Guides · Car seats · Orange labels
What is the difference between a Plus Test sticker and the official orange approval label?
Which sticker is the official UN type-approval mark?
The orange approval label (colour is usual, not the test). GOV.UK says a height-based seat used in the UK shows a capital E in a circle and R129, and a weight-based seat shows E and ECE R44. RoSPA looks for that E-mark and names R44.04 (or R44.03) or i-Size / R129.
That sticker is type approval: a government-issued UN mark. VTI, which runs the Plus Test, states that in Sweden the Swedish Transport Agency issues the E-approval after testing, and that this E-approval is the mandatory mark for child restraints.
Official records show the UK-required mark as E + R129 or E + ECE R44 (RoSPA and Which? specify R44 series 03 or 04). A Plus Test graphic sitting next to it is not that mark.
What is a Plus Test sticker, according to VTI?
VTI — the Swedish National Road and Transport Research Institute — describes the Plus Test as a voluntary crash test of a child restraint in a frontal collision, focused on neck load. A seat that passes is awarded a sticker and is listed on VTI’s site.
- It is a supplement to UN ECE R44 or R129 type approval, not a replacement.
- Only some products may be submitted: rear-facing-only seats, already approved to R129 up to 125 cm or to R44 Group I or II.
- The result is pass or fail. VTI does not publish a ranking or star score on the sticker.
- A seat may have no sticker because it was not eligible, was not submitted, or did not pass. VTI lists those as separate reasons.
Brand pages (including Silver Cross) repeat the same split: UK law looks for R129 or the existing approved R44 mark; Plus Test is optional. This article stays on which sticker is which. It does not rank seats.
How do the two stickers differ on the shell?
Swipe sideways for the full table
| Orange approval label | Plus Test sticker | |
|---|---|---|
| Who issues it | A UN type-approval authority (E-circle country number) | VTI, after a voluntary test in Linköping |
| What GOV.UK / RoSPA name | E + R129 or E + ECE R44 (03 or 04) | Not named as the UK legal mark |
| What it shows | Regulation, series, stature or weight, category (i-Size, group, universal / specific vehicle) | That this rear-facing model passed VTI’s Plus Test; often a height or weight band for that test |
| If it is missing | GOV.UK’s named mark is not on the seat | The seat may still have a full E-mark. Missing Plus Test is not a missing type approval |
| Pass / fail or score | Type approval granted for that product | VTI: pass or fail only; no ranking |
Does a missing Plus Test sticker mean the seat has no approval?
No. VTI’s own FAQ asks why not every restraint has a Plus Test label and answers that the test is voluntary, and that a seat may be ineligible, untested or unsuccessful. The orange E-mark is the approval GOV.UK and RoSPA name. Look for that first.
A Plus Test sticker without an E-circle + R129 or ECE R44 line would not match how VTI describes the programme: applicants must already hold UN ECE approval. In practice, read the orange label. Treat the Plus Test graphic as an extra sticker on a seat that already has type approval.
Which seats can even carry a Plus Test sticker?
VTI limits applications to restraints that can only be used rear-facing, already approved to R129 in a range up to 125 cm or as R44 Group I or II. Reversible 360 seats that also forward-face are outside that door, which is why many UK 360 shells have a full orange E-mark and no Plus Test graphic.
That eligibility rule is about who may apply. It is not a verdict on every other orange-labelled seat.
In shortThe orange E + R129 or E + ECE R44.03 / .04 sticker is the official UN type-approval mark. The Plus Test sticker is VTI’s voluntary Swedish add-on for some rear-facing seats. A missing Plus Test graphic is not a missing legal mark. This page does not rank the two stickers.
Questions parents ask
- Is the Plus Test required to use a seat in the UK?
- No. GOV.UK names E + R129 or E + ECE R44. RoSPA looks for that E-mark at R44.03 / R44.04 or R129. VTI and Silver Cross both describe Plus Test as voluntary and extra to type approval.
- The seat has a Plus Test sticker but I cannot find an orange E-mark. What should I read?
- Find the type-approval label — back or underside of the shell, often orange, with an E in a circle. VTI’s process starts from an existing UN ECE approval. A Plus Test graphic on its own is not the mark GOV.UK names.
- Why do some rear-facing seats have no Plus Test sticker?
- VTI lists three reasons: the model was not eligible (for example it also forward-faces), the maker did not apply, or the seat did not pass. None of those sentences remove an E-mark that is already on the shell.
- Does a Plus Test sticker replace R44.03 / R44.04 or R129?
- No. VTI calls UN ECE R44 and R129 mandatory type approval and Plus Test a voluntary supplement. Read the orange label for the regulation family; treat Plus Test as a second, optional sticker.
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
- RoSPA Child Car Seats — FAQs — checked 10 September 2026
- VTI — The Plus Test — checked 10 September 2026
- VTI — Child restraint systems (Plus Test FAQ) — checked 10 September 2026
- Silver Cross — What is the Swedish Plus Test? — 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.