Car seat expiration checker
Find the date of manufacture on your seat's label, pick the brand, and see when it expires and how long it has left. Every figure comes from the manufacturer's own expiration page or manual, re-checked 2026-10-03.
Quick answer
Car seats expire 6 to 12 years after they are made, depending on the brand and the type of seat. Across the 12 brands below, each checked against the maker's own expiration page or manual, the shortest stated useful life is 6 years (Chicco, Britax and Cybex) and the longest is 12 years (Maxi-Cosi and Safety 1st). Almost every brand counts from the date of manufacture printed on the seat; Diono counts from the date you bought it. The date on your own seat's label always wins over any chart, including this one.
Car seat expiration by brand
What each maker says, in its own terms. The full comparison table is in our car seat expiration guide.
Graco car seat expiration
Graco defines useful life as 7 years for harnessed seats with plastic-reinforced belt paths (it names the Contender 65 as an example) and 10 years for harnessed seats with steel-reinforced belt paths and for belt-positioning boosters. Graco's own formula is date of manufacture plus useful life equals expiration date. If you are unsure which belt path your seat has, the manual and the stamp on the shell both state the figure.
Where to look: The date of manufacture is on one of the seat's labels. The useful life is stamped into the seat itself and printed in the manual, worded "Do not use this child restraint...".
Source: Graco car seat expiration FAQ
Chicco car seat expiration
Chicco publishes a designed lifespan by seat type, counted from the date of manufacture: 6 years for infant seats, 8 for rotating convertibles, harness boosters and boosters, and 8 or 10 years for all-in-one seats depending on the model. Chicco tells parents to check the seat's date of manufacture (DOM) label or user manual for the exact date.
Source: Chicco car seat basics guide
Britax car seat expiration
Britax lists expiration by product line: 6 years for infant seats and their bases, 10 for ClickTight convertibles and all-in-one seats, 9 for harness-2-booster seats and 10 for belt-positioning boosters. Britax stresses that the date of manufacture on the serial label is not the same as the date you bought the seat.
Where to look: On the seat's serial label. Britax says the label's position varies by model and shows each one in its guide.
Source: Britax expiration and DOM guide
Evenflo car seat expiration
Evenflo now gives all of its car seats and booster seats a 10-year expiration from the date of manufacture. That applies to seats made from January 2025; Evenflo says a seat made before then may have a different expiration date, so an older seat's label is the only reliable figure.
Where to look: Evenflo prints the date of manufacture on a label, usually on the bottom, side or back of the seat.
Nuna car seat expiration
Nuna does not publish one brand-wide figure. The REVV convertible manual says not to use the seat if it is more than 10 years old, while the PIPA-series infant seat manual sends you to the expiration label on the underside of the base or carrier rather than stating a number.
Where to look: The REVV manual points to the label or stamped "do not use after" date on the bottom of the seat; the PIPA lite manual points to the label on the underside of the base or the carrier.
Sources: Nuna REVV manual, Nuna PIPA lite manual
Clek car seat expiration
Clek is the simplest brand on the list: every Clek car seat expires nine years from its date of manufacture, and Clek says not to use a seat once that date has passed.
Where to look: On the seat's date of manufacture label. Clek's support site has a page per model showing where it is.
Source: Clek support FAQ
Maxi-Cosi car seat expiration
Maxi-Cosi says its car seat expiration dates range from eight to twelve years depending on the product, and it does not list them by model on that page. Read the date of manufacture on the seat, then the lifespan in your manual.
Where to look: Many Maxi-Cosi seats have a date of manufacture sticker on the back of the seat. The lifespan for your model is in its manual.
Safety 1st car seat expiration
Safety 1st gives the same answer as Maxi-Cosi: expiration dates range from eight to twelve years depending on the product, and the instruction manual gives your seat's lifespan.
Where to look: Many Safety 1st seats have a date of manufacture sticker on the back of the seat. The lifespan for your model is in its manual.
Cosco car seat expiration
Cosco does not publish a brand-wide figure. The Scenera NEXT convertible manual says not to use the seat more than 8 years after its date of manufacture, and Cosco's support site says the expiration date is printed onto the bottom of every seat, which makes Cosco one of the easier brands to check directly.
Where to look: Cosco prints the expiration date onto the bottom of the seat itself. The model number and date of manufacture are on a sticker, most often on the side of the seat (on the bottom for some infant seats).
Sources: Cosco scenera NEXT manual, Cosco date and expiration label guide
Cybex car seat expiration
Cybex says every one of its car seats has an expiration date, with a period of use between six and ten years depending on the type and function of the seat. The exact period is on a label on the seat and in its instructions.
Where to look: Cybex says the period of use is on a label on the product and in the product instructions.
Source: Cybex safety FAQs
UPPAbaby car seat expiration
UPPAbaby does not publish one brand-wide figure. The MESA V2 and MESA Max manuals both say to stop using the seat 7 years after its date of manufacture, and point to the labels on the bottom of the carrier and base. For any other UPPAbaby seat, check its own label.
Where to look: The MESA manuals point to the labels on the bottom of the carrier and the base.
Diono car seat expiration
Diono is the outlier: its support site says Diono car seats expire 10 years from the date of purchase, not the date of manufacture. Keep the receipt or order confirmation, because the date on the seat's label will not tell you when a Diono seat expires.
Source: Diono support FAQ
How the checker works
It adds the maker's stated useful life to the month on your label. Labels and manuals give a month at best, so the result is a month, not a day; the seat's own “do not use after” date is the one to follow. Where a brand states a range, you get the earliest and latest possible month. Where it publishes nothing for a model, you get no date, only where to find the label. Evenflo's 10-year figure is applied only to seats made from January 2025, because Evenflo says older seats may differ.
Expiration is only one reason to retire a seat. A seat that has been in a crash, has missing or damaged parts, or has an unknown history should not be used either, whatever its date. Have any installation checked by a certified child passenger safety technician.
Common questions
Do car seats really expire?
Yes. Every brand on this page publishes an expiration date or useful life for its seats. The reasons the makers give are practical: a seat goes through years of buckling and big temperature swings in a parked car, components wear and belts stretch, and crash standards and vehicle designs keep changing. Graco and Chicco both say not to use a seat past its expiration date.
Where is the expiration date on a car seat?
Look for a sticker marked with the date of manufacture, usually on the side, back or bottom of the shell. Some brands print the expiry date itself: Cosco prints it onto the bottom of the seat, and the UPPAbaby MESA manuals point to the labels on the bottom of the carrier and base. Others, such as Graco, stamp the useful life into the plastic and print it in the manual, so you add those years to the date of manufacture.
Is car seat expiration counted from the date of manufacture or the date of purchase?
For almost every brand it is the date of manufacture, and Britax points out that this is not the same as the day you bought the seat. Diono is the exception and counts 10 years from the date of purchase, so keep the receipt. Cybex's FAQ says the period is on the label but does not say what it is counted from.
How long are Graco car seats good for?
Graco gives 7 years for harnessed seats with a plastic-reinforced belt path and 10 years for harnessed seats with a steel-reinforced belt path and for belt-positioning boosters, counted from the date of manufacture. Graco's formula is date of manufacture plus useful life equals expiration date.
What should I do with an expired car seat?
Stop using it, and make sure nobody else can. Graco suggests removing the cover, cutting or removing the harness straps, writing DO NOT USE, EXPIRED on the shell, and putting it in a black garbage bag before recycling or disposal.
Why does the checker sometimes show a range instead of one date?
Because some makers only publish a range. Maxi-Cosi and Safety 1st state 8 to 12 years depending on the product, Cybex 6 to 10, and Chicco's all-in-one seats are 8 or 10 years by model. Picking one number would be false precision, so the checker shows the earliest and latest possible month and sends you to the label for the exact figure. Where a brand publishes nothing for a model, it shows no date at all.