Our Verdict on the Maxi-Cosi Mico Luxe Car Seat
When it comes to choosing the right car seat for your little one, the Maxi-Cosi Mico Luxe Infant Car Seat is a great car seat, but definitely not a top contender. Offering a combination of safety features, user-friendly design, and a comfortable ride for your baby. Let’s dive into the details.
The Mico Luxe has made significant improvements over its predecessor, the Mico Max 30. Additionally, there is a premium version available called the Mico Luxe Plus, which offers additional features. For a detailed comparison, refer to the full comparison table.
QUICK GUIDE: IN THIS ARTICLE
Our Rating: 8.5 / 10
Summary
We like:
- Very easy to install.
- Generous canopy to cover baby.
- Compatible with many stroller brands with and without adapters.
- Lightweight.
We don’t like:
- Base no longer includes anti-rebound bar.
- Many complaints about the canopy breaking or not locking into place.
- Doesn’t come with a no-rethread harness.
- Handle only locks in two positions: all the way up or down.
Where to buy it: check price on Amazon
P.S. We received a review unit of this product from its manufacturer. We are, however, not paid or compensated for our review. To remain impartial in our tests, we use objective ranking factors and put each product in the hands of real parents for a few months before we publish our review. Read how we test to learn more.
Everything that we review is independently selected by our team. We only recommend products that we use ourselves with our kids. To support our website, we may receive a small commission if you buy something through our links. These commissions come at no extra costs for you. Read our earnings disclaimer to learn more.
If you already own a stroller, it’s important to ensure that it is compatible with the Mico Luxe or Mico Luxe Plus. Please consult the full stroller and infant car seat compatibility guide for more information.
Similar to the Maxi-Cosi Mico Max 30, the Mico Luxe shines in terms of easy installation, quality fabric, excellent side protection safety features, and a spacious canopy, among other things.
But don’t just take our word for it. Read our in-depth review to determine if the Mico Luxe is the right infant car seat for your family.
Overview: Maxi-Cosi Mico Luxe Car Seat
Safety
8/10
Baby Comfort
9/10
Build Quality
8/10
Installation Easiness
9/10
Vehicle Fit
9/10
Portability
8/10
Stroller Compatibility
9/10
Design
8/10
Maintenance
9/10
Features: Maxi-Cosi Mico Luxe Car Seat
Car Seat Weight
9 lbs (4 kg)
Dimensions
28.9″ x 17.7″x 25.4″
Durability
10 years
Weight Range
4-30 lbs (2-13.5 kg)
Infant Height Limit
32″ (80 cm)
Facing Direction
Rear-facing
Reclinable
3 positions on base
Base Installation Easiness
LATCH
Adjustable Harness
YES
Our Hands-on Review of the Maxi-Cosi Mico Luxe Car Seat
We had no problem using the Maxi-Cosi Mico Luxe with our baby from the very first days thanks to the cushy and cozy infant insert, and it can even be used until your baby reaches 32” (about 15 months old).
The Maxi-Cosi Mico Luxe comes at an average price for infant seats (around ~$200), and your family can customize the look and choose from the four different color options available.
Additionally, the Maxi-Cosi Mico Luxe also comes in a premium, more expensive model: the Maxi-Cosi Mico Luxe Plus. Below is a table comparing the Maxi-Cosi Mico Luxe with the Maxi-Cosi Mico Luxe Plus.
| Maxi-Cosi Mico Luxe | Maxi-Cosi Mico Luxe+ | |
| Price | $199 | $299 |
| Weight Capacity | 4-30 lbs | 4-30 lbs |
| Height Capacity | 32″ | 32″ |
| Car Seat Weight | 9 lbs | 9 lbs |
| Base Weight | 8 lbs | 11.8 lbs |
| MaxiLock Installation | X |  |
| Self-Tightening Latch System | X | |
| Load Leg | X* | |
| Side Impact Protection | | |
| Climaflow Ventilation | | |
| Ventilated Canopy | X | |
| PureCosi Fabric | | |
| Vegan Leather Grip | X** | |
** Leatherette grip on the handle is available in the New Hope Tan color.
We also wanted to call out that a previous model of the Maxi-Cosi Mico Luxe Plus Infant Carseat (IC370) were part of a National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration recall on March 14, 2023. Being notified of product recalls is one of the large reasons why we recommend families register their product with a company.
The Mico Luxe performed very well in our tests, but it’s hard to fully recommend the Mico Luxe because we did notice several other families had some issues with the infant car seat, including the canopy not working and staying in place properly and several reviewers complaining that the car seat itself broke apart (the top and bottom pieces separating).
Mico Luxe Safety Ratings and Crash Test Results
The Maxi-Cosi Mico Luxe is equipped with an advanced Side Impact Protection system, this car seat provides superior head protection for your baby in case of a collision. The sturdy construction and energy-absorbing materials offer added peace of mind for parents.
The Mico Luxe features PureCosi fabrics which are made without wool or added fire-retardant treatment, which is something we are seeing as premium options among other brands.
We really liked the soft feel of the fabric and the cushioning felt very plush. Additionally, the removable infant head and lumbar inserts were some of the nicer ones we have seen on the market.
Sadly, the included Maxi-Cosi base no longer has an anti-rebound bar; however, a base with a load leg is included in the Mico Luxe Plus package, and can also be purchased separately and used with the Mico Luxe.
An anti-rebound bar on the base helps reduce or prevent rebound movement. For example, in a head-on collision, the car seat would first move forward, then bounce back away the point of impact. The anti-rebound bar halts this movement sooner than if the anti-rebound bar was not there.
While rear-facing car seats have proven to be safer than forward-facing seats, the bouncing movement can cause injury. Reducing that bouncing movement with the anti-rebound bar is thus an extra safety. It’s not required by Federal standards in the U.S., but we like every extra level of protection that manufacturers can add to their infant car seats!
Helpful Note
We use the official National Highway Traffic Safety Administration ratings and crash test data under the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard to determine each car seat safety ratings in our reviews.
Learn more about how we evaluate car seat safety ratings.
How Comfortable is the Maxi-Cosi Mico Luxe?
The Maxi-Cosi- Mico Luxe infant car seat is comfortable for most babies, although you may need to remove the additional infant inserts as your little one grows (over 11 pounds and 24 inches long, between 4-6 months). However, this extra comfort means extra padding, which makes the Mico Luxe a little snug for larger babies.
One thing we loved about the Maxi-Cosi Mico Luxe is its ClimaFlow™ technology. Living in a desert means I am constantly trying to make sure my little one isn’t too warm.
Mico Luxe’s ClimaFlow provides added ventilation in the infant car seat shell to help keep your baby cooler. In addition, the self-wicking fibers of the fabric help regulate moisture and wetness, keeping your baby dry and comfy in their seat.
The Mico Luxe includes a large canopy, which easily extends to cover most of your baby. However, we noticed many other parents did not have a good experience with the Mico Luxe canopy and some complained of it breaking or not staying in place, and even being flimsy enough to hit the baby.
The Mico Luxe has a 5-point harness and is about average in terms of comfort. Don’t get us wrong, it feels great and works well, but it’s not as easy to adjust as it is a no-rethread harness (a harness that can be adjusted without threading the harness through the seat cover, shell, and through the back). It comes with four different height positions and two crotch buckle positions, so you can easily adjust as your baby grows.
How Practical is the Maxi-Cosi Mico Luxe?
The Maxi-Cosi Mico Luxe car seat is lighter than most of the other infant car seats that we tested. We found the contoured, ergonomic handle to be comfortable, as it is designed specifically to curve around your hip or leg (yay, no more bruising). That being said, some parents love it, some don’t.
We couldn’t figure out how to get the Maxi-Cosi- Mico Luxe to lock onto shopping carts, although this is often not recommended, and instead had to put the car seat in the main shopping cart area.
The bottom of the car seat itself is a bit curvy, allowing you to gently rock your baby back and forth when the seat is placed on the ground. Perfect when you’re stopping for a quick bite outside.
As mentioned above, adjusting the harness on the Mico Luxe isn’t as easy as it should be. You’ll need to reach to the back of the seat and pass the belt through the right slot for your baby. It’s not a big deal, but it’s a bit harder to estimate the right height as your baby won’t be sitting in the seat as your change the belt. But you can easily make smaller adjustments with the strap near your baby’s legs.
Here’s an instruction video explaining how to adjust the harness height:
The Maxi-Cosi Mico Luxe is approved by the FAA to be used inside a plane. The dimensions of the seat with its base are 28.9″ L x 17.7″ W x 25.4″ H.
Installation Instructions
If you buy your Maxi-Cosi Mico Luxe from Amazon here it will come together with the base, or you can look at purchasing the whole travel system with the Maxi-Cosi Zelia stroller. We’ll review first how to safely install the car seat with the base, before talking about the installation without the base.
Maxi-Cosi Mico Luxe Installation with the Base
The Mico Luxe is easy and straightforward to install with its base. It’s not quite as good as the Chicco KeyFit 30 but we like it nevertheless. Just follow these 5 simple steps:
- Place the Maxi-Cosi base on your car rear seat.
- Adjust the recline angle of the base appropriately.
- Attach the base with the LATCH connectors.
- Tighten the LATCH strap.
- That’s it. When done correctly, the base should move less than 1 inch from side to side.
If your car has the necessary LATCH anchors, we recommend that you use them instead of the seat belt to safely install the seat. Don’t try to use both systems at the same time though. The base isn’t built for it and it won’t make the installation safer.
We’re glad to say that the Mico Luxe base is one of the easiest to install with the LATCH. It comes with handy little clips that safely lock into the anchors. You then just need to pull the LATCH belts to tighten them up as much as possible. The LATCH belts are easily accessible when you’re facing the base and can be tucked back in once the base is safely installed.
Helpful Note
LATCH stands for Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children. The LATCH system is mandatory for both car seat and vehicles built since 2002. LATCH greatly facilitate the safe installation of a car seat and should be preferred over other installation methods.
Learn more about how to securely install your baby in a car seat.
There are three reclining positions in the Maxi-Cosi Mico Luxe base to help you adjust the seat parallel to the road. You’ll find the lever to change the recline position on the back of the base.
Here’s an instructional video from Maxi-Cosi that illustrates the whole process:
We also love that the anchors are very easy to detach from the LATCH when you want to take off the base. Some of the other infant car seats that we’ve tested were absolutely terrible in that regard.
Once the base is safely installed, you just need to clip the car seat in it. You’ll hear a clicking sound to tell you that it’s correctly installed, but you should try to pull it out to make sure that it stays in.
When you’re done, you can easily detach the car seat by pressing the release button at the back of the seat.
So overall, we really like the Mico Luxe installation with its base. It’s one of the best ones that we’ve tested.
Maxi-Cosi Mico Luxe Installation without the Base Using the Seat Belt
If you’re taking a taxi or an airplane, you also have the option to attach the Mico Luxe without its base using just a seat belt. It’s not as quick and easy as clipping the seat on a pre-installed base, but it’s not very complicated and still complies with all the safety regulations.
The Maxi-Cosi Mico Luxe does not come with a European belt path. That means that you’ll need to pass your car seat belt only through the front of the seat. The European belt path provides an extra level of safety by also attaching to the back of the seat, so it’s our preferred method, but only one infant car seats in our tests had that option (the Peg Perego Primo Viaggio).
Helpful Note
Read our guide on how to securely install your baby in a car seat to understand the American belt routing method versus the European belt routing method.
We prefer the European method as it adds an extra connection at the back of the seat, but it isn’t required by the NHTSA in the U.S. at the moment.
Follow these 6 steps to attach the Mico Luxe without the base:
- Place the infant car seat rear-facing in your car.
- Recline the seat appropriately by following the level line indicator on the side of the carrier. You might need to place a towel between the car seat and your car to achieve the right position.
- Pass the seat belt through the belt path on both sides of the seat and fasten it.
- Pull the seat belt as tight as you can then lock it in (depending on your car’s model, you might have to fully extend the seat belt or give it a sharp pull to trigger the locking mechanism).
- Feed as much of the seat belt back as possible to keep it very tight.
- That’s it. When done correctly, the infant car seat should move less than 1 inch from side to side.
Here’s an instruction video showing exactly how to install the KeyFit safely without its base:
Maxi-Cosi Mico Luxe Weight Limit
The Mico Luxe has a weight limit of 30 lbs (13.5 kg), which is below the 35 lbs we see in most of the other infant car seats we tested (except the Chicco KeyFit 30 that has the exact same limits). But it doesn’t really matter because your child will most probably reach the height limit before they reach the weight limit.
The height limit of the Mico Luxe is 32 inches (80cm), just like most of the other seats in our tests. On average, children weigh about 24 lbs by the time they’ve reached 32 inches, which is usually around 15 months old.
When Can I Remove the Maxi-Cosi Infant Insert?
The Mico Luxe that’s sold here on Amazon comes bundled with an infant insert. The insert is an extra layer of cushion protection for babies, premature babies in particular.
As a rule of thumb, just make sure that your baby is both securely fastened and comfortable with enough room once installed in the seat. In addition to the infant insert, the Mico Luxe also includes covers for both the buckle and the harness strap to protect your baby.
Maintenance and Washing Instructions
The more time your baby spends in the seat, the more often you’ll need to clean it up. That’s why we think that maintenance is a very important factor to consider when buying an infant car seat. If you can’t easily take off the cover to wash it, it will become an ongoing annoyance after a month or two.
The Maxi-Cosi Mico Luxe is an excellent option with its fabric cover, inserts, and the headrest pad easy to take off and put back on, and are all machine-washable and dryer safe. The harness covers, however, must be washed and dried by hand to avoid damaging the velcro.
Which Strollers are Compatible with the Maxi-Cosi Mico Luxe?
Stroller compatibility is another area where the Mico Luxe shines. Maxi-Cosi is a well-established trusted brand, so you’ll be able to use the car seat with most of the big stroller brands.
Of all the infant car seats that we tested, the Mico Luxe is one of the most versatile and can be used with more than 50 different stroller models!
The Mico Luxe is compatible with all the Maxi-Cosi and Quinny strollers and is very easy to use. You just need to place the car seat on the stroller and it will safely clip itself on it. Just press the detach lever at the back of the seam to remove the seat from the stroller (the same way you would do to detach the seat from its base in your car).
If you don’t already have a stroller, we recommend that you get one of their travel system bundles to save money.
When it comes to some other brands you may need to get the necessary adapter to pair the Mico Luxe with your stroller. It can be tricky to find the adapter that’s right for your car seat, but we’ve done all the legwork for you. You can check our ultimate car seat and stroller compatibility guide for more details.
How Long is the Maxi-Cosi Mico Luxe Good For?
Wondering how long is your Maxi-Cosi Mico Luxe is good for? Just check the back of the seat to find its expiration date, it’s stamped on the actual seat. The Maxi-Cosi Mico Luxe warranty is good for 1 year from the date of purchase.
Important to Know
Infant car seats have an expiration date. You should never use a car seat that is passed its expiration date as the safety of your child will NOT be guaranteed.
Always check the label on your seat to make sure that it’s still good to be used. You can also read this article to understand why infant car seats expire.
Maxi-Cosi Mico Luxe: What’s in the box
Wondering what’s in the box? Here’s everything that will be included in the Maxi-Cosi Mico Luxe package:
- 1 x Maxi-Cosi Mico Luxe infant car seat
- 1 x Maxi-Cosi Mico Luxe infant car seat LATCH base
Maxi-Cosi Mico Luxe Alternatives
- The Chicco KeyFit 30: still our recommended infant car seat of the year for about the same price as the Maxi-Cosi Mico Luxe (check price).
- The Peg Perego Primo Viaggio: the best infant car seat if you can stretch your budget. It comes with a European seat belt lock when used without its base and includes an anti-rebound bar and load leg (check price).
- The Evenflo LiteMax 35: if you’re looking for a less expensive alternative. In addition, it is one of the lighter weight options (check price).
Maxi-Cosi Mico Luxe Infant Car Seat: Most Frequently Asked Questions
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Does the Maxi-Cosi Mico Luxe come with a base?
Yes, this model of the Maxi-Cosi Mico Luxe comes with the base in the package. You can also purchase the safer base with the load leg separately.
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Do you have to use the base with the Maxi-Cosi Mico Luxe?
No, you don’t have to use the base with the Maxi-Cosi Mico Luxe. You can install the Maxi-Cosi Mico Luxe without its base if needed, with just the seat belt as described above. The base does make it more secure and convenient if you’re installing the seat in your own car, however.
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Can the Maxi-Cosi Mico Luxe be installed in an airplane seat?
Yes, the Maxi-Cosi Mico Luxe is FAA approved. You can install the seat alone or the seat with its base on a plane seat using the lap seat belt. You can check that your car seat is FAA approved by looking for a sticker that says “This Restraint is Certified for Use in Motor Vehicles and Aircraft.” Flight attendants are trained to look for these stickers when someone is boarding the plane with an infant or toddler car seat.
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How much does the Maxi-Cosi Mico Luxe weigh without the base?
The Maxi-Cosi Mico Luxe weighs about 9 lbs without the base. It’s relatively light compared to some of the other infant car seats that we reviewed.
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Can I attach the Maxi-Cosi Mico Luxe seat on a grocery cart?
No you shouldn’t attach the Maxi-Cosi Mico Luxe infant car seat to a grocery cart, and it is recommended that you shouldn’t try to do that with any car seat.
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Has the Maxi-Cosi Mico Luxe ever been recalled?
The Maxi-Cosi Mico Luxe Plus version has been recalled. For more recall information, call the U.S. Government’s Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY: 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.NHTSA.gov.
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What is the Maxi-Cosi Mico Luxe warranty?
Maxi-Cosi car seats are warranted against defective materials or workmanship for one year from the date of original purchase.
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What is the Maxi-Cosi’s customer service number?
If you’re calling from the US, you can contact Maxi-Cosi’s customer service by phone: 1-800-951-4113 or email their support center, which should get back to you within 24 hours.
Maxi-Cosi Mico Luxe User Manual
You can download the Maxi-Cosi Mico Luxe infant car seat user manual or find one in the box when you purchase the infant car seat and base.
Further reading about Maxi-Cosi and infant car seat safety
We used several authoritative sources to help with our review of the Maxi-Cosi Mico Luxe. We recommend that you read them if you want to learn more about car seat safety in general. These are also great resources if you want to understand a particular aspect of child safety or want to stay up-to-date with the latest research.
About Maxi-Cosi
Maxi-Cosi is a well-known European brand of high-end baby products. It is part of the Dorel Baby Industrial Complex, which also owns Safety 1st and Cosco. The Maxi-Cosi brand focuses on delivering exceptional safety, comfort and style throughout its product line.
More Info About Car Seat Safety
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the National Child Passenger Safety Board have excellent in-depth resources on car safety for children. We recommend you start there:
If you want to explore car safety even further, we recommend the following resources that were used when writing this article:
Megan is a wife and mother of three, as well as an experienced foster mother. She loves building and testing new products, and helping identify what works best for readers and clients. She has her degree in Computer Software Engineering and has been a Product Lead with over 8 years of experience designing, building, testing, and selling products to companies ranging from sole proprietors to the largest retailers in America!
