Guides · Car seats · Orange labels
Why does a US FMVSS car seat have no orange E-mark in the UK?
What mark does GOV.UK say a seat used in the UK must show?
GOV.UK names two approved labels, and only those two:
- Height-based seats: a capital E in a circle and R129.
- Weight-based seats: a capital E in a circle and ECE R44.
RoSPA’s FAQ on seats from another country says child seats used in the UK must conform to ECE R44.04 (and, on the same FAQ page, to R44.04 or i-Size / R129). Seats from other countries cannot be used unless they meet those UN marks. Which? states that a seat approved outside that UN system cannot be used in the UK, and that a UK seat cannot be used in the United States unless it meets FMVSS 213.
Official records show the UK-required mark as E in a circle plus R129 or ECE R44. An FMVSS 213 statement is a different country’s sticker. This page identifies the labels. It does not set a penalty.
What does an FMVSS 213 sticker look like next to the orange E-mark?
Swipe sideways for the full table
| What you are looking at | Typical wording | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| UK / UN orange type-approval label | Capital E in a circle; “ECE R44” or “UN Regulation No. 129”; stature or weight group | The mark GOV.UK names for a seat used in the UK |
| US FMVSS 213 label | “This child restraint system conforms to all applicable Federal motor vehicle safety standards”; FMVSS 213; often English-only US manufacturer text | A United States federal standard for seats sold there |
| US registration / manufacture date | Model number, manufactured-on date, US address | US product identity — not an E-mark |
| Canadian National Safety Mark | Maple-leaf mark (Which? describes this for Canada) | A third country’s mark, also not E + R129 / R44 |
Which? tells you to look on the back or the bottom of the seat for the UN approval label, and that it will say UN R129 or ECE R44.04. If that panel is only FMVSS text, you have not found the GOV.UK mark.
Does a US seat ever carry both marks?
Some export models are type-approved twice and carry both an FMVSS 213 statement and an orange E-circle with R129 or ECE R44. In that case the UK question is no longer “there is no orange E-mark”. Read the E-circle line the same way you would on a seat bought here: regulation family, series (for R44, RoSPA and Which? name 03 or 04), and the height or weight band.
A US-only seat brought in a suitcase, bought on a US site, or fitted in a US hire car is the usual “no orange E-mark” case. The FMVSS sticker does not become an E-mark because the child is now in Britain.
What if a holiday hire seat or an imported seat only has FMVSS 213?
Then the GOV.UK-required label is not on that seat. Which?’s world page is written for travellers in both directions: a UK E-marked seat is not the US mark, and an FMVSS seat is not the UK mark. RoSPA’s country FAQ is the same rule in one sentence: other-country seats cannot be used in the UK unless they meet ECE R44.04 or R129.
For a hire car in the United States, Which? says the seat must meet FMVSS 213 — the orange E-mark is the wrong sticker there. For a seat you then bring home, turn it over and look again before it goes in a UK car.
Where do I look on the shell so I am not mixing the stickers up?
- Photograph the back and the underside US seats often put FMVSS text on a paper or vinyl panel on the back. The UN orange label, when present, is a separate sticker. Take both.
- Search the photos for an E in a circle That glyph is the UN mark. “FMVSS”, “Federal motor vehicle safety standards” or “NHTSA” are not substitutes.
- If you find E + R129 or E + ECE R44 You are reading a dual-marked or European-approved product. Continue with the stature or weight on that sticker.
- If you find only FMVSS 213 You have identified a US-only approval panel. GOV.UK’s named mark is not on the seat.
In shortFMVSS 213 is a US federal sticker. The UK mark GOV.UK names is E in a circle plus R129 or ECE R44. No orange E-mark means that required label is not there. Dual-marked seats are the exception — read the E-circle line. This is label identification, not a fines page.
Questions parents ask
- The seat says it “meets all applicable federal standards”. Is that the E-mark?
- No. That sentence is the usual FMVSS 213 wording on a US seat. The UK mark is a capital E in a circle plus R129 or ECE R44, which Which? says sits on the back or bottom of a UN-approved seat.
- Can I use a US seat in the UK if it also has a Canadian maple-leaf mark?
- Which? treats the Canadian National Safety Mark as Canada’s requirement, not the UK’s. RoSPA still wants ECE R44.04 or R129 with an E-mark for use in the UK. Extra North American marks do not replace the orange E-circle line.
- We hired a car in the US with an FMVSS seat. Does that change the UK label?
- No. Which? says a seat used in the US must meet FMVSS 213, and a UK E-marked seat is not that mark. When the same seat is later used in the UK, GOV.UK’s E + R129 or E + ECE R44 line is the mark to look for.
- The seller says the US seat “passed crash tests”. Is that the same as type approval here?
- FMVSS 213 is a US federal crash-test standard. UN R129 and ECE R44 are UN type-approval regulations. They are different stickers and different rulebooks. A crash-test claim on a listing is not an E-mark.
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 (seats from another country) — checked 10 September 2026
- Which? — Child car seats laws around the world — checked 10 September 2026
- Which? — How to find the UN approval label — 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.