The Avionaut Stardust has been incredibly popular since it launch in 2025, one parents ask to see most often in store, and the questions are always the same handful. So I've answered them the way I would if you were sitting opposite me to help you decide if it's the right seat for you.
First, there are two Stardusts
This is the single biggest source of confusion, so let's clear it before anything else.
Stardust RWF+ (Swedish Plus Tested) — rear-facing only, up to 105 cm / 21 kg.
Stardust 360 — Rear-faces to 125 cm / 21 kg, forward-faces with a harness to 105 cm / 21 kg, then becomes a high-back booster to 150 cm.
So the two differ in three ways: the Plus Tested version has a lower rear-facing height limit, it rotates to the door and it doesn't carry on into forward-facing or booster mode. The 360 rear-faces for longer and continues to be used as a high back booster.
Neither is "the better one." They're different trades:
- The Plus Tested Stardust has passed the Swedish Plus Test up to 105cm — a pass/fail test measuring neck loading in a frontal collision, with a threshold far stricter than i-Size requires. That's the strictest tested standard available anywhere.
- The Stardust 360 rear-faces to a greater height 125cm, can rotate 360 degrees and can be used forward facing with the harness to 105cm/21kg and then as high back booster using the vehicle seatbelt to 150cm.
Neither is "the better one." One is a rear-facing seat built to the strictest standard there is. The other is a longer-lasting seat that takes you further. Which is right depends on your child, your car, and how long you want one seat to last.
Avionaut Stardust 360 vs rear-facing — what's the difference?
Related but distinct question, and there's a misunderstanding buried in it.
"360" and "rear-facing" aren't opposites — and this is where the search term itself is a bit misleading. The 360 does rear-face, to 125 cm, which is longer than most seats on the UK market. And the Plus Tested one rotates too. So the choice isn't rotation versus rear-facing at all.
The actual choice is: do you want a seat that only ever rear-faces, or one that can go forward later?
That's worth thinking about carefully, because a seat that can turn forward at 15 months will tempt you to turn it forward at 15 months. Rear-facing is dramatically safer for as long as you can keep it up — in Sweden, where children routinely rear-face to four and beyond, child fatality rates in car crashes are among the lowest in the world.
Some parents genuinely prefer the Plus Tested version precisely because it takes the decision away. Others want one seat that lasts to 150 cm and trust themselves to keep it rear-facing to 125 cm first. Both are great choices.
What height is the Avionaut Stardust for?
Covered above, but to put it plainly:
| Rotation | Rear-facing | Forward-facing (harness) | Booster | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stardust (Plus Tested) | 180° |
40cm - 105 cm / 21 kg with newborn insert 61cm - 105cm / 21kg without newborn insert (I personally recommend children under 80cm still need the insert) |
— | — |
| Stardust 360 | 360° |
40cm - 125 cm / 21 kg with newborn insert 61cm - 125cm / 21kg without newborn insert (I personally recommend children under 80cm still need the insert) |
76cm to 105 cm / 21 kg | to 150 cm |
When should I take the newborn insert out?
The seat can be used without the insert from 61 cm. Here's what I'd add from actually fitting these seats: most children I see still benefit from it well past that — often nearer 80 cm before I'm happy for it to come out.
Here's why. The insert lifts and supports your child's torso, and that changes two things:
Where the buckle sits. Without enough torso support, a smaller child settles lower into the shell and the buckle rides up onto their tummy. You want it low, across the strong bit of the pelvis — not sitting on soft abdomen.
How the head and spine line up. A supported torso means a better angle through the neck and spine, which is what stops the head flopping forward. That's the difference between arriving with a comfortable child and arriving with a chin on a chest.
So 61 cm is a minimum, not a deadline. There's no prize for taking the insert out early, and no harm at all in leaving it in while it's still doing its job.
This is genuinely impossible to judge from a photo and takes me about thirty seconds in person. Fit checks are free and unlimited — bring them in and I'll tell you either way.
Does the Avionaut Stardust come with ISOFIX?
Yes the Stardust comes with the base and ISOFIX integrated, that means everything is included in the one box - no separate base needed.
Does the Avionaut Stardust have a cup holder?
No — and that's deliberate, not an oversight.
Anything loose in a car becomes a projectile in a collision. A full beaker is a surprisingly heavy object travelling at whatever speed the car was doing. Avionaut left it off on purpose, and I'd back that decision.
I know it's not the answer anyone searching for this wants. Drinks are better handled by the car's own holders, or by stopping.
What colours does the Avionaut Stardust come in?
Avionaut Stardust comes in six colours for both versions: black, grey, navy, pink, mint and red.
How do I install the Avionaut Stardust?
Full instructions are in your manual and I'd genuinely ask you to read them. But here's what I check on every Stardust that comes through my door:
For Harnessed Use:
- Unfold support leg - check you can see green line on support leg
- Set legroom position with rebound bar - depending on age of child and space in the car
- Extend ISOFIX connectors
- Connect isofix to car - connectors will turn green
- Push seat into the vehicle seat to shorten ISOFIX connectors and make the seat more secure
- Extend support leg to floor
- Purchased from Car Seats Plus? Send me photos/videos to check the installation
If that feels like a lot - that's ok. That's my job. Fitting is free, fit checks are free and unlimited, and there's no time limit on coming back. If you are local then visit me in store, if you're further away I provide remote support - you can just message me photos/videos and I can check everything is correct.
How do I wash the Avionaut Stardust cover?
Covers are removed by undoing the buttons in the backrest and pulling the fabric off from the edges.
Two rules that apply to every cover, every brand:
Never wash the harness straps. Detergent degrades the webbing fibres and the damage is invisible. Sponge with plain warm water only.
Don't tumble dry the cover. Heat shrinks it and it'll fight you going back on.
When does the Avionaut Stardust expire?
Ten years — and pleasingly, Avionaut have made their warranty match.
The catch: you have to register the seat on Avionaut's website to activate the warranty. Fill the form in the day the seat arrives. Serial number is on the box or underneath the seat on a silver sticker.
Expiry isn't marketing. Plastics fatigue, standards move on, and a seat that's spent ten summers in a hot car isn't the seat it was on day one. It's also why I'd think very carefully before taking a second-hand seat from someone whose crash history you don't know.
Is the Avionaut Stardust a good car seat?
Yes — with the honest caveat I'd give about any seat: it's good for the right child, in the right car, at the right stage.
The Plus Tested version is for you if you want the strictest tested standard there is, and a seat that will only ever rear-face. The 360 is for you if you want one seat that covers different buckling in methods as they grow.
Still not sure?
Completely normal. Car seats are one of the few purchases where getting it wrong has real consequences, and the internet is full of confident people contradicting each other.
Come and see me. Bring the car, bring the child, bring the questions you feel silly asking. Or drop me a message - I'd far rather answer twenty questions before you buy than have you guess.