The Maxi-Cosi Pria 85 is one of the newest convertible car seats from car seat producer Maxi-Cosi, and is billed as the successor to the Maxi-Cosi Pria 70, one of the most popular convertible car seats of recent years, particularly when paired with the TinyFit insert. I’ve had the opportunity to review both seats and use both at the same time, and am a fan of both. However, most families aren’t going to have the space or resources to own both seats at the time, even though both seats are definitely possible to use in 3 across installations. Here is a comparison between the Pria 85 and the Pria 70 with TinyFit to help you figure out which of the two is more likely to meet your needs. If you’re in a hurry, I’d recommend the Pria 85 (review here, buy here) over the Pria 70 with TinyFit (review here, buy here) unless you specifically need the TinyFit insert.

Here are reasons to choose the Pria 85 over the Pria 70 with TinyFit

1. The Pria 85 has higher front-facing weight limits. This is the most obvious difference between the two car seats. The Pria 70 with TinyFit has a 70 pound forward-facing weight limit, while the aptly-named Pria 85 has an 85 pound forward-facing weight limit. This means children in the Pria 85 will be able to spend more time forward-facing before needing to find either a booster seat or another forward-facing car seat. Remember that children should be harnessed until ideally 8, and then boostered until they pass the 5 step test.

2.  The Pria 85 is easier to clean. Maxi-Cosi describes it as the easiest seat ever to clean, and they’ve got a point. You can remove the seat pad easily with a pair of snaps and wash it and dry it with a washer and dryer. You don’t need to deal with harness rethreading or seat installations and uninstallations to make this possible, which takes a lot of the hassle out of keeping the seat clean. In comparison, with the Pria 70, it’s necessary to remove the seat cover and the cover needs to be hand-washed.

3. The Pria 85 is lighter. The difference is only a few pounds, but it does make a difference between the seats, and it’s worth keeping in mind for some parents. The Pria 85 weighs 20 pounds while the Pria 70 with TinyFit weighs a bit more at 22 pounds.

4. You don’t need it from birth. The main advantage of the Pria 70 with TinyFit over the Pria 85 is that it comes with the TinyFit insert, which allows you to use the Pria 70 straight from the hospital, since the rear-facing llower limit drops to 4 pounds with the Pria 70 with TinyFit. The Pria 85, in contrast, has a lower weight limit of 14 pounds.

Having said all of this, I think both seats are great. The seat that’s better for you and your family will entirely depend on which features you’re more in need of. Keep in mind that I didn’t write anything about how safe either seat is, and that’s simply because both seats are equally safe and will do a great job of keeping your little ones secure. The main differences are in weight limits as I indicated above. You can buy the Pria 85 here and the Pria 70 with TinyFit here.

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