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First published: 2022 · Last reviewed: August 2026 · Specs verified against outnabout.com August 2026
Important note before you read: This review covers the Out n About Nipper V5 — the model I tested. The V5 is now largely superseded by the V6, which is the current model and a meaningful upgrade (simplified fold, wider handlebar, bigger basket, better brake). If you’re buying new, the V6 is the one to buy. I’ve now tested the V6 separately — that review is coming. Everything in this V5 review is genuine and still useful, particularly the terrain and ride quality observations, which carry across the range.
Our verdict in one sentence
If all-terrain is the aim, the Nipper V5 is the game — it glides on roads, floats on beaches and eats rough ground for breakfast, let down only by a fold that’s a genuine faff. The V6 fixes the fold. Buy the V6.
Quick answer: The Nipper V5 is one of the finest all-terrain pushchairs tested on this site — tested over two days on the Northumberland coastal path, Bamburgh Beach and the Craster to Dunstanburgh Castle walk. The terrain performance is exceptional. The fold is genuinely fiddly. The V6 fixes the fold and adds meaningful upgrades — if you’re buying new, buy the V6. If you’ve found a V5 in good condition secondhand, it remains a brilliant pushchair.
At a glance
Compare the Nipper V5
Out n About Nipper V5 — tested on Bamburgh Beach and the Craster coastal path
Out n About Nipper V5
8.5/10 · 9.8kg · All-terrain · Now superseded by V6
- 12-inch air-filled tyres with suspension
- Swivel-lock front wheel — everyday or rough ground
- Tested: Bamburgh Beach, Craster coastal path
I borrowed an Out n About Nipper V5 and tested it properly over two days on some of the finest terrain Northumberland has to offer — the coastal path, Bamburgh Beach with Bamburgh Castle looking down from the dunes, and the walk from Craster to Dunstanburgh Castle. If you want to understand what an all-terrain pushchair is actually for, there is no better classroom than the Northumberland coast.
Why trust this review?
Tested by: Mark — two days of genuine all-terrain use on the Northumberland coastal path, Bamburgh Beach and the Craster to Dunstanburgh Castle walk. Not a showroom visit. Not a retail park session. Real terrain, real conditions.
Evidence basis: Hands-on testing over two days on varied surfaces including beach, coastal path and rough coastal walking routes. Specs verified against outnabout.com August 2026.
Conflict of interest: This review contains Amazon affiliate links. The Out n About direct website link is not an affiliate link. This does not affect our verdict.
✅ What I liked
- It glides — on smooth surfaces the push quality is exceptional
- Air-filled tyres: it almost floats over rough ground
- Rough terrain? Eats it for breakfast and comes back for more
- A doddle to steer — lighter effort than you’d expect for a three-wheeler
- Swivel-lock front wheel — genuine versatility between everyday and off-road modes
- Lightweight at 9.8kg without feeling flimsy
- Consistently excellent across two days on varied Northumberland terrain
⚠️ Watch out for
- The fold is a genuine faff — two levers, reach under the seat, lift handle, and it doesn’t lock shut without a clip
- Bulky when folded — not a compact fold
- Air-filled tyres need occasional pumping — small maintenance overhead
- Forward-facing only — no reversible seat option
- V5 now hard to find new — the V6 is the current model and a meaningful upgrade
MyPushchair scorecard
| Category | Score |
|---|---|
| Terrain capability | 10/10 (beach, coastal path, rough walking routes — consistently excellent across two days in Northumberland) |
| Ride quality | 10/10 (air-filled tyres — it almost floats. The difference over solid wheels is not subtle) |
| Steering | 9/10 (a doddle — lighter effort than expected, swivel-lock front wheel works well) |
| Build quality | 9/10 (lightweight without feeling flimsy — robust across genuine all-terrain conditions) |
| Fold | 4/10 (two levers, reach under the seat fabric, lifting handle, doesn’t lock shut — a genuine faff set against some of the most simply engineered alternatives) |
| Practicality / bulk | 6/10 (bulky when folded — manageable for most cars but check your boot before buying) |
| Overall | 8.5 / 10 |
Overall score: 8.5/10. The Nipper V5 earns 8.5 because the terrain capability and ride quality are genuinely exceptional — two perfect 10s from real conditions on the Northumberland coast. The 4/10 for the fold is the honest caveat: it’s fiddly in a way that stands out sharply against how effortless everything else about this pushchair feels. The V6 addresses exactly this. For a V5, 8.5 is exactly right.
💡 The moment that settled the verdict
Walking from Craster to Dunstanburgh Castle on the Northumberland coastal path — one of my favourite walks in the country — the Nipper V5 handled every surface without hesitation. Rocky coastal path, sand, loose ground, grass. It glided. That’s the word that kept coming to mind. Not “handled well” or “coped with” — it glided.
The terrain — tested where it counts
Two days on the Northumberland coast is about as good a real-world all-terrain test as you can design. The coastal path between Craster and Dunstanburgh Castle involves rocky path, sand, loose ground and coastal grass. Bamburgh Beach — with Bamburgh Castle watching from the dunes — gives you proper sand in both directions. Neither surface is kind to a pushchair with the wrong tyres.
The Nipper V5 was consistently excellent across both. Not “managed” — excelled. Rough ground? It eats it for breakfast and comes back for more. The 12-inch air-filled tyres with suspension absorb what’s underneath rather than transmitting it to the child. That’s what genuinely good all-terrain engineering means in practice, and the Nipper V5 does it better than most pushchairs I’ve tested.
The ride quality — why air-filled tyres matter
The wheels are filled with air. It almost floats. That’s not marketing language — it’s the most accurate description of what the Nipper V5 feels like to push on any surface, smooth or rough. Think of the difference between a bicycle with pneumatic tyres and one with solid plastic wheels. The difference isn’t subtle. You feel it within the first minute.
On smooth pavements it glides. On the beach it keeps rolling with a fraction of the effort you’d expect. On the rocky coastal path it absorbs the surface rather than fighting it. The front wheel can be left to swivel for everyday manoeuvrability or locked straight for rough ground — a genuinely useful feature that most parents will use regularly without thinking about it.
The trade-off: air-filled tyres need occasional pumping. Not often, but occasionally. Punctures are uncommon but possible — the same as owning a bicycle. If you’d never check tyre pressures on anything and want zero maintenance, solid wheels might genuinely suit you better. For everyone else, the ride quality you get in return makes it an easy bargain.
The steering — a doddle
A three-wheeler that handles rough terrain shouldn’t also be easy to steer in everyday use — and yet the Nipper V5 manages both. It’s a doddle to steer. Lighter effort than you’d expect from something designed for beaches and coastal paths. The wide wheelbase gives genuine stability without making it feel like you’re manoeuvring something unwieldy. Tight corners are easier than they have any right to be for an all-terrain pushchair.
The fold — the honest caveat
The Nipper V5 fold is a genuine faff. To fold it you release two levers — one on the left side of the frame, one on the right — then reach under the seat fabric to grab the lifting handle, then lift with the front wheels hinging backwards. And then, to add insult to injury, it doesn’t lock shut. You need a clip to keep it closed. Set against some of the most simply engineered fold mechanisms available — the Bugaboo Butterfly 2’s one-second fold being the most obvious contrast — the Nipper V5 feels like it’s from another era.
It’s worth saying clearly: this is exactly what the V6 fixes. The V6 has a one-handed fold. If the fold matters to your daily routine — and for most parents it does — buy the V6.
Lightweight doesn’t mean weak
At 9.8kg the Nipper V5 is genuinely light for what it is. It handles like something that should weigh more. Picking it up and carrying it, the frame feels solid — exactly what you want from something built for genuine all-terrain use rather than just labelled as such. Two days on the Northumberland coast confirmed it: this is a tough pushchair that happens to be light, not a light pushchair that happens to look tough.
Is the Out n About Nipper V5 right for you?
A good choice if:
- You walk regularly on genuinely rough terrain — beaches, coastal paths, woodland, gravel
- Ride quality matters to you — the air-filled tyre difference is real and you’ll notice it daily
- You’re buying secondhand — a well-kept V5 remains a brilliant pushchair
- A doddle-to-steer three-wheeler suits your daily life
Think carefully if:
- You’re buying new — the V6 is the current model and fixes the fold. Buy the V6.
- The fold matters to your daily routine — it’s fiddly on the V5 in a way that will become a daily frustration
- You have a particularly small car boot — it’s a medium-sized fold, not compact
- You want a zero-maintenance pushchair — air-filled tyres need occasional pumping
V5 vs V6 — should you upgrade?
I’ve now tested both. The V6 is a meaningful upgrade, not a minor revision. The headline improvements from my own testing:
| Feature | V5 | V6 |
|---|---|---|
| Fold | Two levers + reach under + clip to close — a faff | One-handed — much improved ✅ |
| Handlebar | Standard | Wider, feels stronger ✅ |
| Seat clip | Standard | Improved ✅ |
| Basket | Standard | Bigger ✅ |
| Brake | Standard | Improved mechanism ✅ |
| Terrain capability | Exceptional | Exceptional |
| Ride quality | Exceptional | Exceptional |
The V6 review is coming. For now: if you’re buying new, buy the V6. If you’ve found a good secondhand V5, it remains a brilliant pushchair — just know the fold before you commit.
Key specifications — Nipper V5
| Specification | Detail |
|---|---|
| Weight | 9.8kg |
| Folded dimensions | 48 × 29 × 86cm (wheels removed) |
| Tyres | 12-inch air-filled with suspension |
| Suitable from | Birth (with newborn inlay, carrycot or car seat adaptor) to approx. 22kg / 4 years |
| Fold | Two levers + reach under seat + lifting handle + clip to keep closed — fiddly |
| Front wheel | Swivel-lock — everyday or rough-ground mode |
| Car seat compatible | Yes — Maxi-Cosi, BeSafe, Cybex via adaptors |
| Warranty | 2 years |
| Terrain tested | Bamburgh Beach, Northumberland coastal path, Craster to Dunstanburgh Castle walk — two days |
| Current model | V5 now superseded — V6 is the current model |
Also worth reading
- Best All-Terrain Pushchairs — how the Nipper sits in the wider all-terrain category
- Bugaboo Fox 5 Review — the premium all-terrain alternative
- Mamas & Papas Ocarro 2 Review — capable all-terrain at a lower price
- Best Pushchairs for Small Cars — worth checking if your boot is on the smaller side
Verdict
The Out n About Nipper V5 is one of the finest all-terrain pushchairs I’ve tested. Two days on the Northumberland coast — Bamburgh Beach, the coastal path, Craster to Dunstanburgh Castle — and it was consistently exceptional. It glides. The air-filled tyres mean it almost floats over ground that would stop most pushchairs in their tracks. It’s a doddle to steer. Lightweight without feeling weak.
The fold is a genuine faff, and the V6 fixes it. If you’re buying new, buy the V6. If you’ve found a good secondhand V5, you’re getting one of Britain’s best-loved all-terrain pushchairs at a secondhand price — just know what the fold involves before you commit.
Bottom line: if all-terrain is the aim, the Nipper V5 is the game. The V6 is simply the better version of the same game.
Frequently asked questions
Yes — exceptionally so. Tested over two days on the Northumberland coastal path, Bamburgh Beach and the Craster to Dunstanburgh Castle walk. It handled every surface without hesitation. Rough ground? It eats it for breakfast and comes back for more. The 12-inch air-filled tyres with suspension are what make the difference — not a marketing claim, a genuine physical reality.
If buying new, buy the V6. It’s the current model and a meaningful upgrade — one-hand fold, wider handlebar, bigger basket, better brake, improved seat clip. The V5 is now largely superseded and hard to find new. A good secondhand V5 remains a brilliant pushchair — just know the fold is fiddly before you commit.
No — it’s a genuine faff. You release two levers (left and right of the frame), reach under the seat fabric to grab the lifting handle, lift with the front wheels hinging backwards, and then it doesn’t lock shut — you need a clip to keep it closed. Set against some of the most simply engineered alternatives, it’s a weak point. The V6 addresses this with a one-handed fold.
Only if you want zero maintenance. Air-filled tyres need occasional pumping — the same as a bicycle. Punctures are uncommon but possible. In return you get a ride quality that solid wheels simply cannot match. On beaches, coastal paths and rough ground the difference is not subtle. Most people find it an easy bargain.
Probably — but measure first rather than assuming. The folded dimensions are 48 × 29 × 86cm with wheels removed. It’s medium-sized, manageable for most cars, but fit can vary noticeably between models. If your boot is on the smaller side, check our best pushchairs for small cars guide before buying.
🏕️ Looking for all-terrain options? Best All-Terrain Pushchairs — our full guide →
About the reviewer
Mark founded MyPushchair.co.uk in 2006 after struggling to find honest, straightforward pushchair advice as a new dad. With more than 30 years in the family travel and leisure industry — and after returning to relaunch the UK’s original independent pushchair review site — he continues to test products with one aim: helping parents buy the right pushchair the first time. Janette contributes a female perspective to every hands-on assessment.
Mark Hartshorne · Founder, MyPushchair.co.uk · Read the full story →
Considering the Out n About Nipper and want a second opinion on whether it fits your situation? Get in touch — happy to help.