Euro NCAP will penalize cars that don't have buttons for essential features

Euro NCAP is the automotive industry safety body that you probably know because of its extensive crash testing of new cars and awarding of stars to them. A five-star Euro NCAP rating is a coveted thing in the industry, even though the testing isn't mandatory.

Now, Euro NCAP has decided to take its focus on safety to another level starting in January 2026. From then onwards, cars that are tested and don't have buttons, stalks, or dials for essential functions will be penalized and won't be able to get a five-star rating even if they've done everything else perfectly.

The functions that will have to have buttons, stalks, or dials are: indicating directions, triggering hazard lights, sounding the horn, operating windscreen wipers, and activating the eCall SOS function, which automatically calls emergency services in the event of a serious collision. That list can definitely be added to, but it's a start.

Euro NCAP has clearly noticed the pervasive use of touchscreens in new cars - and EVs are especially guilty of this. While bigger and more touch-enabled displays aren't a problem per se, getting rid of buttons and moving every function to a screen has huge potential implications, since you can't really operate a touchscreen without looking at it, the way you could 'feel your way' over buttons. And every second spent looking at your car's screen is a second you aren't spending looking at the road.

Matthew Avery, director of strategic development at Euro NCAP, told The Times:

"The overuse of touchscreens is an industry-wide problem, with almost every vehicle-maker moving key controls onto central touchscreens, obliging drivers to take their eyes off the road and raising the risk of distraction crashes. New Euro NCAP tests due in 2026 will encourage manufacturers to use separate, physical controls for basic functions in an intuitive manner, limiting eyes-off-road time and therefore promoting safer driving.

Edmund King, president of the AA, said:

Car [controls] need to be intuitive for all drivers so they can concentrate on the road ahead rather than the screen to the side. Euro NCAP has been transformative in crash protection and saved countless lives, so it is reassuring that it is addressing how design may lead to driver distraction.

According to a report published in January by the European Road Safety Observatory, drivers are engaged in distracting activities for about half of all driving time, and the main causes are using a phone, adjusting infotainment systems, interacting with passengers, and eating.

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