If you’re in the market for a new stroller, pram or travel system, the range of brands and models can feel overwhelming. They’re also a significant investment, so it’s important to feel confident you’re choosing the right one. In short, it should be well made and include the features that make everyday journeys run smoothly.
It’s also worth considering future-proofing. If you plan to have more than one child, a pram that can convert from a single to a double seat could be a smart option. You might also want to look for a model that supports a buggy board, allowing older kids to hop on when they get tired.
The pram should also suit where you plan to use it most. If you’re mainly in built-up areas, a compact design with smaller swivel wheels will make it easier to navigate public transport and tight spaces. If you’re in a more rural setting, look for larger tyres and good suspension to handle uneven terrain more comfortably.
You’ll also need to become familiar with the different types of buggies on offer. For example, a travel system is normally a kit with a bassinet for newborns and a seat unit for when they get older, plus these models can take an infant car seat (normally with adaptors). Alternatively, a pushchair or stroller tends to be something more lightweight – but they don’t always lie flat, so may not be suitable from birth.
With so many options to choose from, me and my team of mini testers have put some of the best prams, buggies, and pushchairs to the test. Keep reading to find our pick of the best.
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The best prams for 2026 are:
- Best overall – iCandy lime travel system: £749, Very.co.uk
- Best easy-fold travel system – Nuna mixx next: £660, Nunababy.eu/uk
- Best premium stroller – Stokke xplory X stroller: £689, Amazon.co.uk
How I tested
I’ve tested countless prams, whittling down the options to the very best. I looked at things like how easy they are to use . how comfortable they seem and any nice little extras that made us think: “Ooh, clever”. You can find my full testing criteria at the end of this article.
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iCandy lime travel system
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Best: pram overall
Folded dimensions: 68cm x 51cm x 30cm
Weight: 10.2kg
Age suitability: Suitable from birth with the carrycot
Why we love it
- Folds with seat still attached
- Robust
- Car seat attachment available
Take note
- Not the most compact
There are many great features I was impressed with on the iCandy lime. There’s the “totalfold” function, which essentially means the pram folds compactly with the seat unit still attached. Then, once folded, there’s a carry strap to help you lug it about. It’s a long way from being the most compact pram I tried, but on the other hand it’s a much more robust pram than some others. It’s also a great option if you have an older child and a baby, as this travel system comes with a built-in buggy board.
The lime comes with a fleece-lined bassinet included, which sounds absolutely dreamy – who wouldn’t want to sleep in a fleecey nest? Plus, it’s suitable for overnight sleeping, which is great if you don’t have a travel cot or moses basket. There are attachments both for car seats and to raise the seat up further, so it’s about the right height for your child to reach a dining table – great for not having to faff about with high chairs at restaurants. And as for the drive, the push is easy and the chair nips along nicely. This is a great option for city dwellers who want a bit more luxury from their ride.
Buy now £749, Very.co.uk
Nuna mixx next
Best: easy-fold pram
Folded dimensions: 42cm x 65cm x 52.5cm
Weight: 11.09kg
Age suitability: From birth
Why we love it
- Premium appeal
- Plenty of under-seat storage
- Handy phone pocket
- Easy one-hand fold
- Folds compact
Take note
- Chunky wheels
More papped than Britney, this stroller is a celebrity favourite, including among the Kardashians and Jessica Biel. It seems those celebs know a good pram when they see one. The mixx next is suitable from birth, as it smoothly reclines completely flat, or you can buy a bassinet that attaches to the pram, which is sold separately (£200, Mamasandpapas.com). It’s also possible to have the seat facing the parent or the rest of the world.
This pram feels really premium – the fabrics are hardwearing and luxurious on the hood and seat, and the handlebar and arm bar are made of a lovely leatherette material that is very tactile and nice and easy to grip. We were wowed by the sizable under-seat storage basket, which has a zip-up compartment too, so VIP passengers – Rusty the cuddly toy fox, for example – don’t get dropped. There’s also a little phone pocket in the back of the seat that’s pure genius.
There is a summer seat, which has a mesh back to help keep passengers cool, and in colder weather you can add a seat pad (which is included) that feels really cosy. My tall parent testers loved this pram as the handle baseline is quite high up (which might not be great for petite parents), and extends further upwards too. And let’s talk about the fold – the seat unit stays attached to the chassis, and you simply pull up two latches on the handle and it collapses without any pushing or shoving. Definitely an easy one-hand fold here. It folds small enough to fit into a compact car boot, but the wheels are quite chunky so it’s not one that you can slip under your arm and jump on a bus.
Buy now £660, Nunababy.eu/uk
Stokke xplory X stroller
Best: premium stroller
Folded dimensions: 101cm x 131cm x 56cm
Weight: 13.4kg
Age suitability: From birth up to 22kg
Why we love it
- Supremely cosy seat
- The car seat (sold separately) won’t need adaptors
- Stylish
Take note
- Seat isn’t suitable from birth
- Pricey (particularly with the bassinet sold separately)
“It doesn’t look like a pram – are you sure it’s a pram?” This is what my family asked when this model turned up. It’s definitely a pram – a pram like no other. The xplory X has an iconic Stokke look to it, and the clever design that goes along with their products. The seat unit was the snuggest seat of all we tested, and our little one looked so cosy in their nest. Your child can be parent or world facing, and the seat has a cute little foot rest that slips on the bottom.
However, the seat unit is only suitable from six months, and the bassinet is sold separately (£155.40, Stokke.com) – the price combined brought me out in a cold sweat, if I’m honest. That said, it does glide nicely, with the flexibility of locking the front wheel if you are covering rough terrain.
The basket underneath closes totally, meaning none of your shopping gets wet, although it’s not generous in size. For those precious naps while out and about, the seat unit reclines well, and allows an almost horizontal angle. And if you buy into the Stokke range, the Stokke car seat clips onto the chassis without the need for adaptors – why can’t all prams do this? We felt pretty trendy pushing this pram down the street, and it’s definitely a front runner for parents who are style conscious.
Buy now £689, Amazon.co.uk
Silver Cross clic
Best: compact design pram
Folded dimensions: 54cm x 45cm x 22cm
Weight: 6.5kg
Age suitability: From birth to 22kg
Why we love it
- Smooth glide
- Agile
Take note
- Storage has quite high sides
This jazzy little number has an eye-catching metallic pattern in the sun canopy, and comes in lilac, aqua or the standard black. The seat unit is quilted in a geometric pattern to match, and looks really comfortable. The shoulder straps also have pads for extra luxury travel.
The clic claims to be a one-hand recline, which is true, but you have to fiddle with a clasp to get it back upright again. However, the clic lies completely flat, so newborns and pram nappers will be just fine in it. The storage has quite high sides, so it’s not the easiest to lob your shopping into when in a rush at the self checkout. The push on it is great though, it glides smoothly and doesn’t feel cumbersome, taking on all the speedy corners I threw at it.
Buy now £225, Amazon.co.uk
Mamas & Papas airo pushchair
Best: pushchair for easy carrying
Folded dimensions: 25cm x 45cm x 55cm
Weight: 7.6kg
Age suitability: From birth to toddler
Why we love it
- Smooth recline
- Compact fold
- Extendable hood
Take note
- One-hand fold could be simpler
Suitable from birth, this compact pushchair lies totally flat and is a comfortable ride too. The recline on it is super smooth, so no jerky manoeuvres to wake up our sleeping beauty. It’s also possible to buy a newborn pack (sold separately), which includes a bassinet (£149, Mamasandpapas.com).
The one-hand fold has several stages to it, so it wasn’t the simplest – not ideal when you have a tantruming toddler stood next to you. But it does have a useful padded carry handle. You can also wear it like a backpack, but I wasn’t convinced by this feature as you have quite a large pram for a tail – perhaps useful if you need to be hands free at an airport or something, but not a feature I’d like to use often. The fold is compact, and it fits neatly into our compact-car boot with loads of room for other toddler paraphernalia. The extendable hood is great and the storage basket is a decent enough size to fit your shopping underneath.
Buy now £189, Mamasandpapas.com
Bababing raffi travel system
Best: value for money pram
Folded dimensions: 70cm x 60cm x 29cm
Weight: 12.5kg
Age suitability: From birth to 6 months with the carry cot/car seat, from 6 months up to 15Kg with the seat
Why we love it
- The bassinet is robust
- Don’t need to remove the seat to fold
The Raffi is a great little travel system. The seat unit is well padded – even on the sides – and it reclines back into a horizontal position easily. You can also have the seat unit either parent or world facing. I liked that the bassinet – is nice and robust, with its own sunshade that locks into position – is included in the price on this travel system.
When thinking about fitting this in the car boot, I’ve got to be honest, the chassis isn’t the most petite. But the seat unit can stay attached to the chassis when you fold it, which is music to my ears. However, it is heavy, so it might not be one for lugging about too much. The basket space is ample, and the sides come up nice and high to stop anything getting turfed out on the road. I was really impressed with this little (ok, big) number and think it is great value for money.
Buy now £579.99, Bababing.com
Cybex libelle pushchair
Best: pushchair for the smallest fold
Folded dimensions: 20cm x 32cm x 48cm
Weight: 6kg
Age suitability: From 6 months to 22kg
Why we love it
- Lightweight
- Super compact
Take note
- Not as comfy and plush as larger models
When this arrived, I was slightly disbelieving that a pram could fit in such a small box – but fit it did. This pushchair is a brilliant option if you’re after a lightweight, very compact pram for around town and going away. Indeed, it can fit in overhead compartments on planes, and under train seats. For all this zippy, compact fun, this pram isn’t the plushest of rides. Although the fabric feels nice and durable, the seat isn’t super padded and the straps are fairly basic. My tester looked happy enough in there, but I’m not convinced it’s as comfy as some other (larger, heavier) prams.
The hood isn’t extravagantly large, but fares ok on the coverage front. Pushing the pram is easy, and it zoomed around the shops and over curbs. Because the seat doesn’t lie flat, it’s not suitable for newborns, but it does have a nice recline on it, which is very adjustable as it’s a cord you pull at the back. For such a tiny pram, the basket underneath is also a good size.
Buy now £214.95, Amazon.co.uk
Out n About nipper double
Best: double pram
Folded dimensions: 71cm x 36cm x 79cm (wheels off)
Weight: 12.8kg
Age suitability: Newborn to around four years old
Why we love it
- Tackles obstacles with ease
- Durable fabrics
- Surprisingly compact once folded
Take note
- Function over comfort
- Recline could be easter to master
- No under-seat basket
This three-wheeler pushchair is great if you’re pushing more than two kids around. It’s brilliant at handling off-road obstacles, pavement bumps and curbs – I didn’t even have to pull it onto its back wheels to get it up the curb. And the suspension is great – my passengers didn’t blink an eye at potholes or bumpy tracks. I loved the generous sun canopy with lift-up flap, and that there are lots of built-in pockets in the hood.
The nipper isn’t the most plush of prams though, and the fabrics feel made for durability rather than comfort. I found the recline function a bit tricky to master as it’s a case of pulling a strap through a clasp. And crucially there’s no under seat basket, which seems madness for parents with two or more kids. I also found the foot brake a bit sticky. However, despite this I was overall really impressed with this double, and that’s why it’s got the top billing. It’s narrow enough to fit through pretty much all doors and you can fold it with the seat units attached. Plus once it’s folded it’s actually pretty compact, so would probably fit in most car boots.
Buy now £725, Amazon.co.uk
Bugaboo dragonfly carrycot and seat pushchair
Best: pushchair for folding options
Folded dimensions: 36cm x 52cm x 90cm
Weight: 10.4kg
Age suitability: Suitable from birth to 4 years with bassinet
Why we love it
- Folds down with seat or bassinet attached
- Robust yet smooth movement
- Compatible with a number of car seats
Take note
- Rain cover not included as standard
The biggest selling point of the Bugaboo Dragonfly is its foldability with varying attachments. If you buy the option with both the seat and bassinet, both of these are able to be folded down fully and the frame can then continue to be wheeled around in its folded state. The folding mechanism takes a few practice goes to get a feel for, but once you get the hang of it you’ll be folding down in the blink of an eye.
This is very convenient for city living, and it’s also not too heavy compared to other models of this size if you need to carry it up stairs on occasion. When in its unfolded state the pushchair has quite substantial storage space under the seat and feels sturdy and robust. In motion it feels smooth and has an extendable handle that should be comfortable whatever your height.
Available extras include a snazzy changing backpack, which comes in very handy, and a cup holder attachment which may become essential for your morning coffee.This model is also compatible with a number of different brands of car seat, which can be lifted from your vehicle and straight into the pushchair frame without having to wake the baby. Features like this make this pram one of the most adaptable on our list.
Buy now £590.75, Bugaboo.com
Your questions about prams answered
What is the best pram?
The iCandy lime was a standout pram during testing. We loved how robust yet manoeuvrable it is, and it’s packed with design features that really make a difference to parents’ lives. If you’re after something smaller in size and budget, we really loved the Silver Cross clic, too.
How to choose between a pram or stroller
The main and most important difference between prams and strollers is that the former is designed for younger infants and babies, and they’re generally suitable to use from birth. On the other hand, strollers are designed for older infants and toddlers. This is down to the positioning of the seat or carry cot – while prams feature a flat position, strollers are more upright, which suits infants who are capable of sitting up independently.
Pram
Stroller
How I tested
To test each pram efficiently, I recruited babies and children of different ages to ride in the models on test. For each, I looked at seven key features:
Why you can trust IndyBest reviews
Zoë Phillimore has been producing product reviews for IndyBest since 2021, and has written extensively about kids’ and parenting essentials, including the best high chairs, mattresses for children and kids’ toys and gifts. With the help of some mini testers, Zoë assesses products to see how they’ll stand up to real world testing, before bringing you her honest reviews and verdicts.
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