The European New Car Assessment Program (Euro NCAP), an independent car safety performance body, will be recommending fewer touchscreens from 2026 for the vehicles to receive full safety ratings.
Although the exact requirements have not been established yet, Euro NCAP has found that the increasing popularity of touchscreens is detrimental to driving safety, especially when it comes to the most basic commands.
“As this work is in progress, we have not yet finalized the evaluation procedure”, Matthew Avery, director of strategic development at Euro NCAP told the Verge. “However, it is our intention to adopt these new requirements in 2026 as stated and the vehicle manufacturers are aware and are in support of the initiative.”
When accessing things like turn signals, hazard warning lights, indicators, windscreen wipers, SOS calls or the horn, usually every second counts and a moment lost to find the right place on a touchscreen instead of intuitively pressing a button could turn into a disaster. This is why, vehicles will need to stick to old-school buttons, dials or stalks to receive 5-star safety ratings.
“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”, Avery told the Times.
Combining all controls into a single touchscreen panel is cheaper for manufacturers than adding separate buttons for separate commands. Moreover, touchscreens, compared to plain old buttons and dials, can appear more technologically advanced and more luxurious, sometimes appealing to customers simply for their aesthetics.
“They appeal to us when we’re in the dealership, sitting in the car, and playing with all the fun features that they offer. But as soon as we get out on the road and have to tap through multiple icons and menus just to turn up the heat, we realize how much we hate them”, Charlie Sorrel wrote in an article for Lifewire. “Hopefully, this new Euro NCAP rating requirement will push carmakers in the right direction.”
While Euro NCAP’s only issues safety guidelines, not legal requirements, car manufacturers tend to be well-aware of their scores and ratings. They will most likely comply with the guidelines rather than risk having lower safety scores. Meanwhile, while no similar warnings are on the horizon in the US, as American car manufacturers also sell in Europe, a reverse trend in car touchscreens will expectedly reach over the pond as well.
