Guides · Car seats · UK law
Is a backless booster cushion under 125cm or 22kg still legal in the UK?
What did the 2017 booster-cushion rule actually change?
The rule is a manufacturing limit, not a household confiscation. The Department for Transport notice (updated 22 February 2017) says that from 9 February 2017 makers were not allowed to introduce new models of backless booster seats for children shorter than 125cm or weighing less than 22kg. Current GOV.UK child car seat rules put the same point in one line: manufacturers can now only make booster cushions approved as group 3.
Swipe sideways for the full table
| Question | Official position |
|---|---|
| Who the rule binds | Manufacturers bringing in new backless booster models |
| New cushions after the change | Only group 3 approval: 22kg to 36kg (and the maker's stated height, often from 125cm) |
| Cushions already made as group 2 | GOV.UK: this will not affect existing booster cushions in group 2 and you can still use them |
| Do owners have to replace a pre-2017 cushion? | The DFT notice says existing seats and cushions are not affected |
Official records show the 2017 change is about which new cushions makers may approve. The DFT said existing booster seats and cushions were not made illegal. A listed group on the orange label is not the same as a recall.
Can I still use an existing group 2 booster cushion?
Yes, if that cushion is still an approved weight-based seat for the child who is sitting on it. GOV.UK's weight table still includes group 2 (15kg to 25kg) as a high-backed booster or booster cushion using a seat belt, harness or safety shield. The extra sentence under that table is the one parents miss: existing group 2 cushions are not withdrawn from use.
childcarseats.org.uk (the RoSPA child-seat site) states the same legal split: the 2017 change does not affect existing group 2/3 cushions that can be used from 15kg, and parents who continue to use those older cushions after the rule change are not breaking the law on that ground alone.
Which? has asked whether booster seats mean you are breaking the law. Their product pages discuss crash-test differences between high-backed boosters and backless cushions. That is a product-test conversation. The legal test on GOV.UK is the approval type, the child's weight or height, and a correct fit — not a 2017 'ban' of every cushion in the cupboard.
How do I read the label on a backless booster cushion?
Weight-based seats used in the UK must be approved. GOV.UK says they carry a label with a capital E in a circle and ECE R44. The group, the kilogram range and the standard sit on that orange (or similar) approval label — not on the shop marketing name.
- Find the approval label Look on the underside or side of the cushion. You need the circled E, the regulation (ECE R44), the group (2, 3 or 2/3) and the kilogram range.
- Match the child to the printed range Group 2 on GOV.UK is 15kg to 25kg. Group 3 is 22kg to 36kg. If the label only shows group 3, the child needs to be inside that printed range — typically from 22kg, and many new cushions also state 125cm.
- Read the maker's instructions for height The 125cm figure in the 2017 manufacturing rule is about new models. An older group 2 cushion may not print 125cm at all. Follow the range on that label, not a rumour about every cushion.
- Check the belt path GOV.UK still requires a diagonal strap unless the seat is designed for a lap belt or is on ISOFIX. A booster cushion that only works with a three-point belt is not a lap-belt seat.
If the label is missing, painted over or unreadable, you cannot show which group the cushion was approved as. That is a documentation gap, not proof it is approved.
What do 125cm and 22kg mean for a new cushion?
Treat 125cm and 22kg as the floor for new backless booster models after 9 February 2017, not as a second age test that replaces the main child-seat law. The main law on GOV.UK is still: a child normally uses a child car seat until 12 years or 135cm, whichever comes first.
- New cushion, group 3 only. The child should be at least 22kg and inside the maker's stated height (often from 125cm) before that new cushion is the correct restraint.
- Existing group 2 cushion. GOV.UK still allows use in the group 2 weight band (15kg to 25kg) if that is what the label approves.
- High-backed booster. The 2017 manufacturing limit is about backless cushions. High-backed group 2/3 seats are a different product type on the same GOV.UK table.
- 135cm / age 12. Reaching 125cm does not end the child-seat requirement. The adult-belt threshold remains 135cm or the 12th birthday, whichever is first.
Group 2 and group 3 booster cushions compared
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| Group | Weight on GOV.UK | What the 2017 change does |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | 15kg to 25kg | Makers cannot introduce new backless models below 125cm / 22kg; existing group 2 cushions may still be used |
| 3 | 22kg to 36kg | This is the only group in which manufacturers may now make new booster cushions |
In shortIn short: a new backless booster cushion is a group 3 product (22kg to 36kg, and the height the maker prints, often from 125cm). An existing group 2 cushion was not outlawed in 2017. Official records show 'still able to use them' — that is not a blanket all-clear on condition, crash history or a missing label.
Questions parents ask
- Did the UK ban all backless booster cushions in 2017?
- No. The Department for Transport said existing booster seats and cushions were not affected. GOV.UK still says you can use existing group 2 cushions. The change stops manufacturers introducing new backless models for children under 125cm or 22kg.
- My child is 18kg. Can they sit on a brand-new booster cushion?
- A new cushion can only be made as group 3, which GOV.UK lists as 22kg to 36kg. An 18kg child is inside the group 2 band (15kg to 25kg) on that same table, so you would be looking at a seat whose label still covers group 2 — not a new group-3-only cushion.
- Is 125cm the same as the 135cm adult-belt rule?
- No. 125cm appears in the 2017 manufacturing rule for new backless cushions. The child-seat duty on GOV.UK ends at 135cm or the 12th birthday, whichever comes first. A child can be over 125cm and still need a child seat.
- Shops still sell cheap cushions. Does that make them legal for my child?
- Sale on a shelf is not the test. Check the approval label for the group and kilogram range, then match that range to the child. childcarseats.org.uk notes that anyone buying a new cushion should read the maker's labels and instructions for weight and height.
Sources
Official pages first. If this page and the official page disagree, the official page wins.
- GOV.UK — Child car seats: the rules — checked 10 September 2026
- GOV.UK — New child car seat rules: no change for existing booster seats (DFT, 2017) — checked 10 September 2026
- childcarseats.org.uk — Booster cushions — checked 10 September 2026
- Which? — Car seats for older children (high-back vs backless) — checked 10 September 2026
This is information, not a guarantee of any payment, and not medical, legal or product-safety advice for your home. Prices and rules change; figures carry the date they were checked. Recall status comes from official records only — a product we cannot find is not a safety all-clear. Tell us if we got a fact wrong.