Car Seats

Best Car Seats

Overall Score

Diono LiteClik 30 XT

Infant Car Seats

An infant car seat offered by Diono.

CR Expert Take

How did it perform in our expert lab testing?

Overall Score

The Overall Score for this model is derived from our expert lab test results.

Current Range of Tested Infant Car Seats

What goes into the Overall Score?

EXPERT LAB TESTS

Ease of use

4 / 5

Fit-to-vehicle LATCH

4 / 5

Fit-to-vehicle belt

4 / 5

Fit-to-vehicle carrier-only

2 / 5

Maximum weight (lbs.)

Crash protection

Basic

Cons

Manual diagrams for seat belt installation do not accurately reflect belt routing
Manual storage location doesn’t actually store the manual—it just falls out
Crash protection performance: During CR’s crash testing, the carrier released from the base (see Additional Information section)
Difficult-to-follow instructions for tightening the belt
Carrier flips backwards when placed on floor

CR's Take

The Diono LiteClik 30 XT infant seat comes with an integrated anti-rebound bar and a rear-facing baby mirror. Rear-facing tethering is recommended. Our fit-to-vehicle testing showed that lower anchor installations were easier than with the vehicle seat belt, but the lower anchor connectors can be tricky to release. In CR’s crash testing, when the base was installed with the vehicle belt, the infant carrier released from the base (see below for more details). The carry handle does not lock well so we could essentially flip the carrier all the way around with a weighted child dummy in the carrier, and when placed on the floor, the carrier tips backward very easily.

Detailed Test Results

Consumer Reports has developed a new crash test that offers consumers comparative performance information on which car seats could provide an additional margin of safety when compared with other models within the same ratings group that have been subjected to the same test protocol. Our Crash Protection Ratings are based on injury criteria measured on standardized child-size dummies, contact of the dummy’s head with the back of a simulated front seat and a car seat’s ability to remain intact during the course of testing. Consumer Reports’ new crash tests are not designed to check whether a seat complies with current federal car seat safety standards. Rather, the purpose of our new tests is to differentiate the seats’ performance on a scale that ranks the performance of tested seats ranging from “basic” to “best.” Our focus on providing an “extra margin” of safety, rather than on determining whether a seat is safe or not, is based on the fact that any car seat sold in the U.S. already must provide an essential level of safety under the government standards. The new test conditions were carefully designed to simulate the interior environment and forces encountered during a crash in contemporary vehicles. Changes from the way that convertible seats were rated previously include using a test bench that better simulates the vehicle seat design from a contemporary vehicle, with more representative cushion stiffness and seat geometry and incorporation of a “blocker” to simulate a front seatback. The new test also runs at a higher 35mph speed, with other representative dynamic characteristics that better simulate the behavior of contemporary vehicles during a crash.

About

The Diono LiteClik 30 XT is part of the Car Seats test program at Consumer Reports. In our lab tests, Infant Car Seats models like the LiteClik 30 XT are rated on multiple criteria, such as those listed below.

Maximum weight: The maximum weight of a child that a model will accommodate.

Ease of use: Includes the clarity of instructions, installing the seat, adjusting harness positions, placing a child in the seat, securing the harness, and removing the child.

Fit-to-vehicle LATCH: A rating of how easy it is to securely and correctly install each seat using the LATCH system in a variety of vehicles and how well the seats fit each vehicle once installed.

Additional Information

In 2 of 3 rear-facing tests with the 22lb ”CRABI” auto test dummy representing a 12-month-old child, installed with the 3-point seat belt, the infant carrier released off the base during the crash test. While the dummy remains secure within the carrier, the detachment of the carrier from the base causes concern for increased risk of injury. Because of these results with the 12MO CRABI, we did not test with the heavier 30lb auto test dummy. Diono told CR it is committed to the rigorous testing of its products and the safety of all child passengers. The company also said it was thoroughly investigating the questions raised by CR’s testing. “We are always looking to find ways of making our seats safer and more reliable,” the company said in its statement.

For more information about the Diono LiteClik30 XT, please contact Diono at 1-800-671-1701.

Features & Specs

Features

Load leg

LATCH connections

Push-on

Harness height adjustment

Rethread

Harness tension adjustment

Single Pull Front

Base recline level indicator type

Bubble

Base recline level indicator position

Both Sides

Carrier recline level indicator type

Line

Carrier recline level indicator position

Both Sides

Adjustable base

Yes

Belt lockoff

Yes

Adjustable crotch strap

Yes

Handle restriction

Yes

Carrier use without base

Yes

Spanish language instructions

Included

Specs

Weight range (lbs.)

4-30

Height range (in.)

30" or less

Carrier weight (lbs.)

Seat/base weight (lbs.)

Base width (in.)

Carrier width (in.)

Overall length (in.)

Good small car fit

Yes

Price & Shop

Diono LiteClik 30 XT

Price

Description

CR Expert Take

Overall Score

What goes into the Overall Score?

EXPERT LAB TESTS

CR's Take

Detailed Test Results

About

Additional Information

Similar Products

Similar Products

Features & Specs

Features & Specs

Features

Specs

Price & Shop

Price & Shop

More From Consumer Reports