In a notable shift in automotive design philosophy, major car manufacturers are increasingly embracing physical buttons for essential controls, moving away from touchscreen interfaces. This amendment is in response to increasing consumer demand for vehicle technologies that are intuitive and easy to use. Experts agree that basic functions such as climate control and audio settings should be easily operable through tactile buttons, which can significantly improve driving safety and reduce distractions.
A 2022 study by the Swedish car magazine Vi Bilägare found that physical buttons are substantially less time-consuming to use than touchscreens. This important finding provides validation to the work of organizations such as EuroNCAP. They’re intending to dock points from automakers that don’t include physical, easy-to-use controls in their vehicles. As overall safety becomes the main focus, EuroNCAP will progressively need these features to be frequently implemented in order to let manufacturers get the highest safety ratings.
Industry Response to Consumer Preferences
Jake Nelson, of the auto-makers’ Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee, strongly emphasized the need of getting consumer input to help drive design modifications. He stated, “Industry design changes in the US market are more likely to occur based on strong consumer demand.” This feeling is further supported by a separate study that found that 89 percent of 1,428 drivers would rather use physical buttons than touchscreens.
Nelson underscored the point that key functions should still be able to be accessed through buttons. He articulated, “The design of vehicle technologies should be as intuitive as possible for users.” Inattention accounts for as much as a quarter of all European crashes. To improve driver attention and reduce distractions, there is a significant effort to focus on the introduction of physical controls in vehicles.
Matthew Avery, an automotive safety expert and director of research at insurance company Michelin, reflected on the direction of the industry. He asserted, “Manufacturers are on notice, they’ve got to bring back buttons.” This call to action is part of a growing movement among automakers to make more user-friendly interfaces that better fit within practices of driver safety.
Volkswagen Leads the Charge
Volkswagen’s new chief designer, Andreas Mindt, has promised us something truly thrilling. Future generation models will reintroduce physical buttons for key functions including volume, seat heaters, fan speed, and hazard lights. Mindt expressed a strong commitment to this design philosophy, stating, “We will never, ever make this mistake anymore … It’s not a phone, it’s a car.”
This move follows growing consumer frustration over touchscreens, known to be dangerous in distracting drivers. Mindt also assured that Volkswagen intends to retain five core controls as physical buttons. These controls are the wipers, lights, indicators, horn, and hazard warning lights.
The new Black Badge edition of the top-of-the-range Rolls-Royce Spectre will include the very latest digital technology. It will serve to keep tactile controls minimalist and sculptural. Even with all of its luxurious offerings, the Spectre will have a bit less tactile controls than past Spectre models.
The Future of Vehicle Controls
The small focus on tactile controls represents a major inflection point for the automotive industry. Steven Kyffin, who previously worked on smart controls for Philips, noted that steering, acceleration, braking, gear shifting, lights, and wipers should all remain tactile. He remarked that “creating and controlling complexity is a sign of human power,” reinforcing the notion that drivers should have seamless control over their vehicles.
These observations from Kyffin speak to a larger recognition within the industry that technology needs to augment safe driving behaviors, not undermine them with distractions. Edmund King warned against the dangers of driver distraction: “When cycling, I often see drivers concentrating on their touchscreens rather than the road ahead.” He further emphasized that “technology should be there to help drivers and passengers stay safe on the roads.”
As EuroNCAP prepares to implement stricter safety ratings in 2026 relating to vehicle controls, Avery noted that manufacturers must adapt or risk falling behind. “A new part of 2026 ratings is going to relate to vehicle controls,” he explained.
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