New Parent Looking For A Car? These Vehicles Have The Easiest To Use Anchors For Child Seats

DETROIT (WWJ/AP) - New rankings from the insurance industry show that the Audi Q7, Lexus RX and Toyota Prius have the easiest-to-use anchors for child seats.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety evaluated LATCH systems in 170 vehicles. LATCH stands for Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children.

The U.S. has required LATCH in rear seats since 2002, but the institute says many systems are hard to use, which makes it more likely that child seats will be incorrectly installed.

The institute evaluated both seat-level anchors and seat-mounted tethers.

Three models — the Audi Q7, the Lexus RX and the Toyota Prius — earn the top rating of "good+," a distinction that no vehicle achieved last year. These top performers have anchors that are easy to maneuver and don't require much force to snap in a car seat. They also have more than the required minimum number of anchors.

Less than 10 models received a rating of "good" -- Audi A4, Audi A6, BMW 2 series, BMW 5 series, Mercedes-Benz C-Class, Mercedes-Benz E-Class, Mercedes-Benz GL-Class, Mercedes-Benz GLE-Class, and Volkswagen Passat.

Most models fell in the mid range; 77 received an "acceptable" rating, and 73 were rated "marginal."

Eight models ranked among the worst performers include the Chevrolet Silverado 1500 crew cab, Ford Fiesta hatchback, Ford Fiesta sedan, GMC Sierra 1500 crew cab, Infiniti QX50, Infiniti Q70, Hyundai Accent hatchback, and Subaru BRZ.

Click here to see the complete rankings.

TM and © Copyright 2016 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2016 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.