Between The Chicco Keyfit 30 or the Peg Perego Primo Viaggio 4-35, the Peg Perego 4 35 initially sets the bar very high. But after looking at every aspect of the seat, it seems that the Chicco Keyfit 30 is a wiser choice.
Learn why.
Chicco Keyfit 30*
Vs
Peg Perego 4/35*
Ideal Use
| Chicco Keyfit 30 | Peg Perego 4-35 | |
| Rear-Facing Weight: | 4-30 pounds | 4-35 pounds |
| Height Limit: | Up to 30 inches | Up to 32 inches |
The Peg Perego Primo Viaggio has higher weight and height limits.
Which Of The Two Will Fit In My Car?
| Chicco Keyfit 30 | Peg Perego 4-35 | |
| Width | 17 inches | 17 inches |
| Height | 24 inches | 23.9 inches |
| Depth/Length | 27.5 inches | 25.9 inches |
While both seats are as narrow and almost as tall as each other, the Peg Perego 4-35 can save a little more space length-wise. This is important if your car is small and you have a tall passenger sitting directly across from where the seat will be installed.
However, it is not a high number to worry about for the Chicco Keyfit. It will fit in a compact car just fine, even if it’s a little longer than the Peg Perego infant seat.
Installation
| Chicco Keyfit 30 | Peg Perego 4-35 | |
| Do I need to use a pool noodle/rolled towel? | No | No |
| Base: Easy To Install? | Yes | Yes |
| Carrier Easy To Install Without The Base? | Yes | Yes |
| Carrier Easy To Click Into The Base? | Yes | Yes |
| Carrier Easy To Remove From The Base? | Yes
|
Yes |
Installing both seats either with a base or without it will be a breeze and fool-proof. You wouldn’t have to worry even if it’s your first time seeing an infant car seat.
Good Infant Car Seats
Safety
| Chicco Keyfit 30 | Peg Perego 4-35 | |
| Country Of Origin: | China | Italy |
| Steel Frame: | No | No |
| Five-Point Harness? | Yes | Yes |
| Side Impact Tested: | Yes | Yes |
| Approved For Airplane Use: | Yes | Yes |
| Easy To Buckle And Unbuckle? | Yes | Yes |
Both are equally safe and have high safety ratings.
They are made from different countries. Some parents say that Peg Perego is better because it’s made from Italy, but sometimes, it’s not always about where it’s made from.
Chicco Keyfit 30 Is Compatible With
The Canopy
| Chicco Keyfit 30 | Peg Perego 4-35 | |
| Length Of Canopy | Only For Specific Colors | Extends to the middle |
| Does It Get In The Way Of The Carry Handles? | No | Yes |
| Is It Easy To Move? | Yes | No |
| Does It Stay In Place? | Yes | Yes |
The Chicco Keyfit 30 used to manufacture visor-type canopies (a.k.a. sporty canopies). Feedbacks were not very good so most of those visor types have already been discontinued.
The following colors/fashion are safe to choose when getting the Chicco Keyfit 30 since these specific models have enough canopy coverage (three-panel canopies).
- lilla*
- papyrus*
- polaris*
- orion*
- energy*
- lyra*
- iron (Available on Chicco Cortina CX Travel System)*
- coastal (Available on Chicco Viaro Travel System)*
- teak (Available on Chicco Viaro Travel System)*
- cranberry (Available with Chicco Viaro Travel System)*
- lava (Available on Chicco Cortina CX Travel System)*
- lake (Available on Chicco Bravo Trio Travel System)*
The Peg Perego 4 35 canopy extends to the middle. Between the two car seats, the Chicco Keyfit 30 provides more as long as you choose from the above three-panel categories.
The space between the canopy and the handle of the Keyfit 30 is enough for comfortably carrying the seat by hands or arms.
The Peg Perego 4 35’s space is very limited. The handle is too close to the canopy. You can either get the canopy out of the way or snap the car seat in a compatible stroller.
The Keyfit’s canopy is easy to move to your desired position while the Peg Perego canopy is not.
Both canopies stay in place one you set them in your desired position.
Peg Perego Primo Viaggio 4-35 Is Compatible With
The Seat
| Chicco Keyfit 30 | Peg Perego 4-35 | |
| Is The Material Breathable? | Only For Specific Colors |
Yes* |
| Carrier Weight: | 9.6 pounds | 9.5 pounds |
| Machine Washable Cover? | Yes | Yes |
| Roomy? | Yes | Yes |
| No-Rethread Harness? | No | Yes |
| Comes With An Infant Insert? | Yes | Yes |
| Easy To Remove Cover? | Yes | Yes |
| Expiration | 6 years | 7 years |
| Shoulder Harness Has Pads? | Yes | Yes |
The Peg Perego seats are breathable, but the leather part of the seat gets hot easily. If you live in a place where it’s too hot, it can get extra hot. However, if you are using it for your child born in cold months, that wouldn’t be a problem.
The Peg Perego infant seat is 0.1 pounds lighter than the Keyfit. I don’t think it is noticeable.
Both have machine washable covers that are easy to remove for washing.
Both are roomy too. But as your child grows and needs more space, you will need to manually rethread the seat harness of the Chicco Keyfit. The Peg Perego 4-35 has a no-rethread harness that can easily be moved up and down from behind the seat.
Both seats come with an infant insert. It’s especially useful and safe especially for newborns and young, fragile babies. They both come with shoulder harness pads too for extra protection. Some seats without it cause babies’ neck areas to be reddish because of constant rubbing.
Finally, the Peg Perego seat has 7 years from manufacturing before it expires. That’s one year more than the Chicco Keyfit 30.
Check The Latest Price
Chicco Keyfit 30 |
Peg Perego 4-35 |
Check The Latest Price* |
Check The Latest Price* |
Conclusion
There’s an approximately USD 100 price difference between the Chicco Keyfit 30 (regular model) and the Peg Perego infant car seat. The Chicco Keyfit is cheaper.
Let’s see why the Peg Perego is more expensive.
- It has higher weight and height limits.
- It is more compact (lengthwise).
- It is made in Italy.
- It is 0.1 pounds lighter.
- It has a no-rethread harness.
- It has a longer expiration date.
Are the six worth the extra money? I think yes. But the Peg Perego seat has some issues that the Chicco Keyfit 30 seat is better at.
- The canopy coverage for the Keyfit is more, as long as you choose the above colors/fashion.
- The space between the canopy and the handle of the Chicco Keyfit is comfortable enough for you to carry the seat by hands/arms without getting the canopy out of the way. It’s also easier to move the canopy of the Keyfit to your desired position.
- You don’t have to worry about “leather parts of the seat” should the weather get hot since there are no leather areas in it.
These three advantages of the Chicco Keyfit 30, I think, is enough to outperform the Italy-made seat. Not to mention the cost you will save.
With these, I can say, I’d choose the Chicco Keyfit 30.*
Do You Need More Help To Decide Between
The Chicco Keyfit 30 Or Peg Perego 4-35?
Check Out My Review Of The Chicco Keyfit 30 Regular Model Review
See My Peg Perego Primo Viaggio 4 35 Review
Which seat do you prefer and why?
I’d love to know your thoughts in the comments section below!
Cheers!
*affiliate links
The Nido is much improved over the original 4-35… too bad that isn’t reflected here. We have a Chicco and I hated it. It doesn’t click into the base well–you really have to make sure it’s in or else the whole seat could fly out in an accident. The canopy is horrible. Doesn’t cover the baby at all. The canopy’s velcro is annoying and doesn’t hold tight. The canopy also doesn’t go all the way back. The plastic part where you tighten the straps is quite sharp and made our baby cry many times when she’d accidentally kick it. The head support can’t be used past a certain size of baby. A huge difference in safety is the rebound bar and now the load leg of the Peg. There is also foam everywhere inside the Peg shell and the Peg has a head support with side impact protection at all child heights.
Hi, Jennifer,
Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts.
I have heard of the Peg Perego 4/35 Nido car seat, and because it is fairly new in the market, it is hard to write an unbiased review about it, especially that I base my reviews on thorough research. As of writing this reply, it only has 4 reviews (only 1 review is a verified Amazon purchase).
When I do my reviews, I read all of the feedbacks as well as watch unpaid reviews on youtube so as to give a fair assessment of the seat. Due to the lack of feedback on the Nido as of the moment, I cannot say how better it is when compared to the Primo Viaggio 4/35.
I know so many parents hated the Chicco Keyfit 30, too. But as I research further, they are talking about different car seat colors. For example, the lack of canopy shade is mostly complained about for the “visor type” Chicco Keyfit 30s. Most of the visor type canopies have already been discontinued due to the overwhelming negative feedbacks about it. Here’s a link to my review about the specific colors that don’t perform well.
Most Chicco Keyfit 30 colors that are left now belongs to the “three-panel” types, the Magic and the Zip (Here’s my review about the differences of the three).
With regards to the head support (I’m assuming you are referring to the infant insert). Most infant car seats’ infant inserts are usually only good until a certain weight (11lbs or 15lbs at most). You have to remove it as your child grows since they don’t need it anymore and the car seat has a built-in head support anyway.
With regards to safety, I cannot argue that the Peg Perego Primo Viaggio 4/35 has a better safety feature. But that doesn’t make the Chicco Keyfit 30 an unsafe seat since it also scored well in crash tests.
Regards,
Pitin
Excellent review! It has provided me with all the necessary information to make the right decision. Price difference USD 100 is big and you are right – 6 advantages of Peg Perego don’t prevail the advantages of Chicco Keyfit car seat. The price difference does matter and I would prefer saving this money. So I would also choose Chicco Keyfit 30.
Hi Arta,
Thanks for sharing your thoughts. 🙂 I am a very practical parent. While I have to admit that I find the “look” of the Peg Perego seat an eye candy, I am always a fan of how the seat will perform, too. I live in a place where the weather can get extra hot, so the leather parts in the Peg Perego seat is definitely not ideal for me.
Regards,
Pitin