Why the UPPAbaby Vista Is Our Favorite Everyday Stroller
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The UPPAbaby Vista has been one of the best-sellingstrollerson the market for nearly a decade. While it is a status symbol to some, its continued popularity has more to do with quality and good design than trends. A favorite among city and suburban families, the Vista offers high-end comfort, easy maneuvering, and the flexibility to switch between pushing one, two, or three children from infants to 5 years old. We have tested dozens of full-size, twin, tandem, travel, and jogging strollers — the Vista is a convertible tandem stroller, meaning it can be used as a single stroller or adouble stroller, with children seated one in front of the other — but none of them check as many different boxes as the Vista. It isn’t cheap, especially now thattariffshave drivenbaby-gear pricesup across the board, but it is long-lasting with a solid resale value on the secondhand market. If you have the space for a full-size stroller and think you might have more than one kid, the UPPAbaby Vista is a smart investment to make.
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I don’t own this particular stroller, but five Strategist staffers, plus another fourNew Yorkstaffers, either use one currently or have owned one in the past. Strategist senior writerLauren Ro, who has 3-year-old and 6-year-old sons, had been using the original UPPAbaby Vista V1 as her main stroller since her first child was born and only recently swapped it when the V3 launched in late 2024. Senior editor Winnie Yang used her Vista for eight years before donating it and told me that she often regrets getting rid of it in exchange for a newer full-size stroller from another brand that “is most definitely not a good replacement,” because it can’t handle sidewalk bumps and curbs like her older Vista could. To get a better sense of how it handles, I took Ro’s Vista V3 out for a walk with her 3-year-old and their nanny, pushing it from her house to her son’s preschool and folding and unfolding it during the rush of morning drop-off.
For many city families, the UPPAbaby Vista replaces the need for a car
When people talk about city strollers, they are most often referring to compact and lightweight strollers — theJoolz Aer+, theStokke Yoyo, theBugaboo Butterfly— that you can easily lift up and down a flight of subway stairs or fold up and carry over one shoulder using a built-in strap. But that’s just one kind of city stroller; the UPPAbaby Vista is the other kind. It’s built to haul multiple kids and their stuff and is basically indestructible, with big cushy wheels and a capacious storage basket that can hold up to 30 pounds — the weight of a large cocker spaniel or four gallons of water. Most of the nannies I have spoken to like the UPPAbaby Vista bestbecause it feels like an all-terrain vehicle with excellent suspension that allows you to comfortably navigate bumpy sidewalks, grass, buses and trains, and grocery shopping, often while pushing with just one hand. It’s also comfortable for kids to ride in, with reversible seats (or bassinets) that keep infants and toddlers secure and a removable seat liner that reveals breathable mesh to keep them cool in warm weather. A quick one-handed seat recline, adjustable leg rest, and canopy that extends far enough to cover an entire 3-year-old (with two peekaboo mesh panels for ventilation) make stroller naps easy.
It’s sturdy …
At 27 pounds, the UPPAbaby Vista V3 is not a lightweight stroller, though it is actually one pound lighter than other full-size tandem strollers like the Cybex Gazelle and the Bugaboo Kangaroo. But because of its excellent wheels, it doesn’t feel like a heavy stroller to push. It is built to withstand heavy use and consistent roughhousing; Ro’s nanny Georgette told me that she regularly takes it on the subway and doesn’t need any help getting it down the stairs, because she can bounce it down each step on the back wheels. The great suspension mean that Ro’s 3-year-old never complains or shows any sign of discomfort. And because the stroller is so sturdy, she never worries that it will tip, regardless of how much weight she puts on the handlebars or if the kids decide to use it as a jungle gym.
… and really smooth to push
It wasn’t until I test-drove a Vista myself that I truly understood what other parents were talking about when they said it handles more smoothly than any other stroller they’ve tried. Pushing it feels a bit like nothing — no resistance, no sticky turns, no jarring stops when you hit deep cracks in the pavement, rocks, or other surprise obstacles. Turning is equally simple and carefree; you just guide it where you want it to go. It actually made me say “oooooh” out loud the first time I got my hands on one.
It grows with your family
The Vista V3 is as close as you’ll ever get to a do-everything stroller. It can accommodate twocar seats, two bassinets, two toddler seats, or a combo, with up to 30 seat configurations total. You can arrange each seat independently to be parent-facing or outward-facing. And because of how durable it is, many families never need to buy another stroller. I have heard from a lot of people that the lighter and more affordableUPPAbaby Cruzis a better option for pushing just one kid. But the Cruz isn’t convertible like the Vista is — it will only ever be able to hold one seat — and the wheels on the Vista are much bigger and springier than those on the Cruz. Still, when it’s folded, the Vista isn’t that much bigger than most full-size single strollers.
It recently got an upgrade
UPPAbaby released the newest version of the Vista stroller, the V3, in September 2024; it now comes with a no-rethread harness, a removable seat cover with a breathable mesh back underneath, a magnetic harness buckle, reflective accents on the wheels, and improved suspension. The added ventilation of the mesh seat panel is a great feature for families who spend lots of time outdoors in warm weather, as it helps keep kids cool during long walks and naps. And the new magnetic buckle is so easy to use that kids can attach it without any help. Ro’s 3-year-old loves buckling it himself, but parents of escape-artist kids will be happy to know that because you have to press two side buttons simultaneously to unbuckle it, he isn’t able to do that part on his own.
One major change that UPPAbaby made with the V3 is that the earlier V2 model cost $1,000 before tariff-related price increases (it’s now being sold onAmazonfor $1,200 but can still be found cheaper atother retailers), and it came with a bassinet by default. The newer V3 now costs $1,200 with no bassinet included. If you do want a bassinet, you can purchase the updatedV3 bassinet separatelyfor $280, or you can opt for UPPAbaby’s under-$100Snug Seat insertthat turns the toddler seat into a newborn seat with added neck and back support. Lastly, the storage basket now has a stretchywater-bottlepocket attached to the back right corner that can fit one as big as a Stanley tumbler. It’s a small upgrade, but one I am excited about.
The resale value is high, and replacement parts are easy to find
Like I said, the Vista isn’t a cheap stroller, and now that tariff-related price hikes have gone into effect, the V3 without a bassinet will run you $1,200. But once you are finished with it, you can likely get a good amount of that money back. A gently usedUPPAbaby Vista V3sells for close to $900 on Goodbuy Gear, while aV2in the same condition sells for just under $800. In both cases, that’s just a few hundred dollars less than full price. Buying one used is usually a safe bet, as there are a lot of families selling theirs at any given time, and you might even find some new “open box” Vistas for a slightly cheaper price. Because the stroller is so popular and has been around for such a long time, it’s easy to find replacement parts like asnack trayor all-terrainwheels, both of which fit all three versions of the Vista. And for peace of mind, UPPAbaby’s customer service has a great reputation; there are also in-person repairlocationsin Boston, Brooklyn, Santa Monica, and Toronto, where you can get free maintenance and affordable repairs.
Whether you are upgrading from a single stroller to a convertible stroller to accommodate a new baby or preparing for the arrival of your first child, the UPPAbaby Vista is an excellent choice that I stand behind as one of thebest strollersout there, hands down. It’s easy to customize and reconfigure depending on how many kids you are transporting, and it is so durable and such a pleasure to steer that few parents ever switch to another stroller. So while it’s expensive at the outset, the eventual cost per push also makes it one of the best-value strollers you can buy.
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