European car safety body is coming for touchscreens. The European New Car Assessment Programme mandates that key controls need physical buttons or switches
politico.eu
Carmakers are equipping their latest models with fancy touchscreens, but that could cause problems with Europe’s largest car safety authority.
The European New Car Assessment Programme (NCAP) is revamping its rating system starting Jan. 1, 2026 to mandate that five of a car's primary controls — its horn, windshield wipers, turn signals, hazard warning lights and SOS features — will need physical buttons or switches.
Car models will have to comply to get NCAP's coveted five-star rating. The scheme is voluntary but is heeded by most automakers because it's closely monitored by consumers.
Belgium-based NCAP says that purely digital controls are a potential safety issue.
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If Android Auto is active, it blocks me from opening Google Maps on my phone and I have to mess with the touchscreen interface a bunch before it offers to let me use my phone's keyboard while stopped. It would be less annoying if the voice search option and the search interface on the car's touchscreen was less bad.
Interesting. Mine USED to not allow maps to open when in auto mode, but now doing so will force open the step-by-step instructions on my phone while leaving the map on the car (this started like 4 months ago)
But the phone keyboard for maps thing has been simple for like 4 years: just tap the search bar that's up on the car screen and if I'm not moving it's just there on my phone screen sometimes it actively annoys me because I wanted to use voice as my phone slid to the floor or some shit. Not just on my phone but on everyone I know who uses AA, are you on some ancient version or something?
Mine does that sometimes, but there's plenty of times when it's just being a glitchy pile of garbage. I've got a fully updated pixel 8 pro and a 2021 Subaru Crosstrek, but sometimes they just don't like to talk to each other correctly. It'll also do this fun thing where it just fails to turn on the mic for phone calls until I reboot the phone and the car before reconnecting them.
There did used to be some glitchiness in AA for me along those lines about a year ago, but they cleared up about a month before the P8 launch. I also use a P8P, but on an older car using the wired-only AA since the cars end doesn't support Bluetooth AA sadly. Wonder if that's got something to do with it?
Funny enough the glitch that's remained no matter how many updates (and yes I've reset settings on both ends many times) is that whatever audio was left playing will Autoplay at max volume when AA initiates. Luckily I can just mute my system and then go forth, but it's annoying to have to rewind or if I forget.