Cybex Anoris T i-Size review: a truly innovative car seat

The Cybex Anoris T aims to reinvent the world of child safety by setting new industry standards for a car seat. The German brand claims that this forward-facing seat offers approximately 50-percent more protection than conventional forward-facing seats and is at least as safe as rear-facing car seats.

How did Cybex achieve this big improvement in safety? It's all thanks to the Cybex Anoris T's integrated airbag technology – a world first for child car seats.

We've tested the Cybex Anoris T i-Size to see if it earns a place in our best car seat and whether you should spend your money on it.

Cybex Anoris T i-Size review: Price and availability

The Anoris T i-Size was first available in stores in November 2021. It has an RRP of £559.95.

At the launch, Martin Pos, CEO of Cybex, says it was important for them to hit the lowest price point possible and compared it to the price of an iPhone, suggesting that if you can spend £600 on a smartphone, then the same amount for the safety of your child is a bargain. 

It's also important to note that this car seat is designed to be used up to the age of six years old – so you'll get more use from it than a more affordable seat.

The Anoris T is available in seven colours, including black, grey, navy, blue, mustard, khaki, and my favourite, 'autumn gold'.

What makes the Cybex Anoris T different to other car seats?

Of course, the big innovation here, and one that sets the Cybex Anoris T apart from any other car seat on the market, is the integrated airbag.

Cybex features heavily in T3's best car seat guide and has been at the forefront of the car seat industry since it introduced the award-winning rear-facing Sirona in 2012. Adding an airbag to a child's car seat has been a goal of the company since it was founded. 

As I mentioned in the introduction, Cybex claims that Anoris T offers approximately 50-percent more protection than conventional forward-facing seats thanks to its integrated airbag, and is at least as safe as rear-facing car seats. 

Of course, being a forward-facing seat also brings additional passive safety benefits – your child will enjoy more comfort and legroom, and you'll find it easier to communicate and interact with them.

Check out a video below of the Anoris T's airbag in action: 

Cybex Anoris T i-Size review: How does it work?

In a conventional front-facing car seat, a child is secured using harness straps so that in a frontal collision the head is thrust forward. To combat this, the curved airbag integrated into the Anoris T's impact shield protects both the fragile head and neck. 

The airbag is activated within milliseconds of an impact – with collission sensors and an algorythem working out whether the airbag needs to be deployed or not.

We travelled to Cybex's headquarters to witness it in real life. It really is instant, blink and you'll miss it, luckily, Cybex was recording on a super-slow-motion camera and the video can be viewed above. As you can see, the airbag inflates before the test dummy starts moving.

You might worry that the car seat won't be able to tell the difference between a collision or whether you're just driving down a bumpy road. Cybex has assured us that the chip inside uses advanced algorithms to know when and when not to inflate, plus, when is that last time your car's airbag accidentally inflated?

Cybex Anoris T i-Size review: Installation

The Cybex Anoris T is ISOFIX, so, just like most other ISOFIX car seats out there, installation is incredibly easy.

First, you must extend the Linear Side-impact Protection. These absorb the force of a side impact. Then fold out the load leg until it locks into place, and release the ISOFIX points at the side.

You must then push the ISOFIX points into the car's anchorage points until they click and turn green. These should be equal on both sides. The last step you'll need to do is extend the load leg.

The Anoris T has a little diagram at the front that will light up green if everything is installed correctly, and red if there is an issue. It also has a battery indicator that shows whether the car needs to be charged. If everything is green, then you're good to start using the seat.

It's a simple process and can take a matter of minutes once you get used to it, however, the Anoris T does weigh 12kg and is rather large, so it can be bulky and difficult to move.

Once your child is sat in the seat, you just need to make sure that the headrest is at the correct height for them (which can be done by squeezing the button on the back of the headrest to move up or down) and tighten the impact shield.

Cybex Anoris T i-Size review: Comfort and features

The build quality of the Anoris T I-Size is exceptional and we love the fact you can use it from approximately 15 months to six years old. It looks great, and the seat features plenty of memory foam-like padding, which got a lot of compliments from our little tester. In fact, the padding on the base, sides and headrest of the Anoris T all feel really plush.

The Anoris T also makes long drives more comfortable for children with increased legroom over a rear-facing seat. On longer trips, bigger kids can dangle their feet without feeling restricted in any way.

Of course, protection in the event of an accident is great, but the Anoris T also aims to cut down accidents in the first place. Traditional rear-facing seats mean you'll need to turn around to check on your child, and, as we know, turning around while driving is dangerous. As a forward-facing seat, the Anoris T allows you to interact easily with your child, keeping them in plain sight using the rearview mirror.

In terms of size, the Anoris T is designed to be used by children up to six years old, which is two years older than conventional child car seats allow. That's impressive, although we weren't able to test this due to the lack of six-year-olds on the T3 team.

The Anoris T has been developed in accordance with the UN R129/03 standard – is suited for children at a height of 76 centimetres. 

The seat is easy to adapt as the child grows to a height of 115 centimetres and a maximum weight of 21 kilograms.

The seat can also be adjusted into three comfortable sitting and lying positions so children can easily fall asleep.

It is worth noting that the Anoris T can't be rotated, so older children can climb into it themselves, but you might find it awkward to get younger children into the seat depending on how large your car door is.

Another minor annoyance is that depending on what side you have the car seat on, the airbag shield might get in the way as you're trying to buckle in your child. This is because it stays connected on the right-hand side (as this is where the connection for the airbag is) and is then buckled in on the left. We feel this is probably designed for use in Europe, where the driver and passenger sides are flipped, so, if you're in the UK and want to make it easier to clip in, then you should fit the Anoris T on the driver's side.

We certainly found the impact shield much easier to fit than a harness.

Cybex Anoris T i-Size review: Performance

In terms of performance, the Anoris T i-Size has been awarded as the best child car seat ever tested in its class according to Stiftung Warentest and ADAC (the most important testers of child car seats in Europe.)

These tests are performed by ADAC and are extremely thorough. The speed and loads exceed those of the European Standards approval system and are almost on the same level as EuroNCAP for cars. 

The tests are conducted using a real car body to make them as realistic as possible, and they use the latest generation of Q-dummies to provide more detailed performance information.

The test both frontal impact and side impacts.

The Anoris T i-Size, with an integrated full-body airbag, achieved an unprecedented overall score of 1.5 as well as a top score of 0.9 in crash safety and 1.2 in the overall category “safety”.

Cybex claims the test results 'illustrate the advantages of this new airbag technology'.

Cybex Anoris T i-Size review: Verdict

The Anoris T i-Size is an incredibly impressive car seat. Not only has Cybex nailed the basic stuff, like comfort and ease of use, but the company has also innovated by adding an airbag. This has resulted in the safest car seat in its class, according to ADAC testing.

It is large and heavy, and yes, the Anoris T is expensive, but it's also important to remember that it can accommodate children between 15 months and six years – that's almost five years of use!

If you're looking for a car seat that will last a long time and protect your child, then I don't think you can go wrong with the Cybex Anoris T.