The European New Car Assessment Programme, or Euro NCAP, has made it clear to carmakers that they need to reduce their reliance on digital screens or they could face missing out on five-star safety ratings.
As reported by The Times, Euro NCAP states that it will introduce new rules in January 2026 that require vehicles to have physical controls for key controls relating to safety.
“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,” said Matthew Avery, Strategic Development Director at Euro NCAP.
He added that for a car to achieve a five-star safety rating going forward, the driver must be able to operate the indicators, hazard lights, horn, windscreen wipers, and emergency SOS call function with stalks or buttons.
Step into any modern vehicle and you’ll likely find a completely digital gauge cluster and a large, almost computer monitor-like central display. While these often simplify the look of an interior, they can make it difficult for occupants to find certain features if they are buried behind various menus.
Take the Tesla Model 3 for example, a vehicle with no stalks whatsoever, but one that uses buttons on the steering wheel to operate the lights, indicators, and wipers. All other vehicle controls like selecting the drive mode are performed on the central 15-inch display.
The aforementioned EV is likely the kind of vehicle Euro NCAP wants to reign in before things truly get out of hand.
“As this work is in progress, we have not yet finalized the evaluation procedure,” Avery told The Times. “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.”
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