Clek Liing vs. Nuna PIPA Series | Infant Car Seat Comparison

Every parent seeks the utmost safety for their new baby, but the criteria for an ideal infant car seat go beyond just safety. Ideally, your car seat should be easy to use and install, lightweight for convenient portability, featuring breathable non-toxic materials with soft fabrics. Additionally, compatibility with your vehicle is crucial, and a touch of aesthetic appeal wouldn't hurt either.

While Nuna was the pioneer in integrating all these sought-after features into a trusted car seat with the introduction of the PIPA in 2007, Clek has also established itself as an infant car seat industry leader with the launch of their Liing infant car seat in 2019.

The Clek Liing and Nuna PIPA Series Infant Car Seats exhibit several similarities, boasting top-notch safety features, premium materials, and compatibility with a wide variety of popular stroller brands and models. Both have received Consumer Reports' highest rating for crash protection, with the Clek Liing earning the organization's overall No. 1 spot for an infant car seat.

In this in-depth comparison, we'll review all the features, benefits and drawbacks of the Clek Liing and the three models in the Nuna PIPA Series.

See this Nuna PIPA series comparison for the differences between the Nuna PIPA RX, PIPA aire RX and PIPA urbn.

Why is the Clek Liing a top rated infant car seat? Clek Liing vs. Nuna PIPA Series Infant Car Seats:

Established by veterans of the automotive industry, the founders of Clek were driven by the mission to ensure their children's convertible and booster seats matched the safety standards of seats in our own vehicles. As a Canadian-born and rooted brand, Clek introduced innovative safety technology to North America, addressing a previously unmet need. Unsurprisingly, their commitment to safety culminated in the creation of an infant car seat that truly embodies their "safety obsessed" ethos.

Consumer Reports has rated the Clek Liing as the top infant car seat, attributing its success to leading safety features. Notably, it incorporates a metal load leg that stabilizes the base during a collision and "rigid" metal LATCH connectors, offering the most robust connection to your vehicle.

Distinguishing itself from typical car seat bases, the Clek Liing's base is adjustable to seven positions, ensuring a safe angle for your baby and a secure fit in various vehicles. Manufactured in Canada and offered in three fabric choices, the Clek Liing is designed to be compatible with most leading stroller brands.

Why are Nuna PIPA Series Infant Car Seats so popular? Clek Liing vs. Nuna PIPA Series Infant Car Seats:

Nuna PIPA Series Infant Car Seats stand out for their combination of safety and style, securing a coveted "best" crash protection rating from Consumer Reports. Equipped with a steel load leg and rigid LATCH connectors, Nuna PIPA infant car seats are designed to prevent rotation or rebounding of the car seat during a crash.

Noteworthy, Nuna PIPA Series  infant car seats offer compatibility not only with Nuna strollers but also with numerous strollers from leading brands. A distinctive feature of Nuna PIPA Series infant car seats is the "Sky Drape," a magnetic cover that offers full sun protection and privacy. The Sky Drape conveniently zips into the canopy when not in use.

Over the years, Nuna has advanced its original PIPA model through successive generations, each incorporating improvements over its predecessors. Presently, Nuna offers three distinct models, showcasing the brand's commitment to continuous enhancement and adaptation to evolving safety and design standards.

Current models include: 

Nuna PIPA RX, PIPA aire RX and PIPA urbn.

The Nuna PIPA RELX base is similar to the base of the Clek Liing, offering four recline positions and adjustable LATCH connectors that help you achieve a tighter fit against your vehicle seat.

The Nuna PIPA RX, PIPA aire RX both come with the RELX base included. However, the PIPA urbn design is a one-of-a-kind baseless infant car seat. 

The PIPA urbn is not compatible with the Nuna PIPA RELX base. Instead the PIPA urbn features integrated pipaFIX rigid latch installation. This rigid latch system is built into the body of the car seat eliminating the need for a base. The PIPA urbn is the first infant car seat that provides the convenience of a baseless installation without skimping on safety!

See our PIPA series comparison for a full overview of all six PIPA models.

Are Clek and Nuna infant car seats flame retardant free? Clek Liing vs. Nuna PIPA Series Infant Car Seats:

The Clek Liing offers three choices of fabrics, all of which are free of brominated and chlorinated flame retardants.

Railroad:

• OEKO-TEX® Standard 100 Certified 
• Flame retardant free

Crypton C-Zero Plus Performance Fabric:

• Stain, moisture and odor-causing bacteria resistant
• Free of fluorine chemicals
• GREENGUARD GOLD Certified 
• Available in multiple color options

Mammoth:

• Merino Wool and Tencel blend
• Premium breathability and temperature regulating
• Hypoallergenic
• Flame retardant free
• OEKO-TEX® Standard 100 Certified
• Made with natural materials

All of Nuna's car seats are flame retardant free. From fabric to foam, Nuna is committed to sourcing naturally flame resistant materials. All of the current Nuna PIPA Series models are GREENGUARD GOLD Certified. The PIPA aire RX and PIPA urbn both come with a Merino Wool infant insert. The PIPA aire RX also comes with an additional GOTS organic cotton infant insert and harness cover set.

 

 

What is the lightest infant car seat? Clek Liing vs. Nuna PIPA Series Infant Car Seats:

Nuna seats are designed to be light! Most infant car seats are lined with EPS foam for energy absorption. Nuna has moved to a propitiatory Aeroflex foam, that is significantly lighter weight, resulting in overall lighter weight car seats. Both the PIPA aire RX and PIPA urbn feature this Aeroflex foam. However, the PIPA aire RX is the lightest model. The PIPA urbn's integrated rigid LATCH does add additional weight.

Here are the manufacturer-provided weights for each car seat. 

• Clek Liing: 9 lbs
• PIPA RX: 7.6 lbs
• PIPA aire RX : 6.2 lbs
• PIPA urbn: 7 lbs

*Note that Nuna's weights do not include the canopy or infant insert

How long can Clek and Nuna infant car seats be used? Clek Liing vs. Nuna PIPA Series Infant Car Seats:

Most infant car seats can be used from birth for about 1 year. Infants typically reach the height restriction of their infant car seat around their first birthday, at which point they will be ready to move into a rear facing convertible car seats.

Height and weight limits:

• Clek Liing: 4 to 35 pounds or up to 32" in height
• PIPA aire RX: 4 to 30 pounds orup to 30" height limit
• PIPA RX: 4 to 32 pounds or up to 32" height limit
• PIPA Urbn: 4 to 22 pounds or up to 29” height limit

What brand offers the best infant car seat safety features? Clek Liing vs. Nuna PIPA Series Infant Car Seats:

The Clek and Nuna car seats provide the industry's leading safety features: a load leg that stabilizes the base and metal LATCH connectors that provide the most secure connection to your car.

Only a handful of car seats in the US feature a load leg, a metal bar that extends from the base to the floor of your car. The load leg absorbs energy in a collision and prevents the car seat from rotating or rebounding, reducing the risk of head injury by 46 percent, according to a study by Consumer Reports.

Check out the crash test video below for a look at how the Clek Liing load leg prevents the car seat from moving or rotating in an accident.

The Clek and Nuna car seats include steel components that are commonly made of plastic for other brands. The base for both car seats is steel, as are the LATCH connectors, which are called "rigid."

Rigid LATCH makes the car seats easier to install, as the base slides into the LATCH anchors in your vehicle in only a few seconds. Rigid LATCH also makes for a steel-on-steel connection that's stronger and more secure than plastic LATCH connectors, making the car seat like an extension of your vehicle.

So which is safer: the Clek Liing or Nuna PIPA Series Infant Car Seat? Consumer Reports, which conducts independent testing, rated both seats "best" in crash protection. But the Clek Liing has a higher overall score of 90, factoring in ease of use and vehicle fit, while the Nuna PIPA has an overall score of 68. (The organization did not test each Nuna model).

The federal government's ratings are based not on crash testing, but on ease of use—an important safety feature in itself. The National Highway Safety Transportation Administration awarded 4 of 5 stars to both the Clek Liing and Nuna PIPA Lite LX (other Nuna models weren't rated).

*The Nuna PIPA Lite LX has been discontinued

Which infant car seat offers better base installation? Clek Liing vs. Nuna PIPA Series Infant Car Seats:

Both Clek and Nuna bases feature rigid (metal) LATCH connectors that make installation as easy as sliding the base into the lower anchors in your car. For both brands, you'll also adjust the length of the load leg until the indicator turns green, signaling a secure connection.

On the Clek Liing base, as well as the Nuna RELX base, the LATCH connectors are adjustable in length, allowing the base to fit more tightly against your vehicle seat and aiding installation when the LATCH anchors are hard to reach. The connectors are one length on the PIPA base.

Achieving a safe angle for a newborn is a key aspect of car seat installation. One unique aspect of the Clek Liing base and the Nuna RELX base is that it includes adjustable recline positions: seven options for Clek and four for Nuna.

The recline positions provide options for baby's comfort and help ensure that the base can be installed safely in every vehicle, making it easier to fit in tricky vehicle seats that are flat or sloped. The recline can be adjusted after the seat has been installed.

Can Clek and Nuna infant car seats be installed without a base? Clek Liing vs. Nuna PIPA Series Infant Car Seats

Unless you're traveling or taking taxis, you'll want to use the base that comes with your car seat, as it offers an easier, faster install and additional safety features that protect your child.

But if you live in a city, take taxis frequently or are often traveling away from home, you may be installing your car seat with only a seatbelt.

The Clek Liing, Nuna PIPA RX and Nuna PIPA aire RX can be installed either with the base or with a seatbelt. 

Both the Liing and PIPA Series infant car seats feature a European belt path, in which the seatbelt is routed through guides through both the front and back of the car seat for a secure fit. Other car seats use what's known as the American belt path, in which the seat belt is routed only through the front of the base. 

For families reliant solely on public transportation and without a personal vehicle, the need for an infant car seat base may be obsolete. Both Clek and Nuna recognize this and offer baseless infant car seat models.

Clek provides the Clek Liingo, essentially a Liing without the base. The core structure of the car seat remains consistent, offering a practical solution for families not requiring a separate base.

Nuna introduces the PIPA Urbn, featuring an integrated rigid latch directly built into the car seat. The PIPA Urbn excels in providing the fastest and most secure baseless installation, making it an optimal choice for families in urban settings. Additionally, it includes a European belt path for situations where a LATCH installation is not feasible, further enhancing its versatility.

What strollers are Clek and Nuna infant car seats compatible with? Clek Liing vs. Nuna PIPA Series Infant Car Seats:

While Nuna makes a full line of strollers, Clek focuses only on car seats. However, both the Clek Liing and Nuna PIPA series are compatible with many of the same strollers from a variety of brands.

 

Strollers Compatible with the Clek Liing:

The Clek Liing has a similar design to Nuna, Maxi-Cosi and Cybex car seats, which share car seat adapters across almost all brands. If your stroller brand offers a Maxi-Cosi adapter, there's a good chance the Clek Liing will fit your stroller.

 For a full list of Clek Liing stroller compatibility refer >>> here

 

 

Strollers Compatible with Nuna Pipa Series infant car seats:

The Nuna PIPA RX, PIPA aire RX and PIPA urbn have been thoughtfully crafted for effortless compatibility with Nuna strollers. Nuna further enhances this synergy by offering a ring adapter, simplifying the user experience. With the ring adapter, parents can effortlessly place their Nuna PIPA infant car seat into the designated ring, where it automatically locks into place. This streamlined design adds convenience to Nuna travel systems, providing a straightforward and secure connection between the car seat and stroller for parents on the move.

In addition to the obvious Nuna stroller compatibility, the Nuna PIPA RX, PIPA aire RX and PIPA urbn also offer the flexibility to pair with non-Nuna brand strollers. Nuna PIPA infant car seats are typically compatible will all brands that offer Maxi Cosi style adapters. 

While the PIPA urbn is sold as a travel system with Nuna strollers it does still have the capacity to pair with non-Nuna brand strollers.

 For a full list of Nuna PIPA Series stroller compatibility refer >>> here

Benefits and Drawbacks | Clek Liing vs. Nuna PIPA Series Infant Car Seats:

The Clek Liing and Nuna PIPA Series infant car seats share a number of similar benefits, including:

• Metal load leg that minimizes rotation of the base and absorbs forces in a crash
• Rigid LATCH makes for an easier and more secure installation
• Base with adjustable LATCH connectors for tighter install and recline options for level fit
• Machine-washable fabrics
• Infant inserts with removable headrests
• Compatibility with most of the industry's leading stroller brands
• Oversized extendable canopy to provide more sun coverage than most car seats

So which car seat is better? Only you can decide which is best for your family, but here are the benefits and drawbacks we see.

Debating Nuna models? Check out our Nuna PIPA series comparison.

Clek Liing

Benefits

• Base includes 7-position recline, allowing car seat to be safely installed in a wider range of vehicle seats, and recline can be adjusted after installation
• Rated No. 1 overall infant car seat by Consumer Reports
• All versions are free of brominated and chlorinated flame retardants, Mammoth and Railroad are free of any added flame retardants
• Available in three choices of fabric
• Three-position canopy provides SPF 100+ protection and nearly full sun coverage
• Harness straps are designed not to twist during use
• Has the longest expiration period on the market (9 years vs. 7 years for Nuna) 
• Lifetime warranty (from purchase to expiration date)

Drawbacks

• Ring car seat adapters are not available for any strollers
• Heavier than PIPA Series Infant Car Seats

 

Nuna PIPA Series

Benefits

• Comes in three models, offering a variety of features, price points, and colors
• PIPA aire RX version is the lightest car seats on the market
• Features the Sky Drape, a magnetic cover that provides sun protection and tucks into the canopy when not in use
• Ring-shaped car seat adapters for select strollers allow for one-handed attachment and detachment to the stroller and are included with some Nuna strollers
• PIPA urbn offers the easiest and safest baseless solution for city families

Drawbacks

• Has lower overall rating by Consumer Reports
• Has a shorter expiration period compared to Clek (7 years vs. 9 years)
• Has limited warranty period (1 year)

 

What is the best infant car seat? Clek Liing vs. Nuna PIPA Series Infant Car Seats:

Considering safety features, wide-ranging stroller compatibility and stylish look, Nuna PIPA infant car seats have long been leading options —especially now that the Nuna line offers various models including the PIPA air RX, the lightest car seats in the world.

The Clek Liing is a tough competitor with its similar safety features and stroller compatibility, along with added bonuses like an adjustable base and array of fabric choices.

No matter which car seat you choose, you'll have one of the safest and most innovative options available for your baby.

Questions?

Strolleria is dedicated to making the baby gear buying experience less overwhelming for parents. If you have more questions about the Clek Liing or Nuna PIPA Series Infant Car Seats free to chat, or email us at customercare@strolleria.com.