The Plus Test is a voluntary crash test of a CRS in a frontal collision with a focus on protection for the child's neck and overall robust protection. Upon passing the Plus Test, the car seat is awarded a sticker, which shows consumers that it has passed this demanding test.

The Plus Test was launched in 2007 to maintain the Swedish tradition of focusing on protection of a small child's neck when type approval of CRS. Neck strain was previously evaluated in the Swedish "T-test". After Sweden joined the EU, the "T-test" was replaced by UN ECE type approval, which does not include evaluation of neck strain.

UN ECE R44 and R129 are mandatory type approval of CRS, while the Plus Test is a voluntary supplement. The Plus Test, unlike the R129, evaluates protection for the neck in a high-force frontal collision.

UN ECE R129 and R44 include several tests and assessments. The Plus test only includes one test, which is a frontal collision. The test implementation for the Plus test is similar to the frontal crash test in UN ECE R129, except for a higher level of crash violence and that UN ECE R129 includes more variants of seat adjustments and more sizes of crash test dummies.

Not all types of car seats are eligible to apply for a Plus test. The Plus Test is intended for CRS for smaller children that can only be used rear-facing. The CRS must have been approved according to UN ECE R129 in the range up to 125 cm or as group I or II in UN ECE R44.

Extensive experience from traffic accidents has clearly shown that rear-facing seats provide the best protection for small children. The Plus Test aims to help users choose the most robust and safe CRS for this age group

The Q3 and Q6 crash test dummies, which correspond to a 3- and 6-year-old child respectively, are used. The Q series crash test dummies are the latest and most advanced child crash test dummies.

Built-in or added functions that are intended to be activated during a crash are turned off during testing, regardless of what the manufacturer recommends.

The overall purpose of the Plus Test is to reward overall robust protection in traffic accidents, in which collisions can occur in a variety of situations, including multiple collisions, in which activation may have a reduced effect. In addition, the Plus test's only test situation cannot be a basis for ensuring activation in a large number of situations. This applies to all activation functions, except for those that are mechanical functions built into the CRS that cannot be deactivated due to their construction. Examples of such mechanical features, given that they provide robust performance, are load limiting devices that are judged to provide positive and reproducible behavior, and are described as such in the manufacturer's manual.

The crash violence in the test included in the Plus test is one of the toughest on the market for assessing CRS. The test corresponds to a frontal collision of about 56 km/h, while the corresponding speed in type approval (UN ECE R44/R129) is about 50 km/h. In addition, the amplitude of the crash pulse is higher, which means a shorter stopping distance, i.e. a sharper braking during the crash, which all in all exposes the CRS to significantly higher crash energy than with type approval.

The current revision (2023) follows the principles from before. The update of the test bench and crash test dummies has been done in line with the introduction of the R129. In addition to the neck load requirement, a clearer specification for assessing overall robust protection is now also included. The ambition is to highlight rear-facing CRS for children up to at least 4 years old, which accidents in traffic have shown to be the safest. With an expanded emphasis on CRS that can only be installed rear-facing, the plus test aims to help users choose the most robust and safe rear-facing CRS for this age group.

The same principles of protection apply as before. The aim is to evaluate the CRS's protection for the child's neck, as well as its overall robustness in a frontal collision, which is important for the child's safety.

All Plus test tests are carried out at VTI's facility in Linköping, Sweden.

In addition to the load on the neck, an assessment of overall protection (robustness) is included. In the 2023 revision, the specification is improved by robustness. Robustness criteria include restraint of the crash test dummy, the attachment of the CRS, and limiting its damage and ruptures. All Plus tested CRS have also undergone and passed tests for type approval, which provides a good basis for the CRS's robustness and performance.

With a relatively large head and weak neck, these vulnerable parts of the body require good support, which is reflected in measurements of strain in the neck. The crash test dummy is equipped with a power sensor in the neck. The measured forces are not allowed to exceed a predetermined level. Strain on the neck is not evaluated in type approval for ECE R44 or R129. The Plus Test provides this information, which is essential for the child's safety in the car.

The crash test dummy can measure a variety of values, but protecting the neck is key to protecting small children in a car.

Yes! A car seat with a sticker for the Plus Test has passed one of the toughest tests for car seats in the world. A relatively small number of car seats have been awarded with the Plustest sticker since its inception in 2007.

If the car seat passes the test, a sticker is assigned that shows compliance with the Plus test, and is listed here on the website: Plus tested car seats.

The Plus Test is a voluntary test and only those who meet the requirements receive a sticker. There are several potential reasons for not being awarded a sticker for Plustest. It may be that the car seat is not eligible to apply, has not passed the test or that it has failed for some reason. So far, relatively few car seats have received a sticker. They meet the protection principles needed to protect the child's neck in frontal collisions.

The plus test is either pass or fail, no ranking or other grading is awarded. Only those who have passed the Plus Test are included in the list presented on VTI's page: Plus Tested Car Seats.

The purpose of the Plus Test is to evaluate whether the child's head has the robust support of the child restraint to help reduce relative movements between the head and body in a frontal collision. We see no purpose in ranking the degree of this support.

No, the same safety, but the car seats belong to two different categories for type approval.

No, no additional tests are required due to the revision. The previously assigned sticker for the Plus Test is still valid. However, recurring testing according to Conformity of production (COP) must still be carried out.

Traffic accidents demonstrate superior protection for small children in rear-facing car seats. A rear-facing car seat effectively limits neck strain in a frontal collision, which is the most common and severe type of crash. It provides overall robust protection in the diversity of accidents and situations in traffic, through its widespread and supportive design, which also allows for a more forgiving behavior when varying mounting and adjustments.

A rear-facing car seat distributes the load over the child's back and supports the head and body evenly thanks to the seat's construction. In forward-facing car seats, the child's body is held in place by the harness, while the head is mainly held by the neck. In the event of slack in the harness or the attachment of the child restraint, this will increase the load on the child's neck in the forward-facing car seat while it will not have a major impact on the child's neck in a rear-facing car seat.

The Swedish recommendation is that children should sit rear-facing until at least four years of age, preferably longer. The reason for this recommendation is the great safety benefits of rear-facing, especially for the youngest children. The development of rear-facing car seats has progressed steadily and today there are many seats that are both compact and last a long time rear-facing. A number of car seats have a high weight limit, adjustable legroom for the child and allow comfortable rear-facing travel until about 7 years.

A rear-facing car seat provides superior protection in traffic accidents through its supportive and robust design. Its construction helps to keep the load on the neck very low. This is advantageous in frontal collisions, side collisions and other complex collisions, such as where cars flip over. In all forward-facing seats, whether using a harness, a so-called beam or the car's seat belt, the child's neck is what holds the head back in a frontal collision, which means high neck strain. In addition, the child's head is significantly more exposed in side and combined crashes than in a rear-facing car seat. A rear-facing car seat is also more forgiving of any misuse and slack in fasteners.

Sweden has a unique position in child safety in cars and has always been a world leader. Child safety in cars began in Sweden and then with rear-facing car seats. Chairs were introduced in 1967 and already at that time the idea was that the chair would last for 7 years. In 1978, booster seats were introduced, also a Swedish invention, and there has never been a need for other types of car seats.
Throughout the years, parties in Sweden have worked together and actively communicated the benefits of rear-facing car seats, with a unified and unambiguous message. The benefits of rear-facing travel are supported by facts and many years of experience from road accidents that demonstrate superior safety for children in cars.

Children in a car (ntf.se)

How to protect your children – rules and tips (transportstyrelsen.se)

Children in a car (trafikverket.se)

Safe in the car for children (folksam.se)

Children in a car (volvia.se)

Safety/Child safety (volvocars.com)