2025 Evenflo Shyft DualRide Review - Let’s Roll, Baby!
Evenflo Shyft DualRide Infant Car Seat & Stroller Review
BEST SHYFT DUALRIDE DEALS:
$499 for FR-Free “Green & Gentle” fashions (Champagne, Jasper, Agate & Quartz)
It’s exciting to have another innovative car seat and stroller combination on the market. Especially since the Evenflo Shyft DualRide has some unique features that you’re not going to find on any other product. These car seat/stroller combinations have become wildly popular in the last few years, so it’s nice to have more than one legitimate choice in this new category.
I say “legitimate choice” because, unfortunately, there is a thriving black market of fake and dangerous knock-off car seat/stroller products. When buying baby gear online, make sure that you purchase from reputable retailers and that the product comes with a return option in case it doesn’t work out for any reason. In general, if something looks too good to be true for the price, it usually is. Be smart. Avoid getting scammed.
With that disclaimer out of the way, this review is going to focus solely on the Evenflo Shyft DualRide. However, if you’re wondering how the DualRide stacks up compared with the Doona – we have a complete comparison of the two car seat/stroller products in this article: https://www.thecarseatpros.com/blog/doonavsdualride
Doona (left) vs. Evenflo Shyft DualRide (right)
UPDATE: The latest models of Shyft DualRide are compliant with new federal safety standards, including the new side-impact crash test. However, original models are still available for sale until that inventory is depleted. If you’re shopping for a new Shyft DualRide, pay close attention to the weight limits. The original DualRide was rated up to 35 lbs. The newer 2025 models are rated up to 30 lbs. due to updates in U.S. federal safety standards.
Don’t worry about the slight reduction in weight limits; no baby will ever fit in this (or any other infant car seat) beyond 30 lbs. Babies will outgrow infant car seats by height before they hit the weight limit.
So, what makes the DualRide unique? For starters, the carrier can be detached from its stroller frame. So, if you’re carrying a sleeping baby into the house and you don’t need the stroller wheels because you’re only walking a short distance, you can easily detach just the carrier and leave the stroller frame folded up in the base. This saves a LOT of weight because the carrier itself only weighs around 8 lbs., but with the stroller frame attached, it’s almost 20 lbs.
DualRide Specs
3 – 30 lbs. (updated model)
15.7″ (40 cm) – 32″ (81 cm)
DualRide Features
8-position, no-rethread harness
Infant insert required for 3-6 lbs., optional for babies 7+ lbs.
5-position base with anti-rebound bar (ARB) & belt-tensioning feature (not a true lockoff)
Push-on lower LATCH connectors
All models come with SensorSafe technology in chest clip
Euro belt routing option for baseless install
Optional “wheel wells”, protect vehicle seat from dirty/muddy stroller wheels
Handy “quick start” guide in English, Spanish & French
QR code links to installation videos
Carrier weight is 8 lbs. (without stroller frame attached)
Overall weight with stroller frame attached 19.5 lbs.
FAA approved for use on airplane
Generous canopy coverage
6-year lifespan before expiration
MSRP $499 – $749 (depending on model and included accessories)
Extra bases are available for purchase separately
Additional accessories for purchase separately: all-weather cover, an organizer bag that attaches to the handle for easy access to your personal stuff, and a padded travel storage bag.
SensorSafe Technology
SensorSafe is technology integrated into the smart chest clip. When the chest clip is buckled (presumably because a child is in the seat), it will send app alerts to your phone via Bluetooth. Alerts will be triggered if the chest clip becomes unbuckled, if the temperature inside the vehicle is too hot or too cold, if the child is left unattended in the vehicle, or if the child has been seated for too long.
Multiple DualRide Trim Levels
All Shyft DualRide models come with a base, SensorSafe smart chest clip, and a parent cup holder accessory that attaches to the handle when it’s extended. All models also come with optional wheel wells that attach to the sides of the base to keep dirty/wet stroller wheels from touching or dripping onto the vehicle upholstery.
There are several DualRide “Green & Gentle” fashions, which are free of chemical flame retardants.
Here is a quick summary of the various Shyft DualRide models available:
Base model Shyft DualRide: MSRP $499 - $549
Fashions: Beaufort Gray/Ayer Pink/Bryson Blue
This model does not include the carryall bag.
DualRide with carryall storage bag: MSRP $599
Fashions: Boone Gray/Sylva Pink/Durham Green
The carryall storage bag is a place to put your stuff since you don’t have a storage basket underneath. The detachable bag is roomy and has a supported bottom. I consider the carryall bag a necessity since you don’t have a storage basket like you would with a traditional stroller. You can purchase the carryall bag separately if needed, but it makes the most sense to purchase a DualRide model that comes with it.
DualRide with carryall bag in FR-Free “Green & Gentle” fashions
MSRP $659 - $749
Green & Gentle Fashions: Agate (purple) & Jasper (Black). Quartz & Topaz fashions feature an extended canopy.
MSRP $599
Fashions: Onyx Black/Moonstone Gray/Opal Pink
Gold line offers premium fabrics, a white shell, an extended canopy with peek-a-boo window, full wrap vegan leather handle, chrome details and a limited lifetime warranty. It also includes the carryall bag. The limited lifetime warranty is a big upgrade over the standard warranty, which is only 90 days.
DualRide Installation
A handy Quick Start Guide is included, which is greatly appreciated!
When installed, the car seat should not be touching the back of the front seat if it’s secured in an outboard seating position (directly behind the driver or front passenger seat). Evenflo requires at least 1.5” of space between the car seat and the back of the front seat.
Installation With Base: A secure installation with base is simple and easy, thanks to the “Lockstrong” belt-tensioning arm. Use either seatbelt or the latch attachment (but never both at the same time). There is an additional instruction label on the base, under the lockstrong arm. The base has 5 angle adjustment positions and the level indicator is on the top of the anti-rebound portion of the base.
Removing just the carrier from the base – this is is only way to separate the carrier from the chassis and wheels. When the chassis and wheels are folded inside the base, grab the upper release handle (which is located on the back of the carrier) and it will allow you to lift just the carrier portion – leaving the chassis and wheels folded up inside the base.
Installation Without Base: This is definitely more challenging due to the fact that you need to remove one set of wheels and reattach them in a designated position under the carrier. This extra step is cumbersome because you need to accomplish this while the baby is strapped into the seat. This is not something that you want to do on a regular basis.
Installation of Carrier Only Without Base: This is a typical baseless installation of an infant carrier using euro seatbelt routing, but you won’t have access to the chassis or wheels (because they will be trapped inside the base where you left them). You will either have to carry the car seat with the baby inside or leave the car seat in the vehicle and just carry the baby. You may never need to install the DualRide this way, but it’s nice to have the option in case you find yourself in a situation where you need to travel by car but the vehicle with the DualRide base (and with the chassis & wheels folded inside) isn’t available.
Fit-to-Child
The DualRide fits preemies and newborns exceptionally well. It’s one of the very few infant car seats rated down to 3 lbs. Our preemie doll is shown below with the crotch strap shortened to improve harness fit. Our adorable tiny human model is 3 months old and weighs approximately 13 lbs. The lower body Infant Insert is required for babies weighing less than 6 lbs., and is optional for babies over 6 lbs.
At the other end of the size range, this large 11-month-old, who is 26 lbs. and 31″ tall, still fits with some growing room, even though he was very close to reaching the 32″ height limit.
Extra “Accessory” Bases
New for 2025: You can now purchase extra bases for the Shyft DualRide! The accessory base is similar but not identical to the original base that comes with the seat. The accessory base features a handle that switches between wheels-on mode and wheels-off mode, allowing the DualRide to connect with or without the wheels attached.
Original DualRide Base (left) and Accessory DualRide Base (right)
DualRide Pros & Cons
Advantages:
Innovative combination of car seat and stroller
8-position, no-rethread harness
Fits preemies and small newborns well
SensorSafe technology and app
Ability to leave chassis (with wheels folded) inside the base and just remove the carrier
Base is easy to install properly, thanks to belt-tensioning feature
Base has anti-rebound design
Extra “accessory bases” are available for purchase separately
Handle is high enough for taller parents but not too tall to be uncomfortable for those under 5’4″
Optional wheel wells attach to the base to keep dirty stroller wheels from touching your vehicle upholstery
Carryall storage bag comes with all mid-level and higher trim lines
Cover can be machine washed (separately in cold water, delicate cycle, never use chlorine bleach, tumble dry 10 – 15 minutes on low heat)
Disadvantages:
Very heavy (with wheels attached) when compared with typical infant car seats
Installation without the base requires the removal of the rear wheels and their placement under the carrier
Requires at least 1.5” of space between the top of the car seat and the back of the front seat when installed in an outboard seating position
Conclusion
The Evenflo Shyft DualRide is an innovative niche product. An infant car seat with integrated stroller is definitely convenient, and it’s easy to understand why a product that combines these two features would be so popular. However, like all car seats, there are tradeoffs that should be considered before deciding if this product is right for you and your situation.
The car seat installation without base is a challenge due to the fact that you need to remove both rear wheels from the axle and reattach them underneath the carrier. And you have to be able to accomplish this with the baby in the seat. If you plan to use DualRide with its base, this won’t be an issue. Extra accessory bases for DualRide are available, but they differ slightly from the original base that comes with the seat.
You may find that you become frustrated with a product like this as your baby gets heavier. Trying to hoist a car seat that weighs almost 20 lbs., plus the weight of your baby, then maneuvering it in and out of a vehicle, isn’t an easy task for many parents or caregivers. There is also the obvious consideration that when your baby outgrows this product (likely somewhere between 12-18 months), you will need to purchase a new car seat and a new stroller.
Still, with all that said, these are very popular products, and many parents find that the advantages outweigh the tradeoffs. The best advice we can give anyone, regardless of which car seat they are interested in, is to “try before you buy”, whenever possible.
Thank you to Evenflo for providing the Shyft DualRide sample for this review. Additional information can be found at the Evenflo website: https://www.evenflo.com/collections/car-seat-stroller-combos