use with ISOFIX or seatbelt.
• iSize compliant: Adheres to EU safety regulations, providing better protection from side impacts and keeps children rearward-facing for longer.
Cons
• 2wayfix base has been discontinued: This base is no longer available on the Maxi-Cosi website.
• Expensive: The original price retailed around £300 for both the seat and the 2wayfix base.
• Limited seat adjustment: The recline of the seat didn't allow for much adjustment from the parent.
• Too big for some cars: A few of our testers reported that they had trouble fitting it into their car as it was too large.
• Heavy: A few of our testers reported that the seat was of a heavy weight and found it difficult to carry.
Ratings
How has the Maxi-Cosi Pebble Plus & 2wayfix base been rated across various different websites? Unfortunately, this is hard to tell due to the 2wayfix base being discontinued. However, the Maxi-Cosi Pebble Plus Car Seat is available on Amazon, so we're able to see the reviews for this car seat on the Amazon website.
Amazon: The Maxi-Cosi Pebble Plus Car Seat has a 4.7 out of 5 star rating on Amazon from 174 reviews.
One reviewer said: "I have always had maxi cosi pebble car seats for all of my children. They’re in my opinion the best and safest. This particular pattern/colour is beautiful. Very happy with our purchase! Found it on a good offer too!"
Another reviewer said: "Great seat, unfortunately, doesn't fit the family fix base which wasn't easy to see, for family fix base you need a pebble, not a pebble plus."
Price
Given that the 2wayfix base is no longer available, we can only summarise from the price of the Maxi-Cosi Pebble Plus Car Seat alone. This currently has a recommended retail price of £189.99 on Amazon.
Compared to its competitors, the Maxi-Cosi Pebble Plus appears to be more expensive. Looking at other newborn car seats compatible with ISOFIX base, like the Ickle Bubba Galaxy, which has a recommended retail price of £199 on the Ickle Bubba website. Taking this into consideration, the Ickle Bubba Galaxy is only £10 more than the Maxi-Cosi Pebble Plus and comes with its own ISOFIX base.
Key Features and Specifications of the Maxi-Cosi Pebble Plus
• Dimensions: 67 cm x 44 cm x 56 cm
• Weight: 4.66 kg
• Age suitability: From birth to approximately 1 year (0-13 kg)
• i-Size for enhanced safety and optimal protection against side impacts
• Fits with the Maxi-Cosi FamilyFix3, FamilyFix2, BabyFix and FamilyFix One i-Size bases
• Baby-hugg inlay offers a better fit and lying position for newborns
• Easy-in harness, stays open to easily place baby in the car seat
• For a complete travel system, this Maxi-Cosi car seat is compatible with various pushchairs
Testing the Maxi-Cosi Pebble Plus & 2wayfix base
At Mother & Baby, we were assisted with help from our Mother & Baby Testers to review the Maxi-Cosi Pebble Plus & 2wayfix base. During the testing process, we were testing for its overall performance, usability and build. Here's what our testers had to say about the Maxi-Cosi Pebble Plus.
Mother&Baby Tester, Kim, said: "The Pebble Plus has been great – it is super easy to get in and out of the car and I love the fact that the green lights and beeping noise inform you when you have clicked the seat in properly – great peace of mind! It is lightweight and can be used on my pram, so I can take it with me anywhere. I don't think I would change anything!"
Mother&Baby Tester, Gemma, said: "it will last a long time – you can use the car seat from birth to four years with an additional car seat which is an extra purchase. It is ‘i-Size’ compliant making it future-proof and in line with new car safety regulations for side impact. The two-way Isofix provides flexibility in your future purchases and can be used as your baby grows."
Mother&Baby Tester, Angela, said: "I absolutely adore this car seat for many reasons, not least because it is so beautiful! The seat is used in conjunction with the 2way family base and is compliant with the new isize regulations. The base can be used with this seat and then again with the next stage up. The base comes with isofix fittings or the seat can be strapped into the car using the seat belt."
Mother&Baby Tester, Sarah, said: "As well as looking good, the car seat was so easy for me to fit without having to rope in help from my husband! (It does come with an instructions booklet). The hood is a fantastic feature to block out some unwanted sunshine from my baby's eyes and I love the improved rubber eyelets which you use to hold the hood in place as my previous hood on my car seat didn't have these and the material hooks used ended up fraying and damaging, a small but great feature and very easy to quick tuck the hood away in the car seat. Having an easy to use seatbealt fix system made life easier and this was easy to use with coloured parts of the seat highlight where to put the seat belt. And a small feature with great benefits, making life so much easier is the strap holder where you can open the straps and hook the straps out of the way for ease of getting your baby in and out."
How does the Maxi-Cosi Pebble Plus & 2wayfix base compare to other versions?
As well as testing the Maxi-Cosi Pebble Plus & 2wayfix base, we at Mother & Baby have taken a look at other existing models from Maxi-Cosi to see how they compare to this model of car seat with a base system. Read our full review of each of the car seats below.
Maxi-Cosi Pebble 360 with FamilyFix 360 Base
This product won Gold in the M&B Awards 2022 for Best Newborn Car Seat.
With the Maxi-Cosi Pebble Plus being an older model and the 2wayfix base being discontinued, Maxi-Cosi have adapted with newer models in their car seat range. Some of their car seats now offer a 360-degree option that works with their FamilyFix360 base, making the rotation of the seat so much smoother.
Maxi-Cosi Coral 360 with FamilyFix 360 base
This product won Bronze in the M&B Awards 2022 for Innovation of The Year.
Maxi-Cosi Cabrofix
Mother&Baby Tester, Sarah said: "It has a number of well thought-out features to make life easier and I was proud to be seen with the car seat which I think looks delightful. You have the option of both ISOFIX and seatbelt fix so it is versatile and easy to transfer from car to car if needed to without the need to remove the ISOFIX. This product oozes style and quality and is a wonderful step up from my previous Maxi-Cosi Cabrofix car seat."
How does the Maxi-Cosi Pebble Plus & 2wayfix base compare to rival products?
Finally, our testers helped us to weigh up the comparisons between the Maxi-Cosi Pebble Plus & 2wayfix base and other competitors on the market. Here's what our testers had to say about whether the Maxi-Cosi Pebble Plus stood up to other rival products.
Mother&Baby Tester, Laura, said: "I think this product is head and shoulders above other seats in this category. Maxi-Cosi is a well-respected brand and market leader for a reason. It is a household name people trust. The seat is really high spec, being extremely safe, comfortable and luxurious at the same time. The only thing that is a holdback is that it is quite a lot more expensive than other seats in this category. Once you buy a base too, you are looking in the region of £400. However, I would recommend this seat highly."
Mother&Baby Tester, Debra, said: "Easy to use, very quick to install the Isofix base in my car and very self-explanatory. Like the three lights going green and a beep when the Isofix base and car seat are in the correct position, very reassuring. I find that I can get my baby in quicker to the Maxi-Cosi than my existing Silver Cross car seat and I think it is lighter to carry with baby in. I also like that I could buy adaptors for my travel system to put the car seat on my pram base. This makes going to the shops for quick trips much easier."
Mother&Baby Tester, Tawnia, said: "Whilst I haven’t tried all the different brands available, I would buy this car seat above the standard seat on the market. Its padding is superior to other car seats I have seen, the grey fabric is neutral for any gender and wouldn’t show dirty marks. The seat was easy to get my little boy into and adjust, and the secure base was great for peace of mind when driving. It was just a little too big for my car which was annoying."
Mother&Baby Tester, Mahjabeen said: "The base is easy to install and I like the reassuring ‘bleep’ when it’s fitted correctly. The seat looks comfortable and Zahra seems happy in it and loves banging her feet against the footrest. The over-the-shoulder straps are easy to fasten. It almost deserves full marks, but I feel some other seats offer better value."
Mother&Baby Tester, Eleanor, said: "I’d definitely recommend the Pebble Plus to fellow mums. The seat comes with a great, comfy insert for a newborn, giving you the reassurance that they are nice and snug and safe. The cushion also looks like it would give great head support compared to other car seats."
Final thoughts
The Maxi-Cosi Pebble Plus & 2wayfix base received glowing reviews from our testers, and as a result, has been awarded a 4.5 out of 5 star rating from us. Despite minor suggestions, like the product being better equipped for growth, there was very little that the Maxi-Cosi Pebble Plus & 2wayfix failed at for our testers. In fact, one of the biggest suggestions was the fact that the price, at around £300 for the car seat and base, was inaccessible and testers wished the price point was a lot more affordable.
However, with the 2wayfix base being discontinued and the Maxi-Cosi Pebble Plus car seat being a few years old, with newer and more competitive products on the market - it begs the question, would this car seat still stand as well in the current market?
FAQs
Maxi-Cosi Pebble Plus base compatibility?
The Maxi-Cosi Pebble Plus is compatible with various other brands of prams, like Bugaboo, for example. Our Mother&Baby testers loved that the Maxi-Cosi Pebble Plus was compatible across various pram brands as this meant it was convenient for those that already had these existing prams, meaning they didn't have to purchase another pram.
Mother&Baby Tester, Angela, said: "I have a Bugaboo Donkey and the seat was so easy to use with my pram. I just bought an adaptor so I could click and go. In addition to being compatible with Maxi-Cosi prams, it is also compatible with Quinny, Bugaboo and iCandy prams making it a good choice for anyone with these prams looking for an infant car seat."
Mother&Baby Tester, Natacha, said: "The Pebble Plus is easy to use and is so versatile, having the ability to be placed in the car securely both with and without the Isofix base. It also is capable of attaching to several buggy frames e.g. Quinny and Bugaboo."
Mother&Baby Tester, Debra, said: "The best thing about this car seat is the ability to use it with adaptors for my Bugaboo pram which means I can nip out quickly from my car to the shops/nursery to drop off my older girl. I don't have to wake my sleeping baby which is always a bonus!"
How to install the Maxi-Cosi Pebble Plus?
How to clean the Maxi-Cosi Pebble Plus?
Glossary
ISOFIX An ISOFIX base is an internationally standardised car seat fitting system. It automatically locks your car seat or car seat base onto two metal clips called ISOFIX fixing points.
Travel system A travel system is a buggy with a detachable car seat. The car seat can be easily secured or detached from your buggy to make it as easy as possible for you to move baby from the car to the buggy.