Overview
- From January 2026, Euro NCAP will withhold a five‑star rating from vehicles that lack physical switches for core functions such as indicators or wipers.
- Eye‑tracking and task‑based tests report substantial distraction: simple temperature changes average about 3.5 seconds off the road, radio adjustments roughly 11 seconds, and navigation inputs about 16 seconds.
- Comparative trials found some touchscreen tasks took up to 45 seconds in certain models, with drivers covering as much as 1.4 kilometers without looking ahead.
- Allianz data shows touchscreen use increases driver reaction time by 57 percent, and use of onboard computers raises crash risk by around 50 percent.
- Manufacturers including Volkswagen, Hyundai, and Porsche are reintroducing more physical buttons, reflecting the commercial weight of safety ratings despite their nonbinding status.