Euro NCAP: From 2026, cars must have physical buttons for basic functions or risk losing points
Arvind · Mar 5, 2024 03:15 PM
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The European New Car Assessment Programme (Euro NCAP) has voiced concerns about the automotive industry's growing dependence on touchscreens in cars and announced measures to encourage manufacturers to reintegrate physical buttons for critical vehicle controls, especially those related to safety.
The touchscreen trend, according to Euro NCAP, is leading drivers to divert their attention away from the road, thereby increasing the risk of accidents due to distraction, reports Arstechnica.
Matthew Avery, Euro NCAP's director of strategic development, highlighted the issue, stating, "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."
In response to this growing concern, Euro NCAP has announced that new tests set to be introduced in 2026 will aim to encourage car manufacturers to reintegrate separate, physical controls for basic functions.
Though not advocating for a complete return to traditional buttons, the new Euro NCAP will see Euro NCAP calling for the reintroduction of tactile controls for essential features such as turn signals, hazard lights, windshield wipers, the horn, and emergency SOSsystem, including the EU's eCall system.
Tesla's minimalist design which replaces traditional indicator stalks with haptic buttons on the steering wheel for activating turn signals could lose points under upcoming Euro NCAP safety protocols
In recent years, a growing number of vehicles - predominantly BEVs - have aped Tesla's minimalist approach, replacing traditional stalks with touchscreen functions for important car controls.
In addition to drivers taking their eyes off the road, certain systems may also require navigating different menus whilst on the move - thus the new Euro NCAP protocols seek to strike a balance between modern touchscreens and the safety benefits of easy-to-reach, physical controls.
In addition to the above measures for physical buttons, the next Euro NCAP 2026 protocols will also see a thorough revamp of its grading criteria that award safety scores for vehicles. The new rating method will test a vehicle's safety according to the four distinctive phases of an accident: safe driving, crash avoidance, crash protection and post-crash safety.
Arvind can't remember a time when he didn't wheel around a HotWheels car. This love evolved into an interest in Tamiya and RC cars and finally the real deal 1:1 scale stuff. Passion finally lead to formal training in Mechanical Engineering. Instead of the bigger picture, he obsesses with the final drive ratio and spring rates of cars and spends the weekends wondering why a Perodua Myvi is so fast.
