Car makers told to ditch distracting touchscreens will be penalised for models that don't have simple button controls

[Syphon]

Finally, if being driver hostile in the first place and the resulting customer backlash wasn't enough, now they'll be penalised if they continue to produce cars with crappy controls.

Car makers told to ditch distracting touchscreens

From 2026, crash testing body Euro NCAP will introduce rules that downgrade safety ratings of new vehicles that do not have easy-to-use buttons on the dashboard to control simple operations.

www.thisismoney.co.uk

 

[Nathan penney]

 

[Nathan penney]

I may actually be interested in new cars again.

 

[Seastormer]

I may actually be interested in new cars again.

But not EV's surely.

 

[Seriously?]

I may actually be interested in new cars again.

It was the very reason Mrs Seriously? didn't trade her 5F in for a new Leon. She took one look at the interior and pronounced that she wasn't having any of it.
Actually, she said a lot more. None of which I can repeat on a public forum. But it wasn't altogether complimentary

 

[BadBoy03]

I may actually be interested in new cars again.

Manual sounds good to me

 

[Nathan penney]

But not EV's surely.

No!
I’m sticking to petrol for as long as possible.
I do however quite like the look of the 2024 Honda Civic though.
Sticking with my old Subaru Legacy and mk1 Cupra R for now though definitely.

 

[Tell]

I saw the new Skoda Kodiak had twiddly knobs with a multi function control where the "cover" was a display screen. With the Tarraco entering end of life it won't be coming to Seat, a ditched model. This will be the new "mib4" that can handle peripherals that have multifunction things on them. Rather than tapping the screen you get a knob with a built in tiny screen. Don't think you need multi function knobs mind you.

That for sure will be turning up on new Cupras if they introduce knobs and sliders back on them. Something to look out for probably on the Tavascan and refreshed Cupras. Built in umbrellas containers never came to Seat. I might go with the flow and enable the Cupra infotainment flash screen rather than the Seat one. Mib2 high thing. I had it up once when trying to resolve why rest of the world Cupra Atecas didn't see the car as Cupra images. On that thread if you got a mib2 high and want to be radical . Code 10 I recall.

The fun mod here to make a Seat Ateca into a Cupra Ateca if you have a mib2 high . Not sure what it does to other models. It will date to when they were planning the brand split.

Car image in infotainment

Is there any why to pick inside the current firmware for stored images ? Or Extract them, edit via photoshop and put back Sent from my SM-G965F using Tapatalk

www.seatcupra.net

 

[Metalogic]

I'm so glad that the heating/AC and the light controls on my 2021 Ibiza FR are actual physical buttons and knobs. I think I also even prefer the analog Speed and Rev dials on my FR to the fancier digital cockpit on the FR Sport. The large infotainment screen is great for navigation, though and at least there are physical controls on the steering wheel for the audio output for the radio etc.

 

[tracktoy]

just to add to this https://www.politico.eu/article/europe-car-safety-touchscreens-accidents/

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.

but I also note

"Some automakers like Volkswagen are already taking a step back from relying on touchscreens after customers complained about the new control systems. In an interview last year with Autocar, Thomas Schäfer, CEO of Volkswagen Passenger Cars, said the reliance on touchscreens "did a lot of damage" to the brand."

and

"We are encouraging manufacturers to [install] direct drive and monitoring systems, and that's effectively a camera that's looking at the driver all the time," Avery said. "If the driver is distracted, the system will warn the driver to pay attention."
Similar systems are mandated for cars with driver-assisted features, but research shows drivers remain distracted or rely too heavily on the features even when a system is in place to keep them focused, such as detecting hands on the steering wheel or eye contact with the road.