{
  "id": 14072057,
  "title": "Car touchscreens took over the dashboard, but buttons are fighting back",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/12/car-touchscreens-took-over-the-dashboard-but-buttons-are-fighting-back",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-12T23:30:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Free Malaysia Today",
    "slug": "free-malaysia-today-freemalays",
    "url": "https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/leisure/2026/10/13/car-touchscreens-took-over-the-dashboard-but-buttons-are-fighting-back"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Car touchscreens are increasingly dominating modern vehicle dashboards, but physical buttons are still holding their own. Despite their prevalence, drivers might not be ready to completely abandon buttons just yet. A study of 669,493 real-world journeys across 79 countries found that drivers used physical buttons more often than touchscreens, with physical controls being interacted with roughly once every 6.5 minutes compared to touchscreens at about once every 10 minutes. Voice controls were the least frequently used, averaging just one interaction every 100 minutes.\n\nThe preference for buttons appears to be more pronounced in East and Southeast Asia, with over two-thirds of recorded interaction sequences involving physical controls, while only 36.5% involved touchscreens. The researchers noted that physical buttons remain crucial for frequently used functions, despite being overshadowed by touchscreens in newer vehicles.\n\nAnother study directly compared touchscreen and physical controls during driving-related tasks. Tasks requiring multiple interactions showed poorer performance with touchscreens, and they were also associated with greater distraction. While touchscreens are useful for navigation, entertainment, and infrequently used functions, some basic controls like wipers and headlights should remain accessible through tactile controls for quick and easy access.\n\nAutomakers are taking various approaches to striking a balance between screens and buttons. For example, the Proton e.MAS 7 and the 2025 Proton X50 retain physical controls for important functions like air-conditioning and drive modes, while models like the Perodua Ativa continue to feature dedicated physical buttons for air-conditioning and door locks. Euro NCAP, the European vehicle-safety assessment organization, recommends physical controls for critical functions or ensuring that these functions are accessible on a permanent part of the display. While a complete replacement of touchscreens with buttons seems unlikely, the future of dashboard design may involve a compromise: utilizing screens for information-heavy features and retaining tactile controls for functions drivers use most often.",
  "summary": "Recent research suggests physical controls remain easier to use and less distracting for common driving tasks.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Free Malaysia Today",
        "title": "Car touchscreens took over the dashboard, but buttons are fighting back",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/12/car-touchscreens-took-over-the-dashboard-but-buttons-are-fighting-back-14073236",
        "published": "2026-10-12T23:30:00.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}