Euro NCAP in push to bring back physical buttons for in-car systems
Safety authority set to penalise brands who hide away important functions on distracting touch-screensCar-makers could soon run the risk of missing out on a maximum five-star safety rating if they continue the minimalist trend of banishing oft-used controls into their infotainment systems and fail to provide physical buttons or stalks close to hand.
In a statement issued overnight, Euro NCAP said it will begin studying whether vehicles have physical buttons as part of its ‘Safe Driving’ area of assessment.
Explaining its reasoning, Euro NCAP’s tech boss Richard Schram said: “Euro NCAP will indeed incentivise OEMs to have physical, easy-to-use and tactile controls of the main driving features like wipers, warning lights and indicators.”
Euro NCAP now appears to have taken the position that the current trend of packaging many – if not all – a car’s features within a single infotainment screen is dangerous as it distracts the driver from the road ahead, especially when there’s a need to cycle through several sub-menus.
As part of plans that will be introduced from 2026, five out of 100 possible points achieved under the Safe Driving category will be awarded for vehicles that have “intuitive, easy-to-use vehicle controls”.
In what has been seen as a threat for those who don’t comply, Schram said that in future the score for intuitive controls could be increased further, with car-makers running the risk of missing out on a maximum five-star safety rating if they don’t comply.
Among those set to be punished by the new safety requirements is US car-maker Tesla.
The recently facelifted Tesla Model 3 does without steering column stalks and places the indicator and wiper functions on steering wheel buttons, which is not regarded by Euro NCAP as “intuitive” under the new rating.
Other cars will also be downgraded for not offering a button for eCall – the mandatory emergency call system that automatically dials local emergency services in the event of a collision.
Join the conversation at our Facebook page
Or email us at editor@carsales.com.au
Or email us at editor@carsales.com.au
Tags
Please see our Editorial Guidelines & Code of Ethics (including for more information about sponsored content and paid events). The information published on this website is of a general nature only and doesn’t consider your particular circumstances or needs.
