Push it real good - the return of buttons in cars

For the last decade or so the tech-takeover of our car interiors has been unstoppable. Designers imagining ever-bigger futuristic screens in svelte, featureless cabins. But opinion and design never rests. Consumers and safety groups are beginning to miss the sensory, analogue clunk, click and thunk of buttons you can work by touch alone. It seems that many of us are keen to look backwards to go forwards.

Is this the start of a big button pushback?

As the architect of this trend, Tesla must shoulder the most responsibility. Since introducing their 17-inch screen some thirteen years ago, car makers have pushed more and more controls onto touchscreens. And for good reason. Touchscreens are cheaper and manufacturers can include a range of smart features that can be updated over the air.

But if history has told us anything (and generally speaking) it’s a good idea to keep your eyes on the road while you’re driving. This seemingly obvious fact has not escaped the attention of the European New Car Assessment Programme (NCAP). If vehicles don’t have buttons or dials for essential functions they will no longer qualify for the NCAP five-star safety rating.

And drivers agree. The thousands of car, van and truck drivers we talk to every year are telling us that the trend for touchscreens has gone too far.

But do people really want their buttons back? 

Let’s find out.

We talked with 842 British new car buyers and sought their views.

The majority (57%) recognise that the best option is a balance of buttons and touchscreen but 1 in 3 prefer buttons for most of their controls, while just 1 in 10 prefer the touchscreen to dominate.

And while three-quarters are happy with the mix of controls in their current car, those who would like more buttons outnumber those who would prefer less by 3 to 1.

But can manufacturers afford a move back to physical controls? After canvassing public opinion, it may not actually be that painful for them financially. 30% of our car buyers claimed they’d be willing to pay an additional £500 to have more functions controlled by buttons on their next car. And as many as 9% said they’d be willing to go as high as £1,500.

It’s interesting to note that younger drivers, and those with kids in the household are much more likely to spend money for analogue buttons than more mature motorists.

It seems we’ve crossed a Rubicon with modern cabin design. Nobody wants to go back to the cluttered, button-salad dashboards of yesteryear, but it’s hard to deny that some essential driving functions are intuitive, easier and safer to use if they’re good old analogue buttons, dials and switches. 

And by the way, we’ve also talked with new car buyers in Germany about this. If you’d like to know how the two markets compare just get in touch.