Is the Nuna REVV Rotating Convertible Car Seat a Must-Have or a Gimmick? I Tested It to Find Out

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TOTAL: 92/100

Even the most go-with-the-flow babies can go feral at the sight of a car seat, suddenly gaining the strength of a thousand men to fight you as you try to strap them in with some shred of your dignity still intact. At least that’s my experience with my 11-month-old daughter, who I’m convinced considers the car seat her personal torture device.

Enter the Nuna REVV rotating convertible car seat , which promises to “revolutionize your travel experience” with its 360-degree rotating seat that converts from rear- to forward-facing andmakes for easy loading and unloading. But does it live up to its claims? I tested the car seat with my baby to find out.

How I Tested the Nuna REVV Car Seat

Katherine Gillen

I already own an infant car seat (the Uppababy Mesa V2 ) for my now 11-month-old, and I while love the idea of a car seat stroller combo , city living means I don’t actually use the feature in practice since I tend to keep the car seat in the car. So I was excited to test a convertible car seat that could grow with my kid beyond infancy and that only required one install. While the Nuna RAVA is arguably more popular, the rotating feature of the REVV drew me in. Not having to awkwardly wrangle my daughter into the back of our Camry and contort my body to strap her in? Sold. I took the car seat for its first test run on a four-hour drive to my in-laws, and then really put it through the ringer on an eight-hour, cross-state trip to visit my family.

The Nuna REVV Car Seat Specs

Because the Nuna REVV rotates and has 10 recline positions, its exact dimensions vary based on the configuration.

• Forward-Facing Dimensions: 21.5 to 22.5 inches (length) x 18.5 inches (width) x 22.5 to 29.5 inches (height)
• Rear-Facing Dimensions : 31 to 34 inches (length) x 18.5 inches (width) x 19.5 to 22 inches (height)
• Product Weight: 29.7 pounds

What Age Is the Nuna REVV for?

The Nuna REVV is designed for use from birth to beyond 2 years. It doesn’t have an upper age limit per se, but it has a range of weight limits depending on how you configure it:

• Rear-facing: 5 to 40 pounds (vehicle belt); 5 to 35 pounds (LATCH)
• Forward-facing: 25 to 40 pounds
• Height: 43 inches or less

Nuna recommends the rear-facing configuration from birth to at least 2 years old, and forward-facing when your child is at least 2 years old and 30 pounds. It comes with an infant insert for babies 5 to 11 pounds, which you can remove once your child outgrows it. Per the brand, you can expect to use the REVV for three to four years, give or take, depending on your child’s growth.

Safety

The Nuna REVV comes with a few built-in safety features, like an anti-rebound base, steel-reinforced shell, side-impact protection system, energy-absorbing foam and integrated rebound bar (that doubles as a carrying handle). In its crash test analysis, BabyGearLab gave the Nuna REVV car seat a 71 out of 100. That’s lower than other convertible car seats and disappointing considering the cost, but the seat still passes all federal guidelines (and is therefore considered safe).

How to Install the Nuna REVV Car Seat

Like many car seats, the Nuna REVV can be installed two ways: using the seatbelt or using the lower anchors and your car’s LATCH system. (LATCH stands for Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children and lets you install a car seat by attaching metal clips on the car seat to hooks built into the car, something that can be found on all cars and car seats manufactured after September 1, 2002 .)

The instructions note that the seatbelt method is preferred, but I tested both.

Seatbelt Install:

1. Attach the car seat’s top tether to your car’s tether anchor connector (behind the headrest), but don’t tighten it yet.
2. Follow the path to thread the seat belt through the car seat panel and “True Tension” door, then buckle it.
3. Make sure the car seatbelt is not twisted, then remove any slack. While pushing down firmly on the car seat, first pull up on the shoulder belt to remove the slack, then pull the shoulder belt all the way out and let it retract to lock it in place. Arrange the shoulder belt behind the anti-rebound base and over the top tether strap. Pull up on the shoulder belt one more time to ensure it’s really tight.
4. Close the “True Tension” door and tighten the top tether strap.

Lower Anchor Install:

1. Attach the car seat’s top tether to your car’s tether anchor connector (behind the headrest), but don’t tighten it yet.
2. Lengthen the lower anchor belt (it’s attached to the base of the car seat) all the way, then attach one of the connectors to one of the metal LATCH clips in your car. Follow the path to thread the other end of the lower anchor belt through the car seat panel and “True Tension” door, but don’t close it yet.
3. Attach the other lower anchor connector to the other LATCH clip. Make sure the belt is not twisted.
4. Push down firmly on the car seat while tightening the lower anchor belt. Close the “True Tension” door. Tighten the top tether.

It took me 2 minutes, 30 seconds to install with the seatbelt and 2 minutes, 20 seconds to use the LATCH system—I found both methods easy enough if you know what car seat parts the instructions are referring to. I did have to throw my entire body over the car seat to push it down firmly enough to tighten the belts, and there was a little bit of sweating involved, so you might want to enlist a partner to ensure the seat is firmly in place. If you truly want a one-and-done install, you’ll want to choose the seatbelt method since it has the higher weight limit.

Is the Nuna REVV FAA-Approved?

Unfortunately, no, the Nuna REVV is not FAA-approved, meaning you can’t use it on airplanes. Per the instruction manual: “This restraint is not certified for aircraft use, as aircraft belts will not accommodate proper installation of this restraint.” But TBH, I can’t imagine a world in which you would want to haul this 30-pound seat around an airport and into a small metal tube, so I consider this a blessing in disguise.

How Does the Nuna REVV Compare to Other Rotating Car Seats?

The Nuna REVV has shorter height limits and lower weight limits than other rotating car seats on the market. (For comparison, the Cybex Sirona S and Evenflo Revolve both have a forward-facing weight limit of 65 pounds.) At $650, it’s also more expensive than competing models. But it makes up for that with thoughtful details that the brand is known for, like fire-retardant-free organic fabrics, magnetic buckle holders, a no-rethread harness (basically, you don’t need to completely unthread the harness to adjust its height) and an overall luxurious design.

What’s It Like Using the Nuna REVV Car Seat?

Katherine Gillen

I personally found the install easier than my existing infant car seat, so that was a plus. The padding is very plush and the fabric feels luxurious—I’m pretty sure my baby is riding more comfortably than me. (And it doesn’t hurt that the design is stylish and sleek.) I was worried about the lack of sun canopy for car naps, but she slept just fine and seemed cozy enough for a kid that’d rather be cruising along the couch than going for a ride. (Did she cry the first time I rotated the seat? Yes, but she’s since gotten used to it.)

The seat has plenty of nice touches, like magnetic buckle holders that hold the harness out of the way while you load your kid. The two removable cupholders are handy for holding water bottles, binkies and soft toys. And the no-rethread harness adjusts with one hand at the headrest and one pull strap to secure your kid into the seat. As for the rotating seat, I like that it releases with one hand so I can position the seat while holding my daughter on my hip.

The downsides? The seat is quite heavy, which isn’t a dealbreaker for me, but it could be if you want to transfer the seat from one car to another frequently. And I wish the weight limits allowed for longer use of the seat.

Is the Nuna REVV Worth it?

Katherine Gillen

At $650, this car seat is a big expense. And it has lower weight limits than other less-expensive models. But if you factor in that it can last from infancy to beyond 2 years of age, you might find that the luxurious details and user-friendliness outweigh the downsides.

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