Guide

Will the pushchair actually fit your car?

It is a question people often ask last, usually in a car park after they have already chosen the pushchair. Ask it first and you could save yourself a lot of frustration.

4 min read

It is easy to fall for a pushchair, or any baby equipment for that matter, before you have thought about the practicality of how it fits your life and your car. Sometimes it is the design, the colour or the way it folds in the showroom. Sometimes it is seeing one a friend has and wanting the same for your own family. Both are completely natural.

A pushchair can be light, smooth and lovely to use, but still be wrong for your family because it does not fit comfortably in your boot. Perhaps it only goes in with the parcel shelf removed, the rear seats folded or nothing else on board.

It can be an expensive mistake, but it is also one of the easiest to avoid. Here is how to check properly before falling for a particular pushchair.

Why boot capacity doesn't tell you enough

A folded pushchair on a showroom floor tells you very little about how it will fit inside your car.

Boots vary enormously, not only in capacity but also in shape. Wheel arches reduce the usable width, parcel shelves slope downwards and some cars have a high lip that makes lifting awkward. The boot opening may also be considerably smaller than the space inside.

Two cars with similar quoted boot capacities can accommodate the same pushchair very differently. The only boot that really matters is yours.

Measure your boot first

Before comparing pushchairs, take a tape measure to your car and record:

• The narrowest internal width, usually between the wheel arches
• The usable depth across the boot floor
• The available height beneath the parcel shelf
• The width and height of the boot opening
• The height of the lip you will need to lift over

Keep the measurements on your phone so you have them whenever you look at a pushchair.

These numbers will not give you the complete answer, but they can quickly identify models that are unlikely to work.

Check the true folded size

Manufacturers usually publish folded dimensions, but check exactly what those figures include.

• Is the seat unit still attached?
• Are the wheels included?
• Does it only fold with the seat facing forwards?
• Can it fold in every configuration you expect to use?
• Will the carrycot need to travel separately?

A pushchair may fold more compactly after removing the seat or wheels, but that also creates extra steps every time you load the car. Some families will not mind; others will quickly find it frustrating.

If you are expecting a newborn, remember that the frame is only part of the calculation. A separate carrycot can occupy as much useful boot space as the folded pushchair itself.

Size isn't the only consideration

Folded dimensions tell you whether a pushchair should fit. Its weight and shape determine how practical that fit will be.

A relatively heavy pushchair may be manageable when lifted from the floor, but much less comfortable when you need to raise it over a deep bumper or high boot lip. Bulky or awkwardly positioned handles can also make an apparently compact fold difficult to manoeuvre.

Try folding and lifting the pushchair several times yourself. You should never test this while holding a child, but consider whether the process would still feel manageable when you are tired, in poor weather or do not have both hands conveniently free.

Look at what space remains

A pushchair fitting inside an empty boot is not the same as it fitting into your life.

Consider what else normally travels with you:

• A changing bag
• The weekly shopping
• A travel cot
• Luggage for weekends away
• A dog or pet equipment
• Equipment for another child

You may be happy to remove the parcel shelf occasionally, but doing it for every short journey could become tiresome. Likewise, a pushchair that requires the rear seats to be folded may technically fit, but it will not be practical when those seats are occupied.

Your car-fit checklist

Before choosing, make sure you have:

• Measured the internal boot width, depth and usable height
• Measured the actual boot opening
• Checked the height of the boot lip
• Found the pushchair's true folded dimensions
• Confirmed whether the seat, wheels or carrycot travel separately
• Folded and lifted it yourself
• Allowed room for everything else you regularly carry

Test it in the car it will live in

Measurements are a useful starting point, but nothing replaces trying the pushchair in your actual car.

A model that looks compact on a display stand can still be awkward around a particular boot opening, bumper or wheel arch. Wherever you choose to buy, ask whether you can fold the pushchair, lift it into your car and see how much usable space remains.