Taxis With Child Seats: What UK Law Says and How to Book One
Last reviewed: 19 August 2026
At a glance
Under UK Law, a taxi baby seat is not legally required when a child travels in a taxi or Private Hire Vehicle. GOV.UK says that if the driver does not provide the correct child car seat, a child may travel without one only on a rear seat. Children aged 3 or over must use an adult seat belt, while children under 3 may travel without a seat belt. An appropriate child seat remains the safer option, so requesting and confirming one in advance is the best plan for family journeys.
What the law says
According to GOV.UK, children normally need to use a child car seat until they are 12 years old or 135cm tall, whichever comes first. Taxis and minicabs, including Private Hire Vehicles, have a specific exception when the driver has not provided the correct child car seat.
GOV.UK states:
“If the driver does not provide the correct child car seat, children can travel without one – but only if they travel on a rear seat”.
The conditions matter. A child aged 3 or older must be on the rear seat and use an adult seat belt. A child under 3 may travel on the rear seat without a seat belt when the correct child car seat has not been provided.
That is different from the normal rule for a private car. The taxi and minicab provision is a limited exception for a journey where the correct restraint has not been provided. It does not say that a child seat is unnecessary, and it should not be treated as the default way to travel with a baby or young child.
Why you should still book a child seat
The safest plan is still to arrange an appropriate child seat before the journey. Department for Transport guidance for taxi and Private Hire licensing authorities in England says the safest way for a child to travel by car is in an appropriate car seat, while recognising that taxis and Private Hire Vehicles cannot practically carry every type of seat passengers might need.
That makes the legal exception a fallback rather than a booking strategy. Requesting a seat in advance gives the Cab operator time to confirm whether your requirement can be met and reduces the chance of their driver reaching the pickup point without the restraint you planned to use.
How to request a child seat when you book
minicabit is a comparison platform rather than the Cab operator supplying the vehicle, so a child-seat request needs to be made as part of the booking and confirmed with the Cab operator fulfilling the journey.
Enter your pickup, destination, cab pickup date, passenger numbers and luggage details. In the Additional info box, state clearly that you require a child seat and provide any further information requested by the booking process or Cab operator. If you are bringing your own seat, include it in your luggage details.
Availability varies by Cab operator and area. Any charge also depends on the Cab operator and should be confirmed at booking. A request should not be treated as a guarantee, so confirm that the Cab operator has received the requirement and can meet it.
Book well in advance where possible, particularly for airport journeys and busy family occasions. You can also compare the taxi fare for your route through minicabit before you book.
What to do if a child seat is not available
If the requested child seat is not available, do not treat the legal exception as the first choice simply because it exists. If you know before pickup, bringing your own appropriate child seat can be an option. Check current GOV.UK guidance on choosing and fitting child car seats.
If the journey goes ahead without the correct child car seat, the GOV.UK conditions still apply: the child must travel on a rear seat. A child aged 3 or older must use an adult seat belt; a child under 3 may travel on that rear seat without a seat belt.
Plan the return journey as carefully as the outbound journey. Availability on one leg does not establish availability on the other, particularly where different Cab operators fulfil the two bookings, so confirm the requirement for both legs.
Travelling with children to the airport
Airport journeys often involve more luggage and a return trip, so child-seat planning is worth doing with the rest of the booking. Add every passenger and luggage item, request the child seat in the Additional info box and confirm the requirement for both the outbound and return journey.
Families flying through London can arrange a Gatwick Airport taxi and add the child-seat request when booking. For journeys in the North West, the same approach applies when booking a Manchester Airport taxi. For airport pickups, minicabit includes Meet and Greet, with the driver waiting inside Arrivals with a name board, but the child-seat request remains separate and should be confirmed with the Cab operator.
Booking well in advance should give you more time to confirm family requirements before the cab pickup date rather than leaving the question until the day itself.
FAQs
Not necessarily. Taxis in the UK are not legally required to carry child seats. Child seats can be requested when booking through minicabit, but availability varies by Cab operator and area, so confirm the requirement at the point of booking and book well in advance.
Not in every circumstance. GOV.UK says that if the driver does not provide the correct child car seat, a child may travel without one only on a rear seat; children aged 3 or over must use an adult seat belt, while children under 3 may travel without a seat belt.
Under the GOV.UK taxi and minicab exception, a child under 3 may travel without a child car seat only on a rear seat if the correct seat has not been provided. GOV.UK says the child can travel there without a seat belt.
If the correct child car seat has not been provided, GOV.UK says a child aged 3 or over may travel only on a rear seat and must use an adult seat belt. This is a legal exception, not a reason to skip arranging an appropriate child seat when you can.
Request the child seat at the point of booking and state the requirement clearly in the Additional info box. Availability varies by Cab operator and area, so confirm the request with the Cab operator and book well in advance.
You should not assume that a child seat is guaranteed. Availability varies by Cab operator and area, so request it when booking, confirm it with the Cab operator and book well in advance. Some Cab Operators may charge per seat, typically £5, which you can pay directly to the Cab Operator or their driver.
Bringing your own appropriate child seat can be an option if a Cab operator cannot meet the request. Check current GOV.UK guidance on choosing and fitting child car seats, and include the seat in your luggage details when booking.
About minicabit
minicabit is a UK cab comparison platform. Its comparison technology lets travellers instantly compare quotes from 1,000+ licensed Private Hire Operators across 550+ UK towns and cities, then select a fixed-price quote based on price, vehicle type and reviews.
The platform counts Booking.com, Expedia and major UK airports including Stansted and Birmingham as partners. minicabit was the first taxi app to win investment on BBC’s Dragons’ Den and has won Best Ground Transport platform at the Travolution Awards four times: 2016, 2019, 2020 and 2023. minicabit is rated 4.5/5 on Trustpilot from over 9,600 customer reviews.
This guide was written by the minicabit editorial team and is reviewed and updated regularly.
