Automakers return to physical buttons amid safety and usability concerns

Major automotive manufacturers, including Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen, and Ferrari, are shifting away from purely touchscreen-based cockpits toward a return of physical, haptic controls. This strategic pivot follows significant customer frustration regarding the complexity of navigating nested digital menus while driving.

Mercedes-Benz CEO Ola Källenius acknowledged that the industry overshot its digitalization goals, noting that replacing tactile switches with touchscreens has impacted driving safety. To address this, the company is reintroducing physical elements, such as replacing touch-sliders on steering wheels with tactile rollers for volume control.

This shift is also driven by upcoming safety regulations. Starting in 2026, Euro NCAP will require essential functions—including turn signals, hazard lights, windshield wipers, emergency calls, and horns—to be operated via physical controls for a vehicle to receive a maximum five-star safety rating. While large displays like the MBUX Hyperscreen will remain part of future designs for navigation and multimedia, critical primary functions are being moved back to physical hardware to prioritize ergonomics and safety.