European Regulations - Child Car Seat Standards

The European Test Standard for Child Restraints ECE R 44 was introduced in 1982.

All car seats must display an ECE R44/04 certification label to indicate they comply with standard safety requirement.

From April 2008, all child car seats that were manufactured before 1995 and approved to the ECE R Standard Regulations 44/01 and 44/02 are no longer legal and must not be used.

All Children’s car seats for sale are tested and approved to the current Child Safety Standard ECE R 44/04.

Only seats displaying the European Standard orange label, indicating approval to the Standard to ECE R44/03 and ECE R 44/04 maybe legally used.

Explanation of the ECE-label

1. Indicates for which category the child seat has been approved.

2. Indicates for which Group by weight the seat is approved.

3. "Y" shows that this child seat has a 5-point harness system with crotch strap

4. European Approval indicator

5. Indicates the country in which the approval was obtained (1=Germany, 2=France, 3=Italy, 4=the Netherlands etc.)

6. Approval number. The first two numbers show to which version ECE R 44 the child seat has been approved in this case ECE R 44/04.

7. Is the ‘control’ number allocated to a specific seat.

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