Evenflo LiteMax Rear Facing Only Car Seat Review

Evenflo LiteMax fits our armless panda well

I co-teach a short introductory car seat course on a regular basis. We explain why car seats are important, discuss best practices, and then take the expectant parents out to their cars to install their car seats. We demonstrate installations in the classroom using our test bench.

I mention all of this because we’ve found a rear facing only car seat that’s amazing for this purpose — the Evenflo LiteMax. It has a giant lockoff device that the parents in my class can see clearly, even from across the room.  So that’s my inherent pro-LiteMax bias.  But it’s more than just nice for demos, it’s a budget-friendly rear facing only car seat that has an important new feature: a 3 pound minimum weight limit!  The slightly more-featured LiteMax DLX and SafeMax rear facing only car seats also boast this new lower weight limit.

Evenflo LiteMax lockoff

The LiteMax’s lockoff is one of my favorite things about this seat.  It makes for a very simple installation with either the lower anchors or the vehicle seat belt.  Unlike some other lockoffs, this one is not spring loaded so when you release it, there’s no chance that it will smack you in the face when it’s released.  It also means that when you release it, you’ll need to apply a bit of pressure to the black lever at the end of the lockoff to release the lockoff and expose the webbing or seat belt underneath.

Note: newer versions of the LiteMax have an updated one-step lockoff that is even easier to release than the model shown here!

Evenflo LiteMax buckle tongue storage

When it comes to features, the LiteMax is kind of a bare bones car seat.  It has standard lower anchors, the model we reviewed did not include extra infant padding — just a headrest, though it does have buckle tongue storage on the cover.

Evenflo LiteMax harness loops

Despite the bare bones nature of the seat, it does offer 3 crotch buckle positions, 3 hip harness positions, and 2 harness loops. That means the LiteMax can be adjusted to fit a wide range of kiddos!

Evenflo LiteMax recline angle indicator

The LiteMax has a fairly significant range of recline angles.  It becomes a really nice option for vehicles that have a recessed seat bight.  Adjusting the angle is pretty simple — just pull on the gray triangle on the end of the base and the recline foot will extend.  To put it back in, just pull the same triangle and press down on the base.

Evenflo LiteMax installed with the vehicle seat belt

Like so many car seat bases, installing the LiteMax’s base with a vehicle seat belt is pretty straightforward.  Open the lockoff, then thread both the lap and shoulder portions of the vehicle seat belt through the belt path and under the lockoff.  There’s a handy label on the lockoff that says “vehicle belt goes here,” that makes it easy to find!  Buckle the seat belt, pull out some of the slack from the belt and close the lockoff.  Check your work by giving the base a firm handshake at the belt path and make sure it moves less than an inch in any direction.

Note: it can take a little bit of effort to close the lockoff.  Press straight down on the big gray piece until the black tab at the end clicks into place.

Evenflo LiteMax lower anchor belt path

Installing the LiteMax with lower anchors is an equally painless process.  Make sure the anchors are in the belt path and threaded underneath the lockoff.  Attach the anchor connectors to the lower anchors in the vehicle, pull straight up on the webbing to remove the slack from the lower anchor connectors, then close the lockoff.

Evenflo LiteMax lower anchor installation

Check your work by giving the base a firm handshake at the belt path and make sure it moves less than an inch in any direction.

Evenflo LiteMax baseless belt guides

The LiteMax has baseless belt guides that are fairly easy to access. To install the carrier portion of the seat only, set it on the vehicle seat with the harness facing the back of the vehicle.  Pull the vehicle seat belt out and thread the lap portion through the baseless belt guides.  Pull all of the webbing out until the seat belt locks, then feed the seat belt back into the retractor until there’s less than 1 inch of movement at the belt path.  Since the LiteMax is so lightweight, installing via this method makes the seat a nice option for travel or taxi use.

Evenflo LiteMax preemie doll

Here’s our Huggable Images preemie doll.  The doll weighs 4 pounds and is 17 inches long.   With the harness on the smallest setting, our preemie fits well in the seat.  While our doll is the 4 pound model, the LiteMax is now approved for use with even smaller infants who weigh at least 3 pounds.   If you need to use the Essential LiteMax for an infant that small, please call Evenflo to ask about infant padding and we definitely recommend working with a hospital-based CPST program to approves the fit before heading home.  This change to the 3 pound minimum weight is absolutely a game changer for hospitals.

Evenflo LiteMax newborn doll

Our Huggable Images newborn doll weighs 7 pounds and is 17 inches long.  Like the preemie, this doll fits very well in the harness and has plenty of room to grow.  This doll seems to fit better with the headrest in place.

Evenflo LiteMax three months old

Our three month old model weighs 15 pounds and is 22 inches long.  Her mom prefers that she model while sporting these amazing bows and we’re happy to oblige.  Like our doll models, this little one fits well in the LiteMax and has plenty of room for future growth.

Evenflo LiteMax FAA approval label — carrier

FAA Approval Label — the carrier portion of the LiteMax is approved for use on airplane. The approval label is located on the inside of the carrier, near the lowest harness slot.

Evenflo LiteMax date of manufacture label

Date of Manufacture Label, carrier —  the carrier’s label is located on the underside of the seat’s shell, near the lower harness slots.

Evenflo LiteMax date of manufacture

Date of Manufacture Label, base — the carrier and the base each have their own date of manufacture labels.  The bases’s label is located on the underside of the seat’s shell, near the lower harness slots.