Bugaboo Turtle One vs. Nuna PIPA Infant Car Seat Comparison

Bugaboo, the original luxury stroller brand, is getting into the car seat business—with help from neighbors in the Netherlands.

The Bugaboo Turtle One infant car seat is manufactured by Nuna, a fellow Dutch maker of high-quality baby gear.

The Turtle One shares many characteristics of Nuna's best-selling PIPA series of car seats, like a steel stability leg in the base, fire-retardant-free fabrics, and a magnetic cover for sun protection. And, as of late 2020, the Nuna and Bugaboo car seats are becoming more similar.

The original Bugaboo Turtle, now discontinued, had built-in car seat adapters to fit the Bugaboo Fox or Lynx strollers. The new model, Bugaboo Turtle One, uses adapters and therefore fits all Bugaboo stroller models. Learn more in this Bugaboo Turtle vs. Turtle One comparison.

In this comparison, we'll review the differences between the Bugaboo Turtle One and the Nuna PIPA series of car seats. (See the differences between the five Nuna car seat models in this PIPA Series comparison.)

Bugaboo Turtle One

The Bugaboo Turtle One offers the same design and safety features as the Nuna PIPA series. That includes the load leg, the metal anchor that extends from the base of the car seat to the floor of your car for added stability—a feature that can reduce the risk of head injury in a crash by almost 50 percent.

Unique to the Bugaboo car seat, the Turtle offers a full-width mesh peek-a-boo window in the canopy, as well as a different take on Nuna's "Sky Drape" magnetic cover. On the Turtle, the smart shade is a ventilated cover that still provides UPF 50+ protection but adds more breathability and visibility. Plus, the Turtle comes with a breathable merino wool infant insert, a fabric only seen on the Nuna PIPA Lite LX.

Released in late 2020, the Bugaboo Turtle One fits all Bugaboo strollers with the use of car seat adapters and replaces the now-discontinued Turtle, which fit only the Bugaboo Fox and Lynx stroller.

The video below depicts the original Bugaboo Turtle; all features remain the same except for the stroller compatibility and adapters.

Nuna PIPA Series

The PIPA is so popular that Nuna offers six versions of it: the PIPA, PIPA RX PIPA Lite, PIPA Lite R, PIPA Lite LX and PIPA Lite RX.

All six are compatible with Bugaboo strollers, and each has differences in price, features, base and installation methods. The PIPA, PIPA Lite RX and PIPA RX can be installed without a base for taxis and travel, while the PIPA Lite models, the lightest car seats on the market, are used only with the base. The Lite LX adds luxury with the Sky Drape cover and temperature-regulating merino wool fabric, while the PIPA RX, PIPA Lite RX, and PIPA Lite R models feature Nuna's adjustable RELX base.

See Nuna PIPA Series comparison for a full review of the differences between models, and see all six options in the video below.

Strollers Compatible with Bugaboo Turtle One vs. Nuna PIPA Series

With the use of car seat adapters, the Bugaboo Turtle One fits any Bugaboo stroller, including all versions of the Bugaboo Fox, Donkey, Bee, Lynx and Ant. The adapters are included with purchase of the Bugaboo Bee6 and sold separately for other models.

Car seat adapters are widely available for the Nuna PIPA series, making the Nuna car seats compatible with numerous stroller brands and types, including single strollers, double strollers, jogging strollers and travel strollers.

Strollers Compatible with Bugaboo Turtle One

• Bugaboo Ant (with adapter)
• Bugaboo Bee3 / Bee5 (with adapter)
• Bugaboo Bee6 (adapter included)
• Bugaboo Donkey / Donkey2 / Donkey3 / Donkey5 (with mono adapter and twin adapter)
• Bugaboo Fox / Fox2 (with adapter)
• Bugaboo Fox3 (adapter included)
• Bugaboo Lynx (with adapter)

Strollers Compatible with Nuna PIPA Series

• Nuna Demi Grow, MIXX Next, MIXX, TRIV, TAVO, TAVO Next, TRVL, and PEPP Next (with included adapters)
• Agio Z3 (with adapter)
• Agio Z4 (with adapter)
• Austlen Entourage, discontinued (with front adapter or rear adapter)
• Baby Jogger City Select, City Select Lux and City Premier (with adapter, now discontinued)
• 2018-earlier Baby Jogger City Mini/GT Single* (with adapter)
• Baby Jogger City Mini 2/City Mini GT 2 Single* (with adapter, now discontinued)
• Babyzen YOYO+ and YOYO2 (with adapter)
• BOB Revolution Flex and Rambler (with adapter)
• Bugaboo Ant (with adapter)
• Bugaboo Donkey, Donkey2, Donkey3 (with mono or twin adapter)
• Bugaboo Fox, Fox2 and Lynx (with adapter)
• Bugaboo Cameleon3 (with adapter)
• Bugaboo Bee3 and Bee5 (with adapter)
• Bumbleride Era (with adapter)
• Bumbleride Indie and Speed (with adapter)
• Bumbleride Indie Twin (with adapter)
• Cybex Gazelle S (with included adapters)
• Joolz Geo2 (with upper or lower adapter)
• Joolz Day3, Day+ (with adapter)
• Joolz Hub, Hub+ (with adapter)
• Mima Xari (with adapter)
• Mima Xari 4G (with included adapter)
• Mima Zigi (with adapter)
• Silver Cross Coast (with upper adapter or lower adapter)
• Silver Cross Jet (with adapter)
• Silver Cross Wave (with upper adapter or lower adapter)
• Stokke Xplory*, Trailz* and Scoot* (with adapter)
• Quinny Moodd (with included adapter)
• Thule Urban Glide 1 or 2 Single and Double (with adapter)
• Thule Sleek (with adapter)
• Thule Spring (with adapter)
• UPPAbaby VISTA, VISTA V2, CRUZ, and CRUZ V2 (with ring adapter or post adapters)
• UPPAbaby MINU (with adapter)
• Veer Cruiser All-Terrain Wagon (with adapter)
• Vidiamo Limo (with adapter)

* = not compatible with PIPA Lite versions

Bugaboo Turtle One vs. Nuna PIPA Price

Priced at $339, the Bugaboo Turtle One is similar in price to the Nuna PIPA series, which range in price from $330 to $550.

The total cost of using either Bugaboo or Nuna car seats with a Bugaboo stroller is similar, as all car seat models will use the same adapters (typically around $50, depending on the model.)

• Nuna PIPA: $330
• Bugaboo Turtle One: $359
• Nuna PIPA Lite: $350
• Nuna PIPA RX and PIPA Lite R: $400
• Nuna PIPA Lite LX: $430
• Nuna PIPA Lite RX: $550

Bugaboo Turtle One vs. Nuna PIPA Weight

The Bugaboo Turtle is about the same in weight as the Nuna PIPA. The three PIPA Lite models—the lightest car seats on the market—are at least 2.6 pounds lighter.

Here are the manufacturer-provided weights for each car seat. Note that Nuna's measurements do not include the canopy or infant insert, components that add about 1 pound depending on the model.

• Bugaboo Turtle: 8.8 pounds
• Nuna PIPA: 8 pounds
• Nuna PIPA RX: 7.5 pounds
• Nuna PIPA Lite LX: 5.7 pounds
• Nuna PIPA Lite and Lite R: 5.3 pounds

Bugaboo Turtle One vs. Nuna PIPA Installation

Like most infant car seats, the Bugaboo Turtle One, as well as the Nuna PIPA, PIPA Lite RX, and PIPA RX, can be installed with or without the base. While the base adds safety and convenience, a seatbelt-only install comes in handy if you travel or take taxis frequently.

If you're frequent fliers or city dwellers, the PIPA Lite, Lite R or Lite LX may not be an ideal choice. There are no seatbelt paths on the Lite versions, which reduces their weight but requires the use of the base at all times.

Bugaboo Turtle One vs. Nuna PIPA Colors

The Bugaboo Turtle One is available in a single color, black with a black leatherette handle, while more color choices are available for each Nuna model.

The Nuna PIPA comes in these colors, all of which have a brown leatherette handle:

• Granite
• Birch
• Caviar
• Frost

The PIPA RX offers three colors with brown leatherette:

• Birch
• Granite
• Caviar

The Nuna PIPA Lite and PIPA Lite R are available in these colors, with a brown leatherette handle:

• Granite
• Caviar

The Nuna PIPA Lite LX comes in:

• Caviar (black leatherette)
• Granite (brown leatherette)
• Frost (black leatherette)
• Birch (brown leatherette)

Benefits and Drawbacks

So which car seat is better: the Bugaboo Turtle One or one of the five models in the Nuna PIPA series? Here are the pros and cons we see.

Bugaboo Turtle

Benefits

• Fits and matches all Bugaboo strollers, with Bugaboo branding
• Full-width ventilation panel on back of canopy is larger than peek-a-boo window on Nuna PIPA (PIPA Lite versions have no window)
• Comes with merino wool infant insert that offers better breathability and helps regulate baby's body temperature
• Magnetic smart shade is fully ventilated, while Sky Drape on Nuna PIPA, PIPA RX, PIPA Lite RX, and PIPA Lite LX is fabric with side ventilation panels

Drawbacks

• Not approved for use with stroller brands other than Bugaboo
• Comes in only one color, Black

Nuna PIPA Series

Benefits

• Compatible with Bugaboo Fox and dozens of strollers from other brands, offering greater flexibility as your family's needs change 
• Up to 3 pounds lighter than Bugaboo Turtle (for Lite models)
• Offers choice of three models and 2-5 color choices per model

Drawbacks

• PIPA and PIPA RX offers less ventilation in canopy, while PIPA Lite and Lite LX offer no ventilation
• Only PIPA Lite LX model has breathable merino wool fabric

Questions?

Strolleria is a family-owned and operated retailer dedicated to making the baby gear buying experience less overwhelming for parents. If you have more questions about the Nuna PIPA or the Bugaboo Turtle One, feel free to contact us at 480-442-9433 or customercare@strolleria.com.

Shop Nuna and Bugaboo infant car seats below!