Eight out of 10 drivers want buttons, not touchscreens

• 79% of drivers want buttons for essential controls in their car, shows April’s new Startline Used Car Tracker

• Only 51% believe that having all controls on touchscreens is safe

• 66% think adopting touchscreens is a cost-cutting measure

Eight out of 10 (79%) motorists say they would rather have buttons for major controls in their car rather than a big, central touchscreen, new research shows.

April’s Startline Used Car Tracker also reveals that only 51% think that having controls on a touchscreen is safe and 64% say it makes them take their eyes off the road more often.

Paul Burgess, CEO at Startline Motor Finance, said: “It’s become very much the norm for modern cars to have an iPad-sized touchscreen in the middle of the dashboard containing most or even all of the controls for which there used to be buttons and knobs.

“Manufacturers do this because it allows their designers to create very ‘clean’ looking interiors but our research shows that they are not at all popular with drivers, with the vast majority wanting major controls such as heating to have buttons.

“There’s also a big safety question here. Jabbing at a screen and cycling through several menus means taking your eyes off the road for an extended period, which has very real safety implications. Many of the people we surveyed are obviously worried about this.”

In addition, 66% believe that touchscreens are largely being adopted to save car manufacturers money, and only 56% say they are convenient.

Paul added: “Motorists are cynical that touchscreens are being introduced for their benefit and instead think it is a cost-cutting measure. It could be that, in the future, car makers that adopt a mix of screen and traditional controls will be among the most popular.”