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Britax is a reputable car seat technology company based in the US. It puts safety and quality as the top priority which is why their car seats are some of the most sought models by parents and caregivers.
Britax Advocate and Boulevard ClickTight convertible car seats are two of their top models with corresponding features. At first sight, it may be hard to tell their difference since the design is equally the same.
Even though the car seats are almost the same, truth is, one of them is better than the other! But, how exactly are they different? Let’s have a breakdown of the car seats features to help you decide on the best model.
If you’re in a hurry, my top recommendation is Britax advocate since I find it to have extra features that are absent on Boulevard.
Britax Advocate vs Boulevard: Comparison
Weight and Dimensions
The dimension of the car seat is one of the important factors to consider if you contemplate to use it in multiple cars.
On weight, the Advocate model is heavier than the Boulevard’s. In terms of dimensions, the Britax Advocate is larger as well when compared to Boulevard.
Britax Advocate measures 23” in length, 20.5” in width and 23.5” in height. Its weight is 30.1 lbs. Britax Boulevard is pretty smaller. It measures 23” in length, 18.5” in width and 23.5 inches in height. This car seat is 29.4 pounds.
As you can see, both the length and height are equal in dimensions while the width is different. Britax Advocate is a little wide and it may not fit 3 car sets at the back seat. Britax Advocate is a narrow car seat hence it’s easy to fit 3 baby car seats in one row.
Weight and Height Limits
Both are convertible car seats that switch from rear facing to front facing. By convertible it means you can use the car seat for a number of years right from birth to older toddlers. The maximum height is 49-inches on each car seat. The weight limitations are as below:
The Advocate: 5-40 pounds on rear facing and 20-65 on forward facing.
The Boulevard: 5-40 pounds on rear facing and 20-65 on forward facing.
Level of Safety
Because car accidents are inevitable, these car seats have been designed with maximum safety to prevent unnecessary injuries when an accident occurs.
There are no sharp corners to poke the baby when getting in and out of the car seat. Safety features are as follows:
Side Impact Protection
Both models are created with multiple layers to provide advanced impact protection in the event of an accident. However, the number of layers is different on each model.
Britax Advocate consists of 3 layers while Britax Boulevard has 2. More layers mean more protection from sudden impact. The additional layer is very crucial in the event of severe sudden collision or accident.
Even then, both car seats are pretty good, with energy absorbing foam and deep side walls to cushion your baby although the Boulevard may not be as great as Advocate.
Steel Frame and Safe Bottom
Beneath Britax Advocate vs Boulevard are sturdy steel frames for everyday stability and strength. The internal steel connects the seats securely on the car base so it doesn’t move during an accident. The outside is somewhat plastic to feel comfy when the child is sited.
The purpose of the steel frame is to stabilize the car seat and to stop the child from flexing forward when a collision occurs.
There are specialized rubber pieces at the bottom as well to absorb impact and manage energy in a dire crash. The rubber pieces compress to reduce the magnitude of energy from the impact.
ClickTight Technology Car Seat Installation System
The ClickTight technology is the easiest and straightforward when compared to latch systems. What you need to do is to access the ClickTight compartment beneath the car seat. The seat belt is the tool that secures the baby convertible seat. And you can thread the safety belt either via rear or forward-facing belt path.
Level of Comfort
Whether you decide to go for Britax Advocate or Boulevard, you can rest assured that either seat will be incredibly comfy. From the additional plastic outside to the highly padded headrest – your little one will truly be comfortable. Comfort features include:
Outstanding Harness Points
The harness system is incredibly amazing in the two brands. The tightening mechanism is simplified by the Click-Safe Snug Indicator instead of trying to guess the proper tightening levels.
You can as well access the strap from the bottom to tighten the harness system. There’s an audible click emitted when the tightness is sufficient and comfortable.
When the child is getting in or out, the straps can easily be moved to the sides hence the child will not be tangled by the harness system.
Both models constitute 14-point harness to make adjustment both on the headrest and straps to one of the 14 points as the child grows. The adjustment mechanism does not need rethreading which can be quite frustrating.
Wonderful Reclining System
There are seven recline levels on each model. This feature is important for newborns since they are not supposed to sit in an upright way.
As the child grows, you can adjust the recline level to one that suits a toddler. Both of them do have a level indicator that communicates to you when the right recline angle is achieved depending on whether it is on rear or forward facing.
Padding and Covers
Both car seats are soft with extra padding foam for optimal comfort. The air cool fabric ventilates so the baby does not overheat when you’re having a long road drive in summer months.
And you can remove the covers completely for cleaning without uninstalling the car seat to take out the covers.
Color Options
Both models are available in multiple color options. However, Boulevard is available in a variety of more beautiful color options than Advocate.
Advocate is available in 5 color alternatives typically in dark-colored variants. They include Venti, Circa, Mosaic, Gray and Kate.
Boulevard color choices are slightly more. The six color options include Poole, Westin, Circa, Trek, Gray and Vector. The variants range from light blue, multi-colored pattern, dark colored and light gray.
Britax Advocate and Britax Boulevard: What’s the Huge Difference?
Britax Advocate has 3 while Britax Boulevard has 2 side impact protection layers: The reason why BritaxAdvocate is wider than Boulevard is the additional padding. For that reason, the Advocate will provide better protection against impact than Boulevard in the event of severe collision.
The advocate has Side Impact Cushion Technology while boulevard has True Side Impact Protection. Even then, Britax Boulevard is a lot comfy and the baby may not note the difference.
Britax Boulevard is narrower and light weight than Advocate: The Boulevard weighs 29.4 pounds while the advocate is 30.1 pounds.
If you’re looking to fit 3 infant car seats at the back, we recommend Britax Boulevard since it’s narrower. Because of the greater width, the Advocate model will not fit three infants’ seats across at the back row.
Britax Boulevard has slightly more color choices than Advocate: It has a mixture of multi-color patterns, light blue, dark-colored and light gray while Britax Advocate is only available in dark colored varieties.
My Recommendation
Britax Advocate vs Boulevard share many qualities and deciding between the two models may be quite a task. Fortunately, knowing a few differences between the models will go a long way in easing the decision-making process.
I find Britax Advocate to be a better choice than Britax Boulevard. What stands out to me is the extra layer of side impact protection to provide advanced protection in serious accidents. The extra layer may not sound much but it does play a major role in the child’s safety.
Nonetheless, both Britax Advocate and Boulevard are amazing choices with fantastic features and benefits that every parent will appreciate.