Bugaboo Turtle by Nuna Review

Quick Summary: The Turtle is a great looking infant carrier that fits in perfectly with the black and white styling of bugaboo - perfect for either sex. Based on a car seat with a 1.8 Good test rating, you know that they'll be carried safely on your travels. We love the pull-out visor, which really offers great protection, as well as the cosy merino wool insert to keep them comfortable at all times. It's easy to install in the car and day-to-day life is simple, with everything that is operational being white. For an infant carrier by a high-end brand like Bugaboo, it's great to see a price of £219 for the seat and £129 for the base.

Bugaboo is synonymous with great style and functionality in its iconic pushchairs and strollers, but the Dutch brand is now joining the car seat world in a partnership with Nuna. Welcome the Bugaboo Turtle by Nuna!

Things we love…

The Turtle is actually manufactured for Bugaboo by Nuna, a brand that has been making infant carriers for quite a few years. It is based on the PIPA Icon car seat, with some upgrades especially for Bugaboo.

When purchasing the Turtle, you receive the adaptors included so that you can use it seamlessly on the Bugaboo pushchair of your choice, you just need to state which when you order. It's great that you can now have a complete travel system from Bugaboo. Everything on the car seat matches the Bugaboo styling, with the black fabrics and white buttons.

The Bugaboo Turtle is an infant carrier designed for use with a baby from birth right up to 85cm, which is around 15 months. This gives you great longevity compared to other options. It's i-Size tested when used with the ISOFIX base. The base can be installed with ISOFIX or you can also install with the vehicle seat belt, as well as the option of securing the Turtle alone with the seat belt! Great alternatives for use in different cars. It's really easy to fit the base using the ISOFIX arms and load leg, with red and green indicators to let you know everything is safely installed. Handles built into the seat make fitting easier too.

With safety being the main purpose of a car seat, we are pleased to report that the Bugaboo Turtle is based on the Nuna PIPA Icon, which has a 1.8 'Good' ADAC crash protection rating and features patented tailor tech™ memory foam for optimal side-impact protection.

Inside the seat there is a soft and removable newborn insert made of merino wool, which helps keep baby cool and oh so comfortable. It's recommended to use the full insert to increase the side impact protection while baby is under 60cm, or until they outgrow it. You can also remove the body section or the cushion separately depending on what fits the infant comfortably. Once the newborn insert is removed, there's a spacious area for older babies to travel safely.

The headrest of the car seat stays in the seat and can be moved up and down to adjust the five point harness. A button at the back of the headrest makes this a quick and easy job.

Whether you are using the Turtle in the car or on your pushchair wheels, the canopy keeps baby well protected. It features a UP50+ rating, peek-a-boo window and a unique ‘smart visor'. This visor pulls down and has a mesh part tucked underneath which pulls over the baby's legs and cleverly attaches by magnets to the side of the seat! We love this feature and think it makes a great addition to an infant carrier that is part of a travel system, creating a cosy environment for them to sleep. Parents should just bear in mind the advice of a maximum of 30 minutes in a car seat for newborns.

Even though Bugaboo pushchairs sit at the top of the price spectrum, the Turtle and base is cheaper than similar i-Size infant carriers on the market, at £348.

Things to look out for…

The Bugaboo Turtle isn't the lightest of infant carriers at 5.1kg, but there's not a big difference to its competitors.

Our verdict

The Turtle is a great looking infant carrier that fits in perfectly with the black and white styling of bugaboo - perfect for either sex. Based on a car seat with a 1.8 Good test rating, you know that they'll be carried safely on your travels.

We love the pull-out visor, which really offers great protection, as well as the cosy merino wool insert to keep them comfortable at all times.

It's easy to install in the car and day-to-day life is simple, with everything that is operational being white. For an infant carrier by a high-end brand like Bugaboo, it's great to see a price of £219 for the seat and £129 for the base.