What do the new ratings mean?
NHTSA updated its Ease of Use rating system with a new “Star Rating” system. With the new system, a child restraint can receive an Ease of Use rating from 1 to 5 stars. Each seat is evaluated on: How easy it is to use and install Whether it includes certain installation features Amount of content on the labels and instructions. Five stars represent the highest rating, meaning that the child restraint was judged by NHTSA to have excellent features, making installation very easy. A lower star rating for a child restraint does not mean it has a poor design. It may simply have a design that does not include the features that provide the easiest installation, so it may take a few extra steps to use properly. Keep in mind that the Ease of Use rating system DOES NOT measure either the safety or the performance of a child restraint in a crash.
