I tested the Thule maple car seat, but is it worth the £500 price tag?

Thule maple car seat: Assembly

A huge plus of the Alfi base and maple seat is the ease of installation – there was no whispering of profanities while trying to set up everything during testing. Once the seat is out of the box, you take the battery tag out and it begins to beep. Next, you press the two big yellow buttons on the top of the base to release the secures that latch onto the back of your car’s actual seat. Finally, you lift the large central handle up to secure the base into place.

The supporting leg can then be pulled out and adjusted into place on the car floor. Handily, the panel system at the top of the leg lights up green when it’s secure and the whole thing stops beeping.

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Then, you simply get your seat and pop it on top before spinning it to the correct, backwards-facing position. Placing the seat on the base is very simple and it fits like a dream. This is the seat’s so-called “easydock” function and it makes life a lot easier, especially when your child is getting on the heavier side.

Thule maple car seat: Safety

It goes without saying that modern car seat safety is highly regulated. By law, all children must be in an appropriately sized car seat until they are 135cm (4ft 5in) tall or 12-years-old, whichever comes first.

Any car seat that is EU-approved for use in the UK will feature a label of an ‘E’ in a circle. In addition to this label, all height-based seats (seats that children grow out of when they reach a certain height) should be marked ‘R129’ and weight-based seats (seats that children grow out of when they reach a certain weight) should be marked ‘ECE R44’.

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Car seats then fit into various sizing categories. The maple is in Group 0+, meaning it is suitable for the smallest babies, weighing from 0-13kg (which is approximately from birth to 12-15 months).

The main safety element of this car seat is the Alfi base. As mentioned, this is battery-powered (batteries are included, which is a huge win) and it beeps continually if the seat isn’t installed correctly.

Initially, I thought the beeping would be extra stressful but it is a really helpful way to quash any anxiety about the car seat not being installed properly. It also means that if you have to remove and install your car seat on the regular, you can rest easy in the knowledge that you have put it in your car correctly, no matter how little sleep you have had.

Thule maple car seat: Comfort

My son always seemed very happy in the Thule maple car seat. When he was a newborn, the seat felt snug, safe and comforting without being overly restrictive. Then, as he grew, the seat didn’t feel too small or like it was uncomfortable for him to sit in.

Although the padding around the head and neck was good, the seat itself did feel like it could do with a bit more padding, especially when the newborn insert was removed.

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Something about the fabric of the Maple doesn’t scream luxury either – it feels cheaper, less soft and more plastic-y than other competitors on the market. This did make it easy to wipe clean, however, which is a plus point.

Thule maple car seat: Design

While the ‘easydock’ system was great, my main problem with the maple was the spin function or, more specifically, how fiddly the spin function button is. It is a stiff push-in button located at the front of the base.

I found it very hard to push in, which was irritating. I’d say it is almost impossible to do with one hand. Other car seats on the market use a sort of paddle button design, which I find far easier to use. You can only use the maple in the backwards-facing position while driving, which is important for some consumers. However, as the seat is only suitable for children up to 75cm, most children will reach that height before the recommended earliest age children should ride facing forwards (which is 15 months).