Did the 2017 rule ban old booster cushions?

No. The Department for Transport said existing approved group 2 seats and cushions were unaffected and could still be used within their labelled limits. GOV.UK still lists group 2 cushions and says the later group 3-only manufacturing rule does not affect existing group 2 cushions.

What limits apply to a new backless booster model?

A manufacturer cannot introduce one for children shorter than 125 cm or weighing less than 22 kg. Both thresholds apply from 9 February 2017. The cushion must still carry an approval label and be fitted as instructed.

When can a child use an adult seat belt?

A child can use an adult seat belt from their 12th birthday or once they reach 135 cm tall, whichever happens first. The belt must be worn where one is fitted.

Is 125 cm the new adult belt height?

No. 125 cm is the minimum height for a new backless booster model. The child seat requirement in Great Britain still ends at 135 cm or the 12th birthday, whichever happens first. Mixing those two figures is the usual source of bad advice on this topic.

Can I still buy a group 2 cushion?

GOV.UK says manufacturers can now only make booster cushions approved as group 3. An existing group 2 cushion already in use, or an unused existing model whose label covers the child, remains legal. A newly introduced model has to meet the 125 cm and 22 kg product rule.

Does a backless booster work with a lap belt?

Only if that cushion is specifically designed for a lap belt. GOV.UK says a child car seat must be used with a diagonal strap unless it is designed for a lap belt or fitted with ISOFIX. Most cushions need the diagonal section to sit on the shoulder.

Is the 2017 change the same in Northern Ireland?

nidirect describes the same rule: manufacturers cannot introduce new backless models for children shorter than 125 cm or lighter than 22 kg, and existing labelled models can still be used. The child seat boundary remains 135 cm or 12 years. The published penalty for a wrong restraint is the Northern Ireland figure of £60 and three points.

Should I throw away a cushion if the child is under 125 cm?

Not if it is an existing approved group 2 model whose label still covers their weight. The 125 cm figure constrains new models. If the child has outgrown the labelled weight, or the label is missing, replace the cushion with an approved restraint that fits, which may be a high-backed booster rather than another backless one.

Booster cushions

Backless booster seat law

The 2017 change applied to new models introduced by manufacturers. It did not make an existing approved booster cushion illegal.

From 9 February 2017, manufacturers could introduce new backless booster models only for children at least 125 cm tall and at least 22 kg, the Department for Transport said. Existing approved group 2 cushions were not withdrawn by that change and remain legal within their labelled limits.

These rules apply in Great Britain.

Rules and figures checked on 10 September 2026.

What changed on 9 February 2017?

The Department for Transport confirmed that new rules for manufacturers of backless booster seats apply from 9 February 2017. Manufacturers are not allowed to introduce new models of backless booster seats for children shorter than 125 cm or weighing less than 22 kg. Both thresholds apply. A new model aimed at a 120 cm child, or at a 20 kg child, cannot be introduced.

The same announcement is clear about existing products. The change does not affect existing models of seats or cushions and does not mean that they are unsafe or illegal. Parents can continue to use existing approved group 2 seats and cushions if the labelling indicates they are suitable for the child.

nidirect repeats the same product rule for Northern Ireland: it applies to both Regulation 44 and Regulation 129 i-Size backless booster seats, and existing models remain usable if the label covers the child. Check the label on the cushion you have, not a news headline from 2017.

Did the 2017 rule ban the cushion already in my car?

No. The Department for Transport said existing approved group 2 seats and cushions were unaffected. GOV.UK still lists booster cushions in group 2 (15 kg to 25 kg) and group 3 (22 kg to 36 kg). It also says manufacturers can now only make booster cushions approved as group 3, and that this will not affect any existing booster cushions in group 2.

An older group 2 cushion is legal when three things are true: it still has an approval label with a capital E in a circle and ECE R44 (or R129), the labelled weight or height covers this child, and it is fitted as the instructions show. If the label has worn off, you cannot show it is approved.

Buying a second-hand cushion is the same test. If it is an existing model whose label covers the child, the 2017 change does not make it illegal. If it is a new model introduced after that date, it has to be for children at least 125 cm and at least 22 kg.

How do I tell a new model from an existing one?

Read the approval label. A cushion labelled only for group 3, or for 22 kg to 36 kg, or for 125 cm and up, matches the post-2017 product rule. A cushion labelled group 2, or 15 kg to 25 kg, is the older product type the Department for Transport said you may keep using.

Do not guess from the shape. Plenty of older group 2 cushions look identical to later group 3 ones. The label is the legal document. If a retailer describes a brand-new cushion as 'group 2', treat that as a warning to read the label yourself.

Backless booster thresholds that are easy to mix up
Threshold	What it governs	Source
125 cm and 22 kg	New backless models from 9 February 2017	Department for Transport, 2017
15 kg to 25 kg	R44 group 2, including existing cushions	GOV.UK child seat law
22 kg to 36 kg	R44 group 3, including new cushions	GOV.UK child seat law
135 cm or 12 years	Adult belt replaces the child seat	GOV.UK child seat law

Department for Transport news, 22 February 2017 update, and GOV.UK child car seats: the law, checked 10 September 2026.

How do I fit a backless booster?

A backless cushion lifts the child so the adult diagonal belt sits on the shoulder and the lap belt sits on the hips. GOV.UK requires a diagonal strap unless the seat is designed for a lap belt or uses ISOFIX. A cushion that needs a three-point belt cannot be used with a lap belt only.

Never fit a child car seat on a side facing seat. Never put the diagonal belt under the child's arm or behind their back. If the belt still cuts the neck after the child is on the cushion, they may be too small for that cushion, even if they meet 22 kg on the scales.

Read the label: group 2, group 3, or R129 height, and confirm this child is inside it.
For a new model, also confirm they are at least 125 cm and at least 22 kg.
Place the cushion on a forward facing seat with a diagonal belt.
Sit the child so the lap belt is on the hips and the diagonal belt is on the shoulder.
Use it until 135 cm or the 12th birthday, then switch to the adult belt where one is fitted.

When is a high-backed booster the legal choice instead?

If the child is under 125 cm or under 22 kg, a new backless model is not what manufacturers may introduce. An existing labelled group 2 cushion can still be used if it covers them. A high-backed group 2 or group 1 harness seat is the other published option.

The 135 cm or 12 year line still governs when any booster, high-backed or backless, stops being required. A 130 cm, 28 kg, 10 year old still needs a child restraint in the family car. A 136 cm, 9 year old may use the adult belt.

Example

A 6 year old on a backless cushion bought in 2016

Age: 6 years
Height: 118 cm
Weight: 21 kg
Cushion: R44 group 2, labelled 15 kg to 25 kg, bought in 2016

The cushion is an existing group 2 model, so the 9 February 2017 new-model rule does not withdraw it.
21 kg sits inside 15 kg to 25 kg, so the label covers the child.
118 cm is under 125 cm, which would block a new backless model, but this is not a new model.
118 cm is also under 135 cm and the child is under 12, so an adult belt is not yet legal in the family car.

The 2016 group 2 cushion remains a legal restraint for this child. A brand-new backless model for a 118 cm child would not meet the 125 cm product rule.

What about taxis, vans and Northern Ireland?

A backless booster is still a child seat. In a licensed taxi, if the driver does not provide the correct seat, a child aged 3 or older wears an adult belt in the rear rather than producing a cushion. That exception does not apply to your own van or car. Van rules match car rules.

nidirect publishes the same 125 cm and 22 kg product rule and the same advice to check the label. The Northern Ireland penalty for a wrong restraint is £60 and three points, with a £500 court maximum, which is not the Great Britain fixed penalty.

What goes wrong with backless boosters?

A parent throws away a perfectly legal group 2 cushion because they read that 'boosters are banned'. They were not. Only new models below 125 cm or 22 kg were stopped.

A parent buys a new no-name cushion with no E mark. That is not an approved child restraint.

A child under 22 kg is put on a new group 3-only cushion because an older sibling uses one. The label does not cover the lighter child.

The cushion is used on a coach seat with no diagonal belt. GOV.UK has a separate coach exception; it is not a reason to perch a cushion on a lap belt.

Which backless booster myths should I ignore?

Myth: all booster cushions became illegal in 2017. The Department for Transport said existing models were unaffected.

Myth: 125 cm replaced 135 cm as the adult belt height. It did not. 125 cm is a product rule for new backless models. 135 cm or 12 years is still the child seat boundary.

Myth: a high-backed booster is required by law from 2017. High-backed boosters remain a listed option. They were not made the only legal booster.

Common questions

Did the 2017 rule ban old booster cushions?: No. The Department for Transport said existing approved group 2 seats and cushions were unaffected and could still be used within their labelled limits. GOV.UK still lists group 2 cushions and says the later group 3-only manufacturing rule does not affect existing group 2 cushions.
What limits apply to a new backless booster model?: A manufacturer cannot introduce one for children shorter than 125 cm or weighing less than 22 kg. Both thresholds apply from 9 February 2017. The cushion must still carry an approval label and be fitted as instructed.
When can a child use an adult seat belt?: A child can use an adult seat belt from their 12th birthday or once they reach 135 cm tall, whichever happens first. The belt must be worn where one is fitted.
Is 125 cm the new adult belt height?: No. 125 cm is the minimum height for a new backless booster model. The child seat requirement in Great Britain still ends at 135 cm or the 12th birthday, whichever happens first. Mixing those two figures is the usual source of bad advice on this topic.
Can I still buy a group 2 cushion?: GOV.UK says manufacturers can now only make booster cushions approved as group 3. An existing group 2 cushion already in use, or an unused existing model whose label covers the child, remains legal. A newly introduced model has to meet the 125 cm and 22 kg product rule.
Does a backless booster work with a lap belt?: Only if that cushion is specifically designed for a lap belt. GOV.UK says a child car seat must be used with a diagonal strap unless it is designed for a lap belt or fitted with ISOFIX. Most cushions need the diagonal section to sit on the shoulder.
Is the 2017 change the same in Northern Ireland?: nidirect describes the same rule: manufacturers cannot introduce new backless models for children shorter than 125 cm or lighter than 22 kg, and existing labelled models can still be used. The child seat boundary remains 135 cm or 12 years. The published penalty for a wrong restraint is the Northern Ireland figure of £60 and three points.
Should I throw away a cushion if the child is under 125 cm?: Not if it is an existing approved group 2 model whose label still covers their weight. The 125 cm figure constrains new models. If the child has outgrown the labelled weight, or the label is missing, replace the cushion with an approved restraint that fits, which may be a high-backed booster rather than another backless one.

Sources

Each legal threshold and exception above comes from the linked government guidance.