Bugaboo Donkey 5 review: Is it really the best double pushchair?

I refuse to stack my children. That, really, is the first decision you need to make when confronted with the reality of two children under the age of two. To stack or not to stack.

Of course, there are other questions when buying a double pushchair. Which colourway? Will I need to go off-road? Will this new sled-push-equivalent help to strengthen my core and power up my quads? And, obviously, will I ever get through a doorway again? But deciding to go twin (side-by-side) or tandem (one on top of the other) is the one that really matters.

Personally, I wasn’t comfortable strapping one child into the penthouse suite with panoramic views only to pop my newborn son in the undercarriage.

[Ed’s note: No judgment for those who do stack - there are plenty of benefits, including not phoning ahead to see if a café can accommodate a big side-by-side and actually fitting the buggy in the car - but for me, putting my new baby in the equivalent of a pushchair sidecar was high up on our wish list.]

No, our family would be twinning. And having already been fans of the Bugaboo Lynx with our first son (big comfy seat, excellent sun shade, big caddy underneath and wheels capable of woodland walks) the obvious next step was the Bugaboo Donkey 5. Even if the £1,500 price tag was cause for pause. That and a hilarious picture of myself dwarfed by it when browsing buggies in John Lewis.

But we have it. And we like it. We use it every day. It has some really, really smart bits. Some bits that are better than anything else we’ve seen from Bugaboo. And some bits that are quite annoying. But in the daily battle of bringing up two boys under two, this Donkey has been a solid, constant companion. Here is everything you need to know.

Bugaboo Donkey 5 Duo Pushchair & Carrycot

£1,530 at John Lewis

What's the difference between Bugaboo Donkey 3 and 5?

There are few new key features that Bugaboo are really shouting about: the breezy carrycot, a quick-click safety harness, plus new attachment points for those all-important accessories.

The carrycot’s easy breezy nature comes from the addition of mesh panels that can be revealed around the sides, letting more airflow in on Summer days and helping your baby to keep cool. Not only that, it means they can see out and watch the world go by for some valuable visual stimulation.

If it’s winter and you plan on keeping those mesh panels closed and your baby extra snuggly, then I would line the bassinet with black and white visual cards from Samuel Sensory , so that my little boy wasn’t left to look at blank walls on long walks.

The quick-click safety harness on the main toddler seat comes in handy too. When you’re battling your little boy and trying to get him to sit still, you don’t want things to be fiddly. This is not. And, when you make it to the park and they’re itching to make a break for the swings, you can release your wriggling toddler in double-quick time.

Finally, when it comes to the accessories, the main one we’re interested in is the coffee cup holder. Keeper of live-giving caffeine, essential for morning strolls after another broken night of sleep. It’s an essential, but if anyone has any tips for stopping the jolting of off-road rambles throwing that coffee all over the floor – even when safely nestled in the holder – I’m all ears.

Along with these main new features there are a few other welcome additions. A new higher seat allows you to wheel your tinies right up to a table. This means you don’t have to wrestle a toddler out of the pram and into a highchair for lunch every time you’re out, which is a massive win when solo parenting.

Plus, I can’t not mention the new colour palette that’s chicer than previous Bugaboo colours. No garish yellow in sight. This launch is all about muted, softer colours.

How wide is Bugaboo Donkey 5?

The real question that needs answering here is, “Can you fit the Bugaboo Donkey 5 through a door?” And, well, that kind of depends on the door… There are two set ups for the pushchair, Duo and Mono.

Bugaboo Donkey 5 Mono mode

The Duo sits at 74cm (29in) and is more than 4in wider than its competitor, the Mountain Buggy Duet. The Mono is an obviously leaner 60 cm (23.6in). Bugaboo claims that both sizes are narrow enough to fit through doors – and that is certainly the case in our modern house – but older buildings can be a squeeze.

We live out in Winchester and manoeuvring into old-world pubs and shops takes some serious jiggery-pokery. I can only assume the same would apply if you were brave enough to take this pram on to public transport in London, too.

We also can’t get the pram through our front door so it means unloading and storing the pram in the garage - not great when you’re solo parenting and have to do multiple trips to ferry inside the kids and kit.

How much does a Bugaboo Donkey Duo weigh?

Even before loading in your little ones, the Bugaboo Donkey 5 weighs 12.3 kg (26.9 lbs) when used in its Mono configuration, and 14.9 kg (32.8 lbs) when used in Duo. That’s more than your average kettlebell. If you start loading up the side basket and under pram storage things can start to get heavy as these two storage areas combined can carry 22kg.

So, let’s do the maths: two toddlers (weighing aprox 10kg each), plus the duo configuration frame and seats (14.8kg) plus fully loaded storage baskets (22kg) could mean you’re pushing 56.8kg around your local streets. Now that’s a serious workout.

Saying that, though, the extra storage is a major benefit of this piece of kit. And the ride is smooth, which makes pushing it feel relatively easy. Although my husband has certainly stopped to take a breather from time to time when tasked with getting us all up the hilly section of a weekend woodland walk.

In addition, you’re never going to be in a position where you actually need to lift the thing. The only way we can fit it in our car is to break it down into its component parts and play a very boring, grown-up game of Tetris – squeezing frame, seat and bassinet into the boot of our Hyundai Sante Fe. The heaviest part is the frame, but it’s manageable on its own.

Side note: packing this pram into the car has been the main complication we’ve found. Our car is a big SUV and the double buggy owns the majority of the boot space when stored there. That’s fine for days out and quick weekend breaks. But for an upcoming week away to the Channel Islands we’re most likely going to have to invest in a roof box.

Does the Bugaboo Donkey fit a 3 year old?

No matter whether you’re riding solo or duo, the Donkey 5 is suitable from birth to four-years-old and can hold up to 22kg on each seat. Our eldest son might only be 18 months, but he is ginormous compared to his nursery class mates and the Bugaboo accommodates him just fine.

Can Babies Sleep Overnight in a Bugaboo Bassinet?

Sadly not. This bassinet is not a replacement for your Snuzpod.

Can you jog with a Bugaboo Donkey 5?

Sorry runners but jogging with the Donkey is not encouraged. The foam filled wheels can take on many terrains but at walking pace only.

So far we’ve taken the Donkey on woodland trails and dragged it across sandy beaches and it has dealt with everything brilliantly. But if you want to pick up the pace, you need to get a run-specific buggy with larger air-filled tyres.

We have a Thule Glide gathering dust in our garage. Despite all our best intentions we’ve only rarely used the running buggy with our kids, but the benefit of the run-specific tyre set-up is undeniable.

What does the Bugaboo Donkey 5 come with?

This depends on whether you buy the Donkey 5 in Mono or Duo as the seat configuration is different for each setup.

As standard you’ll receive:

Chassis with wheels
Seat frame and carrycot
Aerated carrycot mattress
Sun canopies
Rain covers
Side luggage and under seat basket

Can you put the car seat on the Bugaboo Donkey 5?

It depends what car seat you have as it will need to be compatible with Bugaboo car-to-pushchair adapters. I sadly found out that my Maxi Cosi Coral car seat, which I adore for its ultra lightweight carrier (thanks for asking) doesn’t fit the Bugaboo Donkey Maxi Cosi adapter. This means I have to employ serious ninja skills to transfer the baby from the car seat to the bassinet and back again or I risk sabotaging a nap.

How much does the Bugaboo Donkey 5 cost?

The price starts at £1,315 in Mono increasing to £1,660 for the Duo configuration.

john Bugaboo Donkey 5 Duo Pushchair & Carrycot, Midnight Black

£1,530 at John Lewis

Our Bugaboo Donkey 5 Review in 60 seconds

Pros

Large puncture proof wheels can take on city streets and Cornish beaches
Super easy to convert from a single to double pushchair
Storage galore for carrying the kitchen sink around
High seat that doubles as a high chair
Small pocket on the front of the bassinet that’s big enough to carry a phone, bank card and house keys
New colour palette is very IG worthy
Ventilated sun canopy is great for keeping babies cool on hot days
One handed seat recline is pretty slick

Cons

It can fit through most doors but not all
You need a serious boot space for this pushchair
The carrycot is big, too big in my opinion
The under seat storage doesn’t feel secure
It’s big and bulky to lift - not ideal during postpartum recovery

Final thoughts on the Bugaboo Donkey 5

There’s no denying that this side-by-side double pushchair takes up more space on the pavement, in our car and house than a one up, one down. But these bugbears are forgotten when our toddler reaches over to stroke his baby brother’s face. It was the thought of this sibling interaction that sold it for me and thankfully, the Donkey delivered.