CYBEX Anoris T2 i-Size Plus Review: Is This the Future of Forward-Facing Car Seats?
CYBEX Anoris T2 i-Size Plus review: By Rachel Ducker
One of the hardest things about getting your baby or toddler car seat is the balance between what you find chic, practical, price conscious, and above all else, a reassuringly safe ride for your little one.
Given that you have an enormous, potentially life-saving and potentially very expensive piece of equipment in your car, when something innovative arrives on the market boasting a full-body airbag built in, it certainly gets your attention.
This is the second version of the CYBEX Anoris T2 i-Size Plus, their ground-breaking forward-facing airbag child seat that goes from a toddler (over 15 months – around seven years) through to primary school years.
But forget the familiar five-point harness because instead this car seat makes the most of the full-body airbag stored inside a padded impact shield. We delve into how this unusual system stacks up and if its high price point is warranted, particularly since its comes with some rather impressive independent consumer test results.
What is the CYBEX Anoris T2 i-Size Plus?
It’s one of CYBEX’s uber-premium Platinum range car seats and is a forward-facing i-Size model that’s suitable for children between 76cm and 125cm and up to a weight of 21kg (or aged roughly 15 months up to seven years).
What makes it really stand apart from any other car seat currently on the market (or indeed most history) is how it holds a child.
Rather than strapping them down with a harness across their shoulders and between their legs, a child sits behind a deeply padded, adjustable, i-Size-compliant impact shield. Concealed within that impact shield is a C-shaped airbag that fully engulfs their head, neck and torso within milliseconds when engaged.
CYBEX claim the technology can reduce impact forces to the child by as much as 50% compared to some standard forward-facing harness systems during a frontal collision (though it’s worth noting these are CYBEX’s own test results) but, and this is a very big ‘but’, the car seat has been through independent consumer testing, which lends a great deal more weight to these claims.
How safe is the CYBEX Anoris T2?
This is obviously the key question for parents, and a big plus for the Anoris T2. In May 2025 it scored a very good overall rating of 1.3 for safety from the German motoring organisation, ADAC.
Their tests show that when it comes to frontal and side-impact collision safety, there’s a very low risk of injury to the child, while its frontal-impact test was particularly noteworthy for its low forces on the crash dummy due to the airbag.
This is an exceptional score for a toddler car seat that can travel forwards-facing. Overall, the car seat achieved an ADAC score of 2.8 – but you need a little bit of context. While safety was excellent (1.3) and use and ease of fitting was high (1.7), the car seat’s result was pulled back by an environmental assessment into the chemical content (PFAS) of the particular ‘Comfort’ cover that ADAC had supplied for testing. CYBEX confirm they stopped supplying the particular Comfort cover for the specific car seattested in early 2025.
For many parents considering crash performance above all else the message is: this is an extremely safe, high-performing and easy-to-use car seat.
The integrated airbag
This is what differentiates the CYBEX Anoris T2 from what you’d consider a normal car seat from other brands. When you get the seat you’ll notice there’s no harness, just a deeply padded front impact shield and you ‘click’ it closed across your child’s front. Hidden behind this shield – invisible in regular use – is the unique and ground-breaking airbag system.
During a frontal collision it deploys automatically within just 30milliseconds around the child’s body, providing a cushion that distributes the impact force more widely across their torso and upper body than can be achieved with narrow harness straps. This is a genuinely clever piece of kit, rather than design for design’s sake and as demonstrated in independent safety crash testing (see above), it offers some very significant gains in safety for your little one.
Loading and unloading your toddler
Toddlers on the wriggle know how to make getting into a carseat extremely difficult – we certainly have!
This is where the Anoris T2 could offer a much simpler process than its five-point harness competitors.
With this car seat you attach an impact shield that ‘clips’ shut with a satisfying click. Adjustability is key; the impact shield is adjustable in eight depth positions which means you can extend the shield as your child grows or when you’re dressing them in winter outfits which add bulk to their frame. We can see this being much faster than fiddling around with two shoulder straps and buckes while a tetchy toddler contorts their body into various awkward positions just to try and keep an arm where it belongs. There’s a catch however, with many impact shield car seats: not every child will tolerate sitting with one.
The best advice ADAC gave is that parents should ‘try it in the car with the child prior to purchase’, which at over £500, sounds sensible.
The Onboard Safety Assistant is brilliant
This is something we don’t get too excited about every day, but it’s a feature we think we will see on more child seats in future. The CYBEX Anoris T2 features an Onboard Safety Assistant which lights up to clearly show that the ISOFIX attachments and the load leg are in the correct position, and also clearly display battery status. There are of course plenty of parents who meticulously install their car seats but it gives you, or another adult, total peace of mind.
The ISOFIX-installed seat uses an integrated load leg and cannot be installed using just a vehicle’s seat belt. As with all child car seats, check your vehicle compatibility prior to ordering. ## Comfortable on long journeys Safety is the number one factor, but comfortable children make for a less stressful car journey about 45 minutes in – or sooner!.
Comfort on longer journeys
CYBEX have made the Anoris T2 a generous size, and without a harness between the child’s legs and arms, there seems to be a bit more freedom of movement for youngsters.
It has a decent amount of recline with three levels of angle adjustment easily accessible from the front of the seat, which is ideal for sleepy heads.
The Plus version of the car seat includes extra ventilation and what CYBEX call a ‘breathable mesh fabric’, which is reported to be six times more breathable than some materials, which we think will be a godsend when your child is travelling in warm weather. Theoplus seat also benefits from a retractable, UPF50+ sun canopy with a mesh ventilation panel, which we’re used to seeing on travel and infant seats but does make sense.
Forward-facing means children can see more
Forward facing offers more visibility for kids The most obvious way the Anoris stands out from many extend rear facing seats is that the child faces forward.
This means your child can see parents in the rear view mirror, and through the windscreen, engaging them with the journey and making them more a part of the action.
For the right child size and age who doesn’t want to ride rear-facing, that may be a huge advantage.
Note the T2 version of the Anoris is certified for forward-facing use only, and not until over 15 months, so if you’re actively looking for an extended rear facing seat it won’t be an option.
Side-impact protection
The seat isn’t putting all its eggs in the one-big-airbag basket, though, with CYBEX’s established Linear Side-impact Protection system incorporated along with an energy absorbing shell and headrest, which CYBEX claims can cut side-impact forces by up to 20%. The side-impact protection wings automatically fold out when you unpack the seat, so you won’t need to remember anything extra each time.
It lasts ages
The lifespan of the seat is another major plus point. CYBEX states it’s approved from 76 to 125cm and up to 21kg, which translates to roughly 15 months to seven years.
As your child grows the height of the head rest and size of the impact shield can be adjusted, and this longevity becomes important when you consider the price.
A seat that you could realistically use for six years is a different prospect to one you’ll outgrow within 18 months. Plus the seat covers can be popped in the washing machine at 30C. Not a small seat, though One thing to be very conscious of before ordering is the size.
It isn’t a small car seat
The Anoris T2 measures some 71cm front to back and 44cm wide and 75cm high, and is about 12kg in weight. ADAC also reported its weight and large space requirement as factors to consider. This isn’t a seat you’ll be shifting between multiple grandparents’ cars each week unless you’re strong and have lots of space – although its size doesn’t matter so much if it stays in one vehicle.
Also although 44cm isn’t gigantic for a car seat in 2022, parents hoping to fit three child seats across a single row will need to check compatibility carefully.
What do you get in the box?
The Anoris T2 i-Size Plus comes with:
- The Anoris T2 i-Size Plus seat
- Integrated ISOFIX base
- Impact shield with integrated airbag
- Sun canopy on the Plus version
- Quick-start guide and access to the digital user guide
There is no separate ISOFIX base to purchase, which is worth remembering when comparing the price with systems where the seat and base are sold separately.
Is it for you?
As with any car seat, the Anoris T2 won’t be right for everyone, and here are a few reasons why you might pass on this one: It’s expensive. The seat is heavy, which means it’s really best fitted and largely left in one car. Children must feel happy with the impact shield (which ADAC recommends trying children out with before purchase anyway.) You can’t use it rear facing.
Bounce Magazine verdict
The CYBEX Anoris T2 i-Size Plus is arguably the most interesting development in child car seat technology since the invention of the ISOFIX system. We know the safety concept; we use it for ourselves all the time.
It’s innovative and a surprisingly simple and logical idea to extend it to our children.
More than just innovation, the technology performs. ADAC testing awarded it an excellent safety score of 1.3 with low injury risk. It features some thoughtful touches too, like the one-click activation of the impact shield, the ease of checking the ISOFIX connection and that important recline function.
It also includes excellent ventilation, and on the plus model, a sun canopy to keep youngsters cool, so this is a seat that is very much designed for the day-to-day realities of family life. However, it is expensive, heavy for moving around and young children will ideally be tested in the impact shield configuration prior to purchase. Families looking for a safe, long lasting car seat and that want to step beyond traditional systems, should seriously consider the CYBEX Anoris T2 i-Size Plus.
At a glance
Suitable from: Over 15 months
Child height: 76–125cm
Maximum child weight: 21kg
Approximate age: 15 months–7 years
Direction: Forward-facing
Installation: ISOFIX + load leg
Safety standard: UN R129/03
Seat weight: Approx. 12kg
Key feature: Full-body airbag integrated into impact shield
Current CYBEX UK price: £519.95
Best for: Families wanting a premium, long-lasting forward-facing car seat with outstanding safety technology
