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 think they need to be super explicit to stop the likes of Tesla weaseling out or doing the bare minimum:
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.
Eh. I don’t think you need to specify “stalk”. I would be fine with physical buttons anywhere within easy reach. If they want to make a racing wheel that has 30 switches on it, I think I’m fine with that.
I appreciate that SOME things don’t have buttons now: getting into a BMW with that has the same number of buttons and switches as the cockpit of an airliner is ridiculous.
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
I’m being generous saying it cost them $20.
Even older Model 3s and Ys couldn’t be bothered with the complexity of conventional stalks where a switch moved to a position, and for indicators self cancelled. Instead the indicator is a rocker which tilted up or down, (or pulled back for headlights) but always returned to neutral. The car decided how long to indicate based on how long a person held it and software does the rest, e.g. hold left indicator more than 3s and the car will indicate left until software decided the wheels had straightened out. It also had a button on the end for wipers. Not especially more complex than a joypad.
I should also say that my wife has a model Y and the wiper button sucks. The variable wiper speed function has a mind of its own and if you want to set the wipers to an actual speed you have to take your eyes off the road to set it from the touchscreen or know the voice command. So even now, the function is dangerous.
But at least her car a stalk for indicators. But Tesla likes to cut corners or “innovate” as some people mistakenly believe and so replaced them with haptic buttons on the wheel. Except the buttons rotate with the wheel. Maybe not so much of a big deal in the USA, where roundabouts are not very common. It’s a huge big deal in the rest of the world, where it is impossible to use these buttons safely and legally while going around one.
That may be the price if you buy a spare part. OEM for manufscturing it’ll be much lower.
I recently had to buy a hose for my car. At the dealer it was 170€. At an online diwcout parts store it was 14€. Name brand, Gates.