The rise of in-car technology has led to more manufacturers moving away from physical buttons to control certain functions such as a vehicle’s infotainment system, climate control and even safety equipment.
This has been borne out of convenience and cost, allowing carmakers to save money by not installing switches and buttons, instead putting some features into the infotainment system.
However, the practice has drawn the ire of vehicle owners, with Hyundai Design North America (HDNA) recently finding out from a focus group how much of an annoyance the touchscreen-heavy approach has become for motorists.
“As we were adding integrated [infotainment] screens in our vehicles, we also tried out putting touchscreen-based controls, and people didn’t prefer that,” HDNA Vice President Ha Hak-soo told the Korea JoonAng Daily.
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The Santa Fe’s interior is arguable Hyundai’s least-buttoned
“When we tested with our focus group, we realised that people get stressed, annoyed and steamed when they want to control something in a pinch but are unable to do so.”
Mr Ha stopped short of saying Hyundai will move back to having more physical buttons to control certain features, but his comments suggest the brand will make a more conscious effort to not put as many controls behind a touchscreen.
While Hyundai has limited how many controls to some vehicle systems its put behind infotainment sub-menus, other brands have faced more public scrutiny for over-complicating simple changes.
In 2019, Volkswagen started to roll out haptic steering wheel buttons for the cruise control and infotainment systems, which can be triggered by a light brush.
At the same time, the climate controls in some Volkswagen Group vehicles moved into the infotainment screen. A shortcut button on the dashboard takes users to a climate control menu.
Volkswagen ID.5 GTX steering wheel
On some of the newer Volkswagen Group vehicles however there’s also a touch-sensitive slider below the screen, but this only raises or lowers the temperature.
Criticism of the such systems led Volkswagen boss Thomas Schäfer to announce in late 2022 that the brand would return to push-buttons, with some new models having already received the more traditional switches.
Mr Schäfer even went as far to say the haptic steering wheel switchgear, as well as touch-capacitive climate control sliders, “definitely did a lot of damage” to the brand’s image among its loyal fans.
Volkswagen isn’t the most high-profile brand to ditch physical controls, with Tesla’s popular Model Y and Model 3 electric vehicles (EVs) doing without buttons for many systems.
Tesla’s steering wheel indicators
The updated Tesla Model 3 in particular has indicator and windscreen wiper buttons on the steering wheel rather than a traditional stalk. Speed control of the latter is adjusted through the touchscreen.
This car’s gear selector is also now implemented in the touchscreen infotainment system.
As reported in March, Euro NCAP – the European counterpart to Australia’s ANCAP – will attempt to quell these practices by introducing new safety criteria from January 2026 which will result in points being deducted for certain vehicle functions not being easily accessible via physical controls.
This includes indicators, hazard warning lights, windscreen wipers, activating an emergency calling system and even using the horn.
MORE: Safety authority will punish carmakers for relying on touchscreens
MORE: Volkswagen brings back buttons as touch controls get the flick
