If you're looking for the best convertible car seat for your soon-to-be toddler, you've undoubtedly seen Nuna and Britax on practically every list.

The Nuna RAVA and Britax Boulevard—the company's two most popular convertible models—share comparable safety and ease-of-use qualities, due to steel construction and an installation process that's virtually as simple as buckling a seatbelt.

The two types are nearly close in Consumer Reports' rankings of the best convertible car seats: While the Britax Boulevard takes the top spot with an overall score of 85, the Nuna RAVA comes in second with a score of 82.

In this comparison, we'll look at the characteristics, features, and advantages and downsides of the Nuna RAVA and the Britax Boulevard.

Both the Britax Boulevard and Nuna RAVA grow with your child, starting as a rear-facing seat for a baby and transitioning to a forward-facing seat for an older child.

When used rear-facing, the RAVA can support a child up to 50 pounds, compared with the 40-pound limit on the Boulevard. The RAVA's extra capacity (in addition to its adjustable calf support feature) can help you keep your child in the safest, rear-facing position for the longest period of time.

Your child will likely outgrow the car seat around age 5 or 6, when they reach 49" in height or 65 pounds in weight.

Rear-Facing

RAVA: 5 to 50 pounds; 49" or less
Boulevard: 5 to 40 pounds, 49" or less

Forward-Facing

RAVA: 25 to 65 pounds; 49" or less
Boulevard: 20 to 65 pounds, 49" or less

Weight Limits for Installation with LATCH

All convertible car seats must eventually be installed with the vehicle seatbelt as your child grows because the combined weight of the car seat and your child will exceed the weight limits of the vehicle LATCH system.

Boulevard: 5-35 rear-facing; 20-40 pounds forward-facing
RAVA: 5-35 pounds rear-facing; 25-40 pounds forward-facing

The Britax Boulevard and Nuna RAVA are two of the most secure convertible car seats available. In fact, they are ranked first and second in Consumer Reports' overall convertible car seat rankings, with the Boulevard scoring higher for crash protection and the RAVA rating higher for simplicity of use (a safety factor in and of itself).

Both vehicle seats are built of steel and have energy-absorbing foam that runs the length of the seat and headrest. The Boulevard features two layers of side-impact foam, whilst the RAVA has side-impact pods that protrude from the sides of the seat, acting as the first line of defence in a collision.

The Boulevard has a few safety features not seen on RAVA, like the anti-rebound bar included with higher-priced versions. According to Britax testing, the anti-rebound bar helps stabilize the seat in a crash, reducing rotation by 40 percent.

Feed the belt through the rear or forward-facing belt pathways, click your seatbelt in, eliminate extra slack, and close the ClickTight door to install this seat. If your seat slides less than one inch from side to side or back and forth at the base, your installation is safe!

The ClickTight method is very unique and is an excellent choice for grandparents, nannies, or friends.

When you are rear-facing, you will use the rear-facing belt route to guide your seatbelt through, and when you are forward-facing, you will use the forward-facing belt path. Both are properly labelled.

The Britax Boulevard ClickTight includes a bubble-level indicator on the side that you may use to determine how far back your car seat should be reclined. You'll simply want to make sure they're not too upright because this car seat can be used from birth [when newborns have very limited head control]. Once baby has head control, you are safe as long as your bubble is not in the red. This car seat's many reclining options allow it to accommodate a larger range of vehicle seats.

Pull your seat belt all the way out until you hear a ratcheting noise, then carefully feed it back into the retractor while eliminating slack with your other hand [the aim is to remove any slack from the lap belt] and close the true tension door. If your seat belt does not have an Automatic Lock, contact Nuna and they will mail you a locking clip. After closing the True Tension door and removing all slack from your seatbelt, check to see whether your seat slides less than one inch from side to side or back and forth at the base. If it occurs, unbuckle your seatbelt and open the True Tension door before attempting again.

The RAVA has two independent "True Tension" doors, one for rear-facing and one for forward-facing. Rear-facing is shown by blue, whereas forward-facing is indicated by red. Follow the path that corresponds to your installation direction.

Then, on the side of the car door, you'll want to open the Side Impact Protection pod.

You now possess it!

For a thorough explanation of the CARSEATS Textiles and much more reviews, check out the Related Content section of our learning centre!