The Best Baby Strollers of 2016

• Skip to Methodology to learn more about how we researched baby strollers.
• Skip to Understanding Stroller Features to learn what features matter most when reviewing baby strollers.
• Skip to Editor’s Awards to learn which products performed the best across our core metrics.

Overview of Research

We compiled an initial group of strollers and with the help of Kimberlee evaluated each across 16 key data points selected for their importance to parents and other baby product users.

Kimberlee Mitchell Child Safety Expert

Kimberlee is the founder of Boo Boo Busters Professional Babyproofing Services and a nationally recognized child safety expert.

The final ranking was determined by a weighted methodology. The methodology consisted of the 16 data points we researched, which were categorized into four core metrics: stroller safety and security (35%), stroller performance (30%), cost and consumer reviews (20%), and customer support (15%).

Methodology

Our Expert

Kimberlee Mitchell is the founder of Boo Boo Busters® Professional Babyproofing Services. The home childproofing business serves both Los Angeles and Orange counties and has childproofed more than 7,000 homes since 2002. The company was featured in the Universal Picture’s film “Baby Mama,” starring Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, both of whom have had their homes childproofed by Boo Boo Busters.

Mitchell has appeared as a child safety expert on CBS’s “The Early Show,” “Fox & Friends,” E! Entertainment Television’s “E! News;” VH1; and PBS’s “A Place of Our Own” and “Baby Makes 3” airing on PBS member stations in 2016. She has served as a child safety consultant and corporate spokesperson for juvenile products manufacturer Safety1st, Dorel Juvenile Group, Verizon, and the non profit organization the American Cleaning Institute, to name a few.

While Ms. Mitchell served as general advisor to the project, the Rankings.com team independently chose the list of reviewed strollers and developed the methodology used for scoring and ranking.

How We Selected Our Test Group

In order to establish our list of strollers, we turned to several test-based reports from the past year, in particular reports from the Consumer Product Safety Commission, Consumer Reports and BabyGearLab.com. We also conducted an independent survey of established brands and leveraged existing consumer reviews. Altogether, we were able to establish a list of consistently recognized strollers.

Here is our complete list of sources:

• Consumer Product Safety Commission: Strollers and Carriages
• Consumer Reports: Stroller Buying Guide
• Consumer Reports: Stroller Ratings
• BabyGearLab: The Search for the Best Baby Stroller
• TheBump: Top 10 Strollers
• Lucie’s List: Baby Strollers
• BabyList Baby Registry: The Best Strollers of 2016
• BabyCenter 2016 Best Mom’s Picks: Best strollers
• Parenting.com Mom-Tested: Best Strollers
• Good Housekeeping: 25 Best Baby Strollers

How We Narrowed Our List Down

Our team established minimum criteria for all strollers reviewed:

• Must meet all applicable federal safety requirements
• Must have no outstanding recalls.
• Must not have extremely poor customer reviews
• Must provide a detailed rundown of the product’s features and warnings
• Must offer customer support services

 

Once these criteria were taken into consideration, we were left with 11 strollers:

 

1. Baby Jogger Vue
2. Baby Jogger City Mini
3. BOB Motion
4. BOB Revolution Flex
5. Britax B-Agile
6. Bumbleride Indie 4
7. Chicco Bravo Trio System
8. Mamas and Papas Armadillo Stroller
9. Mountain Buggy Swift
10. Peg Perego Booklet
11. UPPABaby Vista

Applying our methodology, which we detail below, we then assessed each stroller and determined the scores for our key metrics.

How We Selected the Data to Use in Our Methodology

Our team chose 16 data points to grade each stroller against. These data points were selected using federal safety guidelines, recommendations from existing baby product reviews, and our initial research.

We then organized the 16 data points as sub-metrics under four core metrics. This allowed us to group similar data points together and weigh certain metrics over others, based on their overall importance.

Safety and security were chosen as our most important core metric because, when shopping for strollers, safety is by far a parent’s most important concern. With parents spending hundreds on a stroller, they should be certain they are buying a product they can trust. Performance, as our second most important core metric captures all the non-safety elements of a stroller, such as weight and dimensions.

Here are the four core metrics and their 16 sub-metrics:

Metric 1: Stroller Safety and Security (35%)

• Side Tip-Over Angle
• Rear Tip-Over Weight
• Harness
• Parking Brake

Metric 2: Stroller Performance (30%)

• Max Child Weight
• Stroller Weight
• Folded Dimensions
• Wheel Size

Metric 3: Cost and Consumer Reviews (20%)

• Price
• Average Website Review
• Consumer Reports score

Metric 4: Customer Support (15%)

• Toll Free Phone and Email Support
• Online Registration
• Website Services
• Warranty
• Social Media

How We Scored Our Methodology

To get the core metric and overall scores for each stroller, we first reviewed the 16 sub-metrics organized under each core metric, comparing each stroller’s performance in each sub-metric. Taking their total performance across the sub-metrics that made up a given core metric, we determined each stroller’s score in each core metric.

So, for example, consider our top stroller, the BOB Motion. In the Stroller Safety and Security core metric, the product finished first overall, based on several sub-metrics: its side tip-over angle, its tip-over weight, its harness, and its parking brake. We compared the BOB Motion to all other strollers in these four sub-metrics, and it earned top marks in all four. This, in turn, earned the stroller a 10/10 score for the Safety and Security core metric.

In order to get a final, overall score, we took each product’s score in the four core metrics, multiplied each by their respective percentile weights, and then took the sum. This sum became each product’s final score.

Going back to the BOB Motion stroller, here is how it finished in the four core metrics:

• Safety and Security – 10/10
• Performance – 10/10
• Cost and Consumer Reviews – 7.3/10
• Customer Support – 7.3/10

With the appropriate weights applied to each core metric, the BOB Motion’s final score was 9.05/10, the highest final score amongst all stroller reviewed, making it our number one overall.

Drawbacks of Our Methodology

The major drawback worth noting is that we focused on strollers relatively new to the market, meaning those that came out starting in 2014. While this helped us look at the cutting-edge in stroller safety, it did limit the scope of our review. There are a number of reliable seats that have been on the market for longer and stood the test of time. Before committing to any one, we recommend doing your own in depth research to identify the seats that have been market mainstays for the past five plus years.

Understanding Stroller Features

Editor's Awards

A durable, fully-loaded model earns the first-place spot in a tough field of competitors.

BOB Motion caught our attention with its construction. Strollers with high side tip-over angles tend to be weaker, thus allowing less weight before they tip over in the back. Likewise, models with high rear tip-over weights are usually top-heavy and susceptible to rollover. B4OB Motion somehow manages to have both a decent side tip-over angle at 22.7° and a high rear weight allowance of 35 pounds.

This is the stroller for parents who are concerned about terrain. Pneumatic tires mounted on high-impact wheels and a state-of-the-art suspension system ensure a smooth ride for baby passengers. BOB Motion is also an all-season stroller, thanks to a multi-level canopy and ventilation screens. A solid score from Consumer Reports, favorable customer reviews and a five-year warranty helped this model squeak to the top.

Drawbacks:

• BOB Motion is not available for purchase on the official BOBgear website. However, prices on Amazon.com are reasonable and the manufacturer’s site offers many different services for customers, including phone/email contact information, an FAQ page and product manuals.
• While BOB Motion is ideal for parents in rugged areas, the stroller might not be necessary in urban areas and other places where paved roads are commonplace. A smaller and less expensive stroller may suffice for parents who push their babies in locations like these.

Rankings:

• Safety and Security – 10/10
• Performance – 10/10
• Cost and Consumer Reviews – 7.3/10
• Customer Support – 7.3/10