If you’re a parent or have a baby on the way, you might be considering purchasing a new car. With that purchase comes many factors, including safety, regular maintenance costs, appearance, storage, and cargo space.
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Unfortunately, some cars look great but don’t necessarily meet safety standards. Here are three cars experts say you should avoid when you’re in the market for a family vehicle.
Mazda CX-9
While popular belief is that SUVs tend to be extremely safe and offer plenty of space for families, the auto insurance website Compare.com reported that the Mazda CX-9 is one to avoid.
“This car scored at the very bottom of its class in the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s (IIHS) crash test,” it said.
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Honda Fit
Compare.com noted that while this vehicle can be attractive thanks to its affordability and good gas mileage, its safety ratings are dismal.
“The Honda Fit does poorly in crash tests and certainly suffers for being small when paired against larger vehicles. Most parents also find it a little too small for hauling kids,” the website added.
Toyota Sienna
Compare.com noted that “one of the most important child safety innovations in recent years has been the implementation of the LATCH [Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children] system by car manufacturers.” The New York State Department of Health said that using these “is a way to secure a child safety seat – rear-facing or forward-facing – to a vehicle without the vehicle’s seat belts.”
Yet, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety rated 10 cars for their poor LATCH application, and the Toyota Sienna was one of them. If you have small children, you’ll want to avoid this vehicle.
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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: Car Experts Say Don’t Buy These Popular Family Vehicles With Safety Standard Concerns
Based in New York, Stephen Freeman is a Senior Editor at Trending Insurance News. Previously he has worked for Forbes and The Huffington Post. Steven is a graduate of Risk Management at the University of New York.