Carmakers are equipping their latest models with fancy touchscreens, but that could cause problems with Europe’s largest car safety authority.
The European New Car Assessment Programme (NCAP) is revamping its rating system starting Jan. 1, 2026 to mandate that five of a car’s primary controls — its horn, windshield wipers, turn signals, hazard warning lights and SOS features — will need physical buttons or switches.
Car models will have to comply to get NCAP’s coveted five-star rating. The scheme is voluntary but is heeded by most automakers because it’s closely monitored by consumers.
Belgium-based NCAP says that purely digital controls are a potential safety issue.
Do any cars actually put those 5 listed controls in their screen though? I think even teslas have buttons for all of those.
Newer Teslas don’t have a turn signal stalk. They’ve put the turn signals on capacitive touch elements on the steering wheel because of course they have.
Thank god mine still came with a turn signal stalk. I’ve sort of come to terms with most of Tesla’s touchscreen-only shenanigans but adjusting the AC or just changing the station still seems like an unnecessarily complicated chore. Worst is windshield wipers though, I don’t want to tap through three menus or even talk to my car to just turn the damn things on because the rain sensor doesn’t seem to do jack shit in a Tesla, yet here I am.
because the rain sensor doesn’t seem to do jack shit in a Tesla
That’s because they saved 70 cents and don’t have rain sensors, they use “AI” image recognition to detect rain and snow.
It works as well as it sounds.
“capacitive touch element”. Wow you tried really hard to not call it a button.
It’s still a dedicated space which isn’t behind a screen or more importantly a menu. it’s a button
Putting it on the wheel purely to be different is a bad design no matter what you call it. You’ve turned a critical control into a tiny moving target. People having trouble locating them and have to take their eyes off the road is a common complaint about these things.
And, FWIW, I absolutely consider a capacitive sensor distinct from a physical button. An arbitrary flat spot on the steering wheel is substantially more difficult to locate and identify by feel. Especially when your hands are moving around the wheel while doing highly uncommon things like, I don’t know, steering.
I’m not arguing that it’s good or bad, that’s not part of my point at all. My argument is under these proposed rules it’ll be considered a button in a court
From the article:
Carmakers like Tesla which rely heavily on new tech will have to decide if NCAP’s five-star rating is worth reversing its interior design. Tesla’s latest Model 3 has force-touch buttons to activate the turn signal instead of the usual toggle — the kind of change the safety body is hoping to end.
Call them whatever you want, they’re literally one of the things NCAP is identifying as a problem and considering in their safety ratings.
But it arguably lacks the physical response of a button. When in doubt you still have to look at the screen. If it has some kind of haptic feedback it might be the same.
Capacitive touch also can be activated by accident by simply grazing the control while push buttons require force to actuate, making them much less likely to be activated accidentally.
It has a physical response. Haptic feedback, audible and visual response.
Even though it’s capacitive I would call that a physical button in this context
Unless you can tell the turn signal has been activated without looking and can hear it function, (and if you turn off your radio, you can actually hear the flasher unit work also), I would argue a capacitive switch provides little to no touch or sound feed back just like the touch screen on your phone. And needing to look else where to visually verify, then you have taken your eyes off the road and potentially can find yourself injured or dead in an accident.
Good points. I don’t (and never will) have a Tesla so not sure what the feedback mechanism is. But I think the idea of this law is to keep those controls out of touchscreens and easily accessible which the capacitive buttons do (even if they’re not the best). If teslas have buttons with their extremely minimal interior then I would assume all other cars do too. Maybe this law is to just preempt any future cars from not including them.
You and me both on the Telsa. I ain’t spending that kind of money to think I’m cool. At half the cost, I’m in. Until then nope.
You maybe correct about the aim of the law. But I’m leaning more towards a not very well written regulation created by people who pay someone else to do the driving for them.
This requirements should apply too AT THE VERY LEAST to air conditioning. I hate new models that require you to interact with a screen to turn it on, or to operate the infotainment volume.
mandate that five of a car’s primary controls — its horn, windshield wipers, turn signals, hazard warning lights and SOS features — will need physical buttons or switches.
Would love to see cruise control added to that list.
Man, I haven’t got to the sci-fi cars yet. I’m still driving older tech (2003).
I can’t even glance at my phone to change a song on Spotify. I know I won’t do well with a screen. It’s too dangerous for me.
Didn’t even occur to me that it was missing - I can find the cruise control buttons to turn it on/off, and set or change speed, with my eyes closed. Which is the whole idea. Eyes nowhere near the buttons, muscle memory takes over.
And what about handbrake and shifters?
weirdly Tesla Cruise control is a physical stick. just about everything else is touch screen, but indicators, gears, and cruise. (i think the new models it’s actully all screen though)
Yes! I fucking love buttons and dials! And maybe Android Auto can just heckin’ let me use my phone keyboard when I’m stopped.
Yours doesn’t?
If Android Auto is active, it blocks me from opening Google Maps on my phone and I have to mess with the touchscreen interface a bunch before it offers to let me use my phone’s keyboard while stopped. It would be less annoying if the voice search option and the search interface on the car’s touchscreen was less bad.
Interesting. Mine USED to not allow maps to open when in auto mode, but now doing so will force open the step-by-step instructions on my phone while leaving the map on the car (this started like 4 months ago)
But the phone keyboard for maps thing has been simple for like 4 years: just tap the search bar that’s up on the car screen and if I’m not moving it’s just there on my phone screen sometimes it actively annoys me because I wanted to use voice as my phone slid to the floor or some shit. Not just on my phone but on everyone I know who uses AA, are you on some ancient version or something?
Mine does that sometimes, but there’s plenty of times when it’s just being a glitchy pile of garbage. I’ve got a fully updated pixel 8 pro and a 2021 Subaru Crosstrek, but sometimes they just don’t like to talk to each other correctly. It’ll also do this fun thing where it just fails to turn on the mic for phone calls until I reboot the phone and the car before reconnecting them.
There did used to be some glitchiness in AA for me along those lines about a year ago, but they cleared up about a month before the P8 launch. I also use a P8P, but on an older car using the wired-only AA since the cars end doesn’t support Bluetooth AA sadly. Wonder if that’s got something to do with it?
Funny enough the glitch that’s remained no matter how many updates (and yes I’ve reset settings on both ends many times) is that whatever audio was left playing will Autoplay at max volume when AA initiates. Luckily I can just mute my system and then go forth, but it’s annoying to have to rewind or if I forget.
Removed by mod
I don’t see anything about gas, brake, or steering. Next generation EU market Tesla will feature drive-by-theremin.
Maybe they’ll go low-tech and introduce drive-by-terrain
Practically a nightmare, but as a fantasy kinda cool. Initial D but they are theremin drifting would be kinda sick lol
EU being based as always. I have to admit it’s pretty damn rare they let me down.
This is just the Euro NCAP guidelines, not actual EU regulation, but still a positive development.
And I agree that the EU have been on an amazing streak lately, they seem to be the only governing body actually fighting for consumer rights.
It’s going to be funny when there’s an entire decade of vehicles no one wants to buy on the used market. I’m looking forward to it. These touchscreens are terrible.
It would be excellent if Europe forces manufacturers to replace old touchscreens at their own expense.
Can’t wait to get enough money to buy a car before 2005
Why 2005?
Probably the get last time touchscreens weren’t in cars
I have a 2014 Nissan Sentra (base model), and it doesn’t really have any tech. No touchscreen, no wireless (it doesn’t even have USB audio, only 2.5 mm), and not even cruise control. So 2005 is a lot older than touchscreen dominance.
Ok then. My 2012 Prius had a touchscreen and everything else you mentioned. Op may have just been exaggerating though
Yeah it depends on what you get but there are definitely options in the last 10 years if you dislike touchscreens (I do, I wish there were more newer cars that don’t slurp up data to sell).
I’m not arguing with you, just wanted to add my own little info in the most applicable place (and to complain about touch screens :)
My 2017 Honda Civic doesn’t have a touch screen but I did specifically have to get the “lower end” LX model. All the EX models I looked at were touch control.
Paying less money to ensure I don’t get garbage I hate? Don’t threaten me with a good time.
EDIT: I enjoy how I managed to accidentally format the “not arguing” bit in huge font so I’m screaming at you for some reason… Sorry
europe is my hero.
the bar was so low
oh yeah. around these parts the bar is so low im continually amazed at how fast the can dig to keep lowering it.
I say “EU, I belive in you!”, now you can say it too.
Using your phone while driving is illegal, so we made all the controls on the same technology.
Genius. About time it’s banned.
To be fair, using phones while driving was banned in most countries back when phones still had physical buttons.
And the swap from physical buttons, which you can use by feel and that never change their location, to touch controls made this less of an issue?
My favorite is the warning to not look at the screen, which you have to acknowledge to get it to go away.
Add it to the list of “shit nobody wants but car manufacturers keep fucking doing”, along with gloss black trim and capacitive buttons.
Capacitive buttons are the fucking worst. Even when the manufacturers try to incorporate haptic feedback, it’s never enough when you’re in a moving vehicle with bumps in the road…
Feel/touch and press/activate shouldn’t be the same action
aside from a rear view camera, theres no reason to have a screen in a car
Having upcoming signs / crossing and speed limits displayed on a small screen between the gauges is something I found quite handy.
The big display in the centre console is something that’s only really usefull for maps / Spotify tho, not the rest of the car controls.
What about the wind screen?
Listen here you little-
Navigation system? Music controls? I think what the NCAP is doing here is a good thing, but this is a bit too far to the other extreme.
Phone does navigation better
I use my phone but it is connected to the car so it displays on the bigger screen. Much easier than a little phone screen in a cradle.
Well, I like it for showing me what song is playing and to have my navigation up - but other than that - I don’t want to be touching or interacting with it at all.
edit: grammar
well you could design it so, that vehicle just has a hud [heads-up display], or maybe a second passenger screen too, that way engaging with them could be more safety oriented and more aesthetic.
I for one don’t want to be looking through something like a HUD when I’m driving. I also don’t want a touch screen. A screen that shows me what’s on the radio, my nav, and backup is fine, and it needs to have easy to identify and press physical buttons.
industry is shifting towards tesla’s interior design because it’s much more cheaper. advantage is that they can change it’s ui with an update in future. you’re probably gonna be okay with 2010’s cars tho
Hard disagree. Modern dash displays give tons of useful information that would be very hard to display legibly with dials. The flexibility they offer is good too, often having more than one dash layout. Nav screens are also extremely useful. Going anywhere and never getting lost? Get outta here.
And rear camera? Don’t get me started on how a little dirt destroys your rear view until you pull over to clean it or how they represent a more difficult scenario for your eyes, increasing the amount of time you don’t have your eyes on the road every time you check it. Unless you mean a back up camera and not a replacement for a rear view mirror, in which case yes those are super awesome.
I have a rear camera instead of my mirror for a few years now. I don’t know what you are talking about. Never had the issues you talk about. The only time it gets dirty, is when it sits for a while out in the open. You check it the exact same as you do a rearview mirror. The only issue with them is when it’s raining, but then you can turn the screen off and just use them as a regular rearview mirror anyway.
With a mirror, you do not have to refocus your eyes to a close distance and then refocus back to a farther one. The time it takes to do this is palpable and adds to the time you’re not as aware of your surroundings as you could be. At 70mph, it’s a lot of distance you’re flying blind.
My rear-view camera only works while being shifted into reverse. Didn’t even know there are manufacturers that scrapped the mirror… why would they do that?
It’s not scrapped, it is mounted in it. Especially useful on transport trucks where you don’t get a rear mirror anyway.
Especially because I’ve seen cars where they die due to temperature changes.
Touchscreens in cars are stupid. Add miniature track pads to that too.
they should just link the display to the steering wheel
to go left and right you steer accordingly
to go up and down you accelerate or break
I’d be ok with a haptic track ball or pad. If it gave you a noticable “click” it would be miles above the current screens.
My A4 has it. I love it. When searching for something in the car, I don’t need to pull my phone out. I can just write the letters on the console.
You need to fuckin write while driving? That’s nuts…
I am specifically talking about the micro pads they put on the Mercedes Benz steering wheels. Everything is still done at the touchscreen, but now you have a track pad to navigate it with. It is faster and safer to reach over and touch the screen. Less time with your eyes off the road when you are driving a big ass van.
That’s pretty cool. I like that idea.
The capacitive Mercedes wheel is the worst… not to mention they still don’t have a dedicated track forward button. It’s baffling and insane.
Or simply install a physical button.
Good, now North America needs to do the same. Sick of touchscreens. Also make it so it’s harder to steal my car too thanks.
