Along with the cot, the car seat and childcare, a pram can be one of the pricier investments you’ll make in your child’s first few years. But does it have to be? If you’re shopping for a pram, you’ve likely clocked the eye-watering price tags that come with some of the bougiest designer buggies – they can stretch into the many hundreds of dollars, or even over a thousand, particularly once you add in all the parts and accessories.
While a persuasive salesperson might convince you it’s necessary to part with a huge chunk of cash to get your baby’s first wheels, CHOICE testing consistently finds that spending more doesn’t necessarily guarantee you a great product. And our latest stroller testing is no exception.
The Anko Aero Urban Stroller ($219) and the Anko Verve Urban Stroller ($199) impressed our testers
Two products from Kmart and Target’s Anko brand, which cost under $220, have outperformed strollers costing many hundreds of dollars more. The Bright by Joie Myrtle umbrella stroller has also proven to be an excellent option, costing only $119 and receiving a shining review from our experts.
“It’s great news for parents on a budget who are looking to purchase a stroller that’s safe, durable and easy to use, says CHOICE baby and kids product expert, Kim Gilmour. “They’re among the cheapest in our review of almost 50 prams.”
The Anko Aero Urban Stroller ($219) and the Anko Verve Urban Stroller ($199), available from both Kmart and Target, impressed our testers after they were put through their paces in our accredited labs, alongside strollers from top brands, some of which cost over $2000.
CHOICE testing goes above and beyond mandatory requirements
CHOICE experts not only have decades of experience in testing children’s products, they also sit on the Australian Standards committee for prams and strollers. And our lab is NATA-accredited to test prams and strollers against the standard.
CHOICE staffer Pru Engel takes her son for a ride in the Anko Verve Urban.
Our experts assess each stroller on a range of factors, including various safety aspects such as whether the pram securely restrains the child and whether there are any risks of a baby getting trapped or harmed. They also give each pram an ease of use score based on how easy they are to adjust, fold, and push over rough terrain.
CHOICE testing goes above and beyond the minimum legal safety requirements, not only testing against the mandatory requirements, but also against the voluntary (and newer) 2022 standard. Kim says, “we believe the voluntary requirements should be made mandatory, and that’s why we base our recommendations on voluntary requirements”.
The Anko brand, sold at Kmart and Target, is known for taking “inspiration” from top selling brands to create their products. They seem to have nailed the design of their latest two strollers, which bear more than a passing resemblance to significantly more expensive brands.
The Anko Verve Urban Stroller when folded.
“If you’re looking for a lightweight stroller that’s easy to fold and carry, the Anko Aero Urban Strollerimpressed CHOICE experts and passed all our key safety tests,” says Kim.
“The average price of strollers in our review of about 50 products is around $1000, so both this pram and the Anko Verve Urban Stroller offer great performance and good value.”
Weighing 8.1kg, the Anko Aero Urban is only about 400g heavier, but a few hundred dollars cheaper than a similar one-fold compact stroller, the Bugaboo Butterfly. Other compact strollers with the same one-fold mechanism include models from Baby Jogger such as the City Tour 2 which is priced at around $500–600.
The Anko Verve Urban Stroller is slightly larger and cheaper than the Aero Urban, and it also passed all our key safety tests.
Keep in mind that while other strollers come with a two- or three-year warranty, Kmart strollers only come with a 12-month warranty. Even though the warranty period is short, you may still be entitled to a remedy under the Australian Consumer Law if the product suffers a failure after the warranty period.
While prams sold in Australia need to meet mandatory safety standards, CHOICE experts also test in our accredited labs to a newer, voluntary safety standard (AS/NZS 2088:2022) that goes above and beyond mandatory requirements.
Although we’re pleased to see many manufacturers have tested their products to voluntary standards for many years, unfortunately it’s still not compulsory and our results show that some prams still pose significant safety risks.
“CHOICE labs have happily seen an overall improvement in pram safety, but we still find models with serious risks including lack of stability, or head entrapment and strangulation hazards. In fact, 15 out of 49 models in our latest review failed our key safety tests,” says Kim.
CHOICE experts recently found three new strollers that have serious safety concerns.
These test results demonstrate how Australia’s product safety laws are slow to respond to emerging safety issues. That’s why we continue to call on the government to introduce a general safety provision that would require all businesses to ensure that products are safe before they sell them – and extend obligations to online marketplaces.
The Edwards & Co Lucci stroller failed our stability test and tipped over rearwards when in the maximum recline position and loaded at maximum stated capacity (22kg). This test is part of the newer voluntary requirements, and goes above and beyond the 15kg weight required by mandatory standard.
The Uppababy Cruz V3 stroller does not have what CHOICE experts consider a securely attached head barrier, and it also has a gap that a child could potentially slip through.
The Silver Cross Cove pram’s crotch strap is removable by hand, and while inaccessible to a child, it could still be removed by a carer, presenting a safety risk if it becomes lost.
CHOICE contacted the manufacturers and distributors to inform them of their product failures and their responses are captured below.
Manufacturer responses
Edwards & Co
“We are committed to ensuring our products comply with all applicable safety requirements and look forward to working with you to better understand the differences between your findings and our independent certification.”
The manufacturer has sent CHOICE a copy of its independent certification to the latest standards. CHOICE stands by its results.
Uppababy
Uppababy’s distributor says, “Having reviewed and spoken with the Uppababy Compliance team as well as local industry colleagues, we don’t agree with the assessment carried out by Choice. We have multiple independent test reports from leading testing laboratories on the Cruz V3, all with a pass who have all followed the standard as written. In addition to this, all Uppababy products undergo annual testing as standard, and as new accessories are introduced, in the case of the Cruz V3 this has been tested nearly every six months with the latest being in May [2026].” CHOICE stands by its results.
Silver Cross
“Silver Cross takes all product safety matters seriously and has carefully reviewed the points raised concerning the Cove crotch strap attachment. The crotch strap design used on the Cove was independently assessed through accredited certification testing for the Australian market. Both applicable regulatory and voluntary requirements were evaluated and successfully passed.Following a review, Silver Cross has concluded that the Cove continues to deliver the intended safety outcome of the applicable requirements. The crotch strap forms part of the integrated harness restraint system, remains securely retained during normal use, and cannot be removed by a child during normal operation. The restraint system continues to function as intended, providing the required level of child restraint and protection.”
The manufacturer has sent CHOICE a copy of its independent certification to the 2022 standard. CHOICE stands by its results.
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Rebecca Ciaramidaro is a Content producer in the Household team at CHOICE. Rebecca writes about a wide range of children's and household products, ranging from cots and strollers to ovens, BBQs, espresso machines and electric blankets. And also grocery items such as nappies, sanitary pads and laundry detergents.
Previously at CHOICE, Rebecca worked as a Test officer in the kitchen lab.
Rebecca has a Bachelor of Science (Nutrition and Food) from the University of Western Sydney. LinkedIn
Rebecca Ciaramidaro is a Content producer in the Household team at CHOICE. Rebecca writes about a wide range of children's and household products, ranging from cots and strollers to ovens, BBQs, espresso machines and electric blankets. And also grocery items such as nappies, sanitary pads and laundry detergents.
Previously at CHOICE, Rebecca worked as a Test officer in the kitchen lab.
Rebecca has a Bachelor of Science (Nutrition and Food) from the University of Western Sydney. LinkedIn
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