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.
I love living in Europe.
I’m sincerely appreciative of everything they do for consumers as a whole. Not everything makes it across the pond but at the very least it sets precedent and a lot of the groundwork is done if our politicians ever decide to get their shit together and give us a ground to stand on against corporations and lobbyists.
A guy can dream.
I hope that happens too.
So say we all.
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except of course for the blatant racism against non-western people, the current shift towards neofash politics (meloni etc), the militarization and the impeding economic collapse.
how do liberals manage to ignore problems so efficiently?
except of course for the blatant racism against non-western people, the current shift towards neofash politics (meloni etc), the militarization and the impeding economic collapse.
All of which already happen in the US, but worse.
The entire world sucks, can’t we be happy of living in a place that sucks a bit less?
i do acknowledge that that things are worse in the us, but that doesnt make the deficiencies in europe any better. one shouldnt just accept that the world sucks, but start fighting for a better one. just look at cubas success
We are fighting for a better one. All those recent EU regulations are doing exactly that.
I’d love if we could address those issues you’ve listed too, since they’re obviously more important, but it seems really hard until the european left actually wakes up and starts promoting actual candidates.
Except for the blatant racism, i could do without that.
racist cowards be downvoting
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.
Bollocks. F*ck this shit. Make it mandatory and take those ticking time bombs of the road. They are endangering OTHER people’s lives. Voluntary my ass.
This is faster than passing a law. Do this first then work on legislation in parallel.
Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good.
Don’t let morons operate deadly machinery, FTFY.
Nice to see EU policy finally flourishing now that they’re no longer getting nerfed by the UK’s membership.
This is the truth. The EU is much more efficient without the UK.
What made the UK such a hindrance for the EU?
They had a veto and they also had the Tories
Modern England is a blight apon civilization, though half joking aside. As I understand it the UKs conservative bullshit maid it so they functioned like Kentucky here in the US, basically drawing shit out till it died. Which is makes sense when you consider that England without London is about as wealthy as Mississippi.
Cgp Grey had a good video on the problems with the UK voting system.
People have finally noticed. The Conservative party is on track to get utterly pulverised at this years general election. And if Labour don’t have serious ideas about fixing things the same will happen to them at the next one.
I don’t even need to vote tactically at this election to keep the Conservatives out. But I will because I want to see them and everything they stand for wiped off the face of British politics. They need to be punished as badly as possible and made an example of for destroying everything that our forebears sacrificed to give us.
Kentucky 💪💪💪
yes I’m a Kentucky nationalist how could you tell?
True that. There have been so many wins in just a few years.
Also trying to regulate encryption… but the UK tried to do that itself too.
Fucking good. Long overdue.
I love some EVs, but I drove a Polestar 2 and a Model 3 on road trips for work in California. Never again. The nighttime driving experience is miserable imo, and the issues with the lack of stalks and buttons is real.
The Polestar is the only car to ever make me so angry I had to pull over. It had some kind of sensor issue, and decided the right way to notify my at 80mph on the highway was to A) cover my gate cluster with the error notification B) disengage my cruise control suddenly, at 80mph, and C) begin beeping.
I almost drove my rental into the Pacific Ocean out of spite.
All of the functions described in the article are already on physical buttons and stalks in the Polestar 2 (I have one), so not sure how this is going to change anything? I’ll agree that some of its error reporting and collision avoidance in particular are almost dangerous in their implementation, but that has no bearing on the physical buttons thing.
No buttons for climate control / fans, and Android auto on it is also kinda jank.
Zero dog in the game (I own a Mazda3) but I rented a Polestar and found it very enjoyable. Different, absolutely, but good enough that I was glad there is an alternative EV to Tesla if I wanted to get one.
I am glad there are other players in the market but the user experience was just miserable for me. Between the lack of buttons for all the climate control and the error messages, as well as subpar android auto support in favor of their own janky android OS (not great for rentals).
Maybe Polestar 3 will fix all this. Maybe.
Good, there’s no reason for there to be more information displayed than you can read at a glance. And you should be able to feel for the controls you need instead of having to look at the screen and flip through menus.
Can we just use the European safety regulations for American cars? I’m tired of watching them get all the safety stuff a decade ahead of us.
I expect you will. I think It will be cheaper to have a single spec globally for a given model of car.
(laughs in freedom while eating food containing chemicals banned in the EU)
Got very happy seeing the title, but we’re just talking about the bare minimum like horns and windshield wipers. A tiny step in the right direction, but not much else
Wtf is a lime horn? Driving in Europe must be wild
Tbh I much prefer traditional lemon horns, but very hard to get them in new cars
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Some new tesla you change drive controls by swiping on a tablet. That seemed bit too much.
There’s also buttons (I believe capacitive, but not 100% sure), but they aren’t as convenient to use.
It’s not only touch screen though.
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.
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)
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.
Touchscreens in cars are stupid. Add miniature track pads to that too.
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.
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.
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.
That’s pretty cool. I like that idea.
Or simply install a physical button.
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 think they need to be super explicit to stop the likes of Tesla weaseling out or doing the bare minimum:
- Wipers, speed settings, auto on/off should be on a stalk for front and rear wipers
- Indicators should be on a stalk with
- Hazard lights must be a physical button
- Horn may be on the wheel or a button
- Lights on/off/full beam/dip/auto must be a dial or a stalk
- Demister / heated window must be physical buttons
- Gears must be a physical rocker, lever or dial
And button / dial etc here means an actual push up/down button not some haptic / touch sensitive shit.
Because at the moment Tesla are basically cheaping out of providing physical controls to save money. It doesn’t matter if someone crashes their car fiddling to set the wiper speed because Tesla saved $20 on a stalk and that’s all that matters.
And, for the love of dog, please require that the volume knob not rely on software! I hate trying to turn down/off the radio and then wait while the car decides whether I’m serious.
When I first start my car, the screen has to go through the boot up sequence and safety warning before the volume knob starts responding. The music starts playing right away, though, at whatever volume the previous driver deemed appropriate.
Bit pedantic but a stalk + assembly could cost closer to $200, I’m not sure about design and manufacturing though
On a 30k+ car. Fuck your 200.
Chill tf out no one said I agree with it
aside from a rear view camera, theres no reason to have a screen in a car
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
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.
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.
Especially because I’ve seen cars where they die due to temperature changes.
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.
