Child car seats vary in size, cost, and (presumably) comfort, but one thing that is supposed to remain constant is the way they latch in to your car or truck. Since the 2003 model year, federal regulations have required most new U.S.-sold vehicles to have such a hardware system, fittingly called LATCH, for Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children. But just because LATCH is mandated doesn?t mean it?s easy to use. That?s why the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) rates cars and trucks on their LATCH systems?and only a few vehicles have aced the tests.
“The whole purpose was to make it standard and easier for parents to use child restraints,” Jessica Jermakian, senior research engineer at IIHS, said of the LATCH ratings. The LATCH system boils down to a set of two lower anchors on the front side of a seat and one tether anchor behind it. The anchors typically are simple metal loops or hooks. Most car seats will have straps that clamp on to these anchors. Some child seats use the seatbelt in place of the lower anchors. But in most vehicles (convertibles are an exception) from the 2003 model year or newer, those LATCH fixtures will be there by law.
However, IIHS has found that in many vehicles, “the hardware was the same, but everything around the hardware was making it really difficult to use,” Jermakian said. “So we started rating it.” The ratings essentially weigh these factors:

Can’t Be Buried in the Cracks
For the lower ...