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Why trust this guide? I’m Mark Hartshorne, founder of MyPushchair.co.uk. I spent time examining the Bugaboo Dragonfly in person, doing what I’d tell any parent to do in a shop — folding it myself, properly. I haven’t road-tested this one day to day, and I’ll be upfront about that throughout this review.
Bugaboo Dragonfly — At a Glance
- Built for city life first. It’ll cope fine with a well-mown park path, but it’s designed and constructed around pavements and town use, not as an all-terrain pushchair.
- A flat, one-handed fold — but give yourself a few attempts to get it. It’s genuinely simple once you’ve got it, but it’s not instantly obvious the first time.
- Long when folded flat. Almost identical in folded length to the Bugaboo Fox 5 — worth measuring your boot before you buy.
- Premium feel, decent basket storage. Feels like a quality product in the hand, with a usable amount of under-seat storage.
I had my hands on the Bugaboo Dragonfly in a shop recently. I haven’t taken it out for daily use, and I want to be upfront about that — this is a hands-on examination from someone with thirty years in the trade, not a day-to-day road test. But examining a pushchair properly in a shop, the way I’d tell any parent to, tells you a genuine amount.
Is the Bugaboo Dragonfly right for you?
Good choice if:
- You’re mainly walking on pavements and smooth surfaces in a town or city
- You want a genuinely flat, compact fold and are willing to spend a few minutes learning it properly
- Premium feel and build quality matter to you
Think carefully if:
- You regularly walk on gravel paths, towpaths, or other rougher ground
- You have a small car boot — this folds long, not small
- You want a fold that’s obvious the very first time, with no learning curve at all
Built for city life — and that’s exactly what it’s good at
The Dragonfly is designed and constructed primarily for a city lifestyle — pavements, shops, town centres, the day-to-day reality of urban family life. If you take it on a well-mown, dry park path, it’ll handle that without any trouble at all. What it isn’t designed to be is an all-terrain pushchair, and that’s an important distinction rather than a flaw: it’s built around city use first, with everything else being a bonus rather than the point.
If your regular routes go beyond that — proper rough ground, regular off-path walking, the kind of terrain you’d specifically buy a pushchair to handle — our Best All-Terrain Pushchairs guide covers pushchairs built with that as the actual design priority, which the Dragonfly isn’t.
The fold — what I found
If you’re looking at the Dragonfly in a shop, fold it yourself — don’t just watch a salesperson demonstrate it. That’s the single most useful piece of advice I can give anyone buying a pushchair, and it applies here as much as anywhere.
Bugaboo markets the Dragonfly’s fold as quick and one-handed, and on that point they’re genuinely right — once you know how. The honest part I’d add: it took me a few attempts to get it smoothly, and I’ve handled a huge range of pushchairs over thirty years. If it wasn’t immediately intuitive to me, I’d expect most parents — who haven’t spent decades doing this — to need the same few practice goes before it clicks. That matches what other testers have found too — Mumsnet’s reviewer noted it can be folded one-handed even while holding a baby, “although this takes practice.”
That’s not a criticism. It’s the same as learning to tie a tie — fiddly and a bit awkward the first couple of times, then genuinely simple and quick once it’s properly learned. Once you’ve got it, the Dragonfly folds flat with one hand, with the seat or carrycot still attached, which is a real practical advantage. Just don’t expect to nail it in the shop on your first try and judge the whole pushchair on that.
Folded size — measure your boot first
Even though it folds flat, the Dragonfly is a long package once folded — in my hands-on examination, almost identical in folded length to the Bugaboo Fox 5, which we’ve already reviewed on this site. If you’re familiar with how the Fox 5 fits (or doesn’t fit) in your boot, that’s a genuinely useful point of comparison for the Dragonfly too. If you’re not, our guide to pushchairs for small cars is worth reading before you commit, since “flat” doesn’t necessarily mean “small.”
Storage and overall feel
The under-seat basket is genuinely generous — rated to carry up to 10kg, which is more than several rivals in this price bracket. Overall, the Dragonfly feels like a premium product in the hand, in a way that’s consistent with Bugaboo’s reputation and price point. It doesn’t feel like style over substance — the quality is real, and it’s built around city life as its core purpose.
Key specifications
| Detail | Spec |
|---|---|
| Terrain | Designed primarily for city use — copes with mild surfaces like a well-mown park path, but not built as an all-terrain pushchair |
| Fold | One-handed, folds flat with seat or carrycot attached — takes a few practice attempts to master |
| Folded length | Long — almost identical to the Bugaboo Fox 5 |
| Storage | Generous under-seat basket, up to 10kg capacity |
| Best suited to | City and town use as the primary design purpose |
Is the Bugaboo Dragonfly worth buying?
If your daily walking is mostly pavements, town centres and shops, and you want a premium-feeling pushchair with a flat fold that’s easy once learned, the Dragonfly is a strong choice. The build quality and storage both feel like real value for a premium-tier pushchair.
If you specifically need a pushchair built for rough terrain as its core purpose, or you have a small boot and need something genuinely compact rather than just flat, this isn’t the right fit — not because it’s poorly made, but because city life is what it’s designed around. Our Choosing a Pushchair guide can help you work out which situation actually applies to you.
If you’re deciding between Bugaboo’s current range, here’s how I’d think of them: the Butterfly 2 is the travel specialist, the Fox 5 is the do-everything all-terrain family pushchair, and the Dragonfly sits neatly between them as the premium city option.
Bottom line: I’d recommend the Bugaboo Dragonfly to parents who mainly walk on pavements in a town or city, value premium build quality, and are willing to spend a few minutes properly learning the fold. I wouldn’t recommend it if rough terrain is a genuine, regular part of your routine, you need the most compact possible folded size for your car, or you want a fold that’s obvious on the very first try.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Bugaboo Dragonfly good for rough ground?
It’s designed and built primarily around city and town use, not as an all-terrain pushchair. It’ll cope fine with a well-mown park path, but if regular rough terrain is genuinely part of your routine, our all-terrain guide covers pushchairs designed specifically for that.
Is the one-handed fold easy to learn?
It takes a few attempts before it becomes intuitive, but it’s genuinely simple once learned — similar to learning to tie a tie. Don’t judge it on a single attempt in the shop.
Will the Bugaboo Dragonfly fit in my car boot?
It folds flat, but it’s a long package — similar in folded length to the Bugaboo Fox 5. Measure your boot rather than assuming “flat” means “compact.”
Is the Bugaboo Dragonfly a good all-rounder?
It’s primarily a city pushchair rather than an all-terrain option — built around pavements and town life as its core purpose. It’s an excellent choice if that matches how you’ll actually use it, and a poor fit if rough terrain is genuinely what you need it for.
Considering the Bugaboo Dragonfly and want a second opinion on whether it fits your situation? Get in touch — happy to help.