The Graco Evo Mini Review

Graco are global brand that have gone from strength to strength. In recent years their range of products has expanded to include car seats, pushchairs, travel cots, travel systems and baby swings.

I was very happy indeed when I found out a month ago that I had been chosen by Graco to be one of five people lucky enough to test their new pushchair, the Graco Evo Mini.

What you get in the box

In the box you receive the pushchair itself, rear wheels, front swivel wheel, hood, raincover and instruction booklet. This pushchair is sold exclusively at Mothercare with a RRP of £179.99

We were sent the Graco Evo Mini in the Grenadine colourway, I have to say it wasn't the colour I would have picked but I really love it. In my opinion it is a mix between a red and an orange, very neutral, so suitable for both boys and girls. The Graco Evo Mini is also available in Latigo Bay. 

Piecing the pushchair together was ever so simple. Just a case of clicking in the wheels and poppering on the hood and basket, it is all explained nicely in the instruction booklet too, just incase you get a little stuck!!

The Chassis

The metal chassis is sturdy, I find a lot of strollers can feel like they would tip over but this is very solid.   It is also a look better looking in real life. In pictures it looks a bit plastic but I can assure you when up close and personal it has a really nice finish, I would describe the colur as gun metal.

All three wheels are made from solid rubber, no worrying about punctures and the front wheel can be locked or used in swivel mode. The swivel makes the pushchair very easy to manouvere, although I did find that it made a slight rattling noise when out and about.

The brake has a small pedal that can be pressed down on either side, giving a nice clicking sound as you push it down. Easy enough to do however I wouldn't recommend trying to take it back off with your feet if you're wearing flip flops as it can be a little stiff.

The basket I think has to be it's best feature!! For a stroller it extremely spacious, I managed to fit two big bags of shopping in there and it was fantastic for the school run. It is easily accesible, even when they pushchair is reclined.

The handle is about average height, around 102cm, it isn't adjustable, not the biggest problem but would have been nice if it was. As you can see from the photo below, all of my family members managed to test it out, even my tiny 4ft 11 mummy!!

The Seat

The seat itself is very spacious. It is nicely padded and it wipes clean, which is great if you have mucky toddlers. The Evo Mini was tested by my 3 year old and 8 month old daughters, as well as my 14 month old godson and 18 month old nephew. Even my 3 year old being at the top of the age bracket sat in there comfortably and because the pushchair is an extremely lightweight 6.2kg, even with my Gracie in there, it stayed light to push, even with only one hand on the handle and another child holding onto the frame.

The harness was a bit fiddly to adjust when pulling through the seat unit but was a lot simpler to adjust for the length. 

The seat can be reclined via a toggle at the back of the pushchair. I love the recline because you have more seating positions and the seat lies almost flat, so with the right accessories you may be able to use from birth. The thing I don't like about the toddler recline, is sitting it back up, not so bad with a baby, but with a heavy toddler it can take some effort.

The hood is quite large, providing suitable coverage from the sun. It is very strong, no being blown back in the wind but I was disappointed that there was no window in the hood, I didn't like not being able to see my little one. 

The raincover

This is very well designed. It fits the pushchair like a glove and can be put on with minimal effort, as shown here. It poppers round the bottom of the frame, meaning it can't be kicked off by fidgety feet. And when not in use, it folds down nice and small so you can pop it in the basket for safe keeping.

The Fold

The Graco Evo Mini is easy peasy to fold and the fact that you can do it with one hand was a plus for me, having four children around it is nice to always have one hand free!! I made a video to show you how easy it is to do, once folded it locks closed. The specifications when folded are 79 x 48 x 22 cm, making it nice and compact and it even folds down with the raincover still attached.

Conclusion

I have never been the biggest fan of strollers, I've always refused to use the mother in laws buggy but the Graco Evo Mini has well and truely changed my mind. With it's spacious seat and basket, as well as being unbelievably lightweight, it is suitable for any family. As explained in my review the only things I can complain about are the lack of window in the hood and that the handle isn't height adjustable but these are minor problems. I wouldn't hesistate to recommend this pushchair to others infact I have done nothing but tell people how amazing it is!!!

Disclaimer : This pushchair has been sent to me as part of an ongoing review, all thoughts and opinions are my own