Yes AI is clever, but I don’t want a conversation with my car when driving

There’s nothing better than getting opinions straight from the horse’s mouth. Which is why I love getting lost in the reams of data that our annual Driver Power survey produces. Since 2001, every year we’ve collected the opinions of thousands of drivers on what they really think of the cars they’ve put their hard-earned cash into; what they love and, equally importantly, what they hate.

As you’ll see, one obvious trend that aligns with what we’ve been increasingly highlighting in our new-car reviews is the frustration with in-car tech that seems to be designed with very little thought for the user. While satisfaction scores across the board are sliding, ratings in the Infotainment and Safety Features categories are among the sharpest fallers of all. 

Touchscreen infotainment is smart, and looks great when you’re showing it off in a dealership, but it still doesn’t work as well as old-fashioned buttons, which have been ostracised because they make the cabin less pretty and are harder to package. Chuck it all on the screen and there’s no need to run so much wiring around the dashboard. Who cares that it’s then harder and more distracting to use on the road?

And voice control isn’t the answer; I don’t want to interrupt my podcast to have an increasingly two-way conversation with my car. Yes, AI is clever, but I’d still prefer to reach down to a button whose location I know from muscle memory, so I don’t have to glance away from the road. That, alone, was a big part of the reason BMW’s 2 Series scored so well. A model not yet ‘blessed’ with cutting-edge tech is one that owners spoke as highly of for its controls as they did its driving characteristics. 

Ditto the overbearing safety systems, as there’s been a huge drop in how people rate the safety features of their car. Given that the amount of tech is increasing all the time and more systems are being added, it’s clearly not the quantity or availability that is causing offence, but the way they interact with the driver. Maybe car companies will take notice when their customers are telling us the same thing. 

We’d love to dive further into what drivers think of the cars they live with, so we’ve already started to amass data for Driver Power 2027. Head for autoexpress.co.uk/driver-power and make sure your car, and your views, are represented when we do it all again next year.

Did you know you can sell your car through Auto Express? We’ll help you get a great price and find a great deal on a new car, too.