Diono Radian 5 Review: Choosing the best car seat for your child is not straightforward. In fact, it’s one of the most difficult things we have had to do because it is not only choosing one that you like but also one that is safe enough so it will protect someone that you care about the most: your children. You should research properly and choose the best in the market if possible.
My girls are now 6 and 2½ years. Bella has a new car seat for her age which is group 3 and she will be able to use it until she is 12 years old or until she is 135 cm tall which is the maximum required by law to be in a car seat. So we are happy with her car seat. However, Sienna has now outgrown the car seat she has used since birth, it was time for us to start researching a new cool and safe car seat for her.
Diono Radian 5 Review
We previously used a MaxiCosi car seat for Sienna but we weren’t that happy as she was getting her arms out of the straps quite often and we were getting worried. So for us, this was something we wanted to address when choosing a new car seat for her. We have heard and read so many great things about Diono Radian 5 so we were really excited to be asked to review one. Given Sienna had outgrown her existing car seat, this couldn’t have come at a better moment for us.
Diono has recently launched the ultimate Group 0-2 car seat for children, all the way from newborn to seven years old (up to 25kg). How awesome is that? This is something that drew my attention as I thought it was great to only have to worry about a car seat just once for a child instead of having to change it a few times as they grow, until reaching 7 years old. It also means you can choose the right moment to turn the car seat around for your child to sit forward facing.
It has been proven that it is safer for children to travel rear facing, so this car seat can be installed in this way too. The car seat also allows your child to be forward facing in a 5 point harness for longer. This is something that I thought was really good. It also comes with an exclusive fold mechanism which makes it easier to transport. Although bear in mind that it is not light at all. This is because it has a unique steel frame that will make the seat super strong and durable so obviously, it can’t be light.
Installing the car seat requires the seat belt of the car. Diono say this is because Isofix isn’t strong enough. Seat belts will hold more than twice the weight of the Isofix points so it is the only option with a higher harness weight capacity seat.
It is very easy to secure your child in the car seat using the 5 point harness. Just click the straps into the buckle. You then pull the strap at the bottom of the seat to tighten the harness around the shoulders. To undo, you lift a little trigger by the strap.
It also comes with a 10 year warranty which is very handy and proves that they are very confident about their product. This says a lot about this car seat.
CONTENTS
Inside the box you will find:
- Instruction manual
- Car seat
- 2 sets of harness pads (one for young/light children and one with SuperGrip for when they reached 15kg),
- Safe stop attachment
- Tether connector strap
- Rearward-facing bolster
- Head cushion
- Infant pad
- Cup holder
- Rear facing bolster
- Detachable base
ASSEMBLY
You need to assemble the car seat before you install it in the car. We did this in the house first. Sienna weighs 14 kg so she is not too far off to the limit of 15 kg where she will need to use the other accessories. We have set up the car seat in a forward facing position which is suitable for 9 kg to 25 kg which is the longer 5 point harness use.
The first thing was to unfold the base of the car seat and adjust the 5 point harness to the right height. To do that we had to undo the straps from the yoke and pull the shoulder harness through and then re-slot it in the appropriate hole and re-connect to the yoke. We placed Sienna in it to adjust it correctly for her. Placing the harness buckle in the 3 front most hole of the 3 holes in the seat was was perfect for her. He also set the head rest at the right height.
This is what we needed to do at this stage. Then we were ready to install the car seat in the car, placing it firmly on the seat.
INSTALLATION
We made a video of how we installed this car seat in the forward facing position. See below:
We followed all the instructions from the manual. It was all pretty straight forward. although we must admit that it was a little bit confusing regarding the red locking clips (they attach on the door side on both parts of the belt). We actually didn’t get them in our box and I only realised about them when I was researching more to do my review.
We didn’t realise we were missing them because the manual explains about them on a separate page. We have now requested replacement locking clips so we can add them to the car seat. Obviously not everyone will write a review like me so wouldn’t necessarily realise. I would recommend Diono amend the manual to make this clearer.
Sienna excited to get in her new car seat! Happy times!
Another thing that I would like to mention is the harness. As I mentioned before we had problems with Sienna taking her arms out of the harness of her existing car seat. This is something that I was hoping to improve with this car seat. At the beginning, this didn’t work. Sienna refused to stay inside the harness. I tried to tighten them as much as we could but I found this to not work completely. I thought it should be tighter but didn’t know how to do it. I pulled the strap that is located at the bottom of the seat as much as I could but it wasn’t tightening it as much.
I was worried because I didn’t want to have Sienna getting out of the car seat when were on a long journey. I contacted Diono and raised this issue. They actually suggested rechecking the harness was in the correct position. I checked this again and it was all good. We tried again to explain her about the importance of wearing her seatbelt and now she is actually behaving well. She has not tried to escape anymore which is a relief!
INTERESTING FEATURES
The Diono Radian 5 comes with additional safety elements including Safe Stop and Supergrip harness pads. When the seat is used in the forward facing position and when your child weighs 15 kg, it is very important to put on the Safe Stop. There is a video from Diono that explains this very well along with how to install it.
The Supergrip is a fantastic addition to the car seat. Once your child reaches 15 kg, it is very important to change to harness pads. These pads are energy absorbent and significantly reduce the impact of crash forces on the child.
Another interesting feature is that this car seat is very comfortable. It includes a thick memory foam on the seat base, a comfy headrest and ample padding, plus a plush newborn insert to keep babies secure and content.
It also comes with an extra deep cup holder. You can put up to 4 cup holders which are very useful for drinks, snacks or even little toys.
It is very narrow so you have more space in the back of the car. This is very handy when you need to fit there a 3rd person at the back.
PRICE
The Diono Radian 5 has a retail price of £295 but it is currently on sale for £225 so it offers superb value as you will only have to buy a car seat once from birth until your child reaches 7 years old or up to 25 kg. You can buy the Diono Radian 5 from the Diono website or from various retailers.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Overall, we really like the Diono Radian 5. It has lots of features. The idea of having to buy one car seat from birth up to 7 years (or up to 25kg) is a good selling point. Also, the price is reasonable for what you are getting. I love the extra comfort and having the option of adding extra cup holders. It is great that it is foldable too and has a strong metal base. I would just recommend making the manual a little more clear and to perhaps check the tightening of the harness issue a little more.
What do you think of the Diono Radian 5? Have you heard of it? Do you have your child’s car seat in a rear facing or forward facing position? Do you like the features of this car seat?
*Disclaimer: We received a DIONO Radian 5 to test for the purpose of this review. All opinions and thoughts are my own. This post contains affiliates links.
Thanks for stopping by,
Love you all ❤️
Franca 💋
Tracy Nixon says
I love the sound of the Diono Radian 5 and have read other positive reviews before too! I childmind my niece and she travels in a rear facing position so this mirror would provide me with much reassurance when we are out travelling.
iain maciver says
have heard of it, looks amazing forward facing
Kim Styles says
I have my childen forward facing but this looks very innovative and reassuring and the 10 yr warranty amazing!
Amy Espley says
Looks fab! I rearface my children.
Margaret GALLAGHER says
Ive heard and read of all the positive reviews on DIONO -my neice os forward facing
Perfect safety whilst travelling
Sarah Mackay says
My lo is currently rear facing this is a brilliant idea
Graham Ross says
have heard of it ,looks very well made
Sarah Lambert says
Ive never heard of it but looks great, my little girl is only 8 weeks old and is in a rear facing car seat
Ruth Harwood says
At the mo, she’s in a car seat facing back and sitting next to me, this looks fab and fun for her so it’s an option I might consider now I’ve read about it xx
Helen Moulden says
Fab product. It could save so many people having accidents turning round to check on the kids!
Samantha O'D says
Looks great. I always worry on long journeys. This would be ideal
laura wheatley says
I’ve never heard of it but it looks great, we have our daughter forward facing
ADEINNE TONNER says
I think that it is very handy that it has a mirror so you can watch the baby in the mirror while your driving
Jo Carroll says
We have a front facing seat for our little boy. I have to admit the photo of all the bits and pieces you took scared me off of the Radian 5 at first and I thought they had put the cup in the box for you to have a nice break inbetween construction? 😉 The video was much clearer though…you did really well. x
Solange says
Although I had never heard of it, I think the Diono Radian 5 sounds great. I really like the features of this car seat. We have a forward facing seat. I like the features of the easy view plus mirror too.
John Jewett says
They seem to have thought of everything, always had forward facing
Katie Skeoch says
My youngest is in the rear facing position, a mirror is a great idea to reassure me when they’re driving. I have heard of the Diono, there’s so much choice though!
Peter Watson says
Diono Radian 5 looks very good value at the moment.The mirror will need a bit of getting used to.
Rebecca Howells (@PeanutHog) says
Haven’t heard of the brand before, but it looks really good and safe.
T Brailey says
I haven’t heard of the name before but it seems to be as good as the leading brands. I love the design as it looks safe and strong. I usually have forward facing. The mirror is an absolute dream and I think it is a good idea.
jen lloyd says
they look great – i plan to rear face my son once he arrives in April!
Rich Tyler says
It looks really great, i don’t mind either way long as it’s very safe 🙂
craig havery says
an incredibly feature packed safety device for your little ones
Ursula Hunt says
Looks like a great seat, I have one facing forward and one backwards
Sarah Mcvicar says
My son is in a forward facing seat, I love the look of this, it looks really comfy and safe