Your Next Car Might Have Fewer Buttons Than Your iPhone.

Over the last decade, automobile design has intensely shifted. Cars today follow a more minimalist design theme, which is sleeker, more digital, and software-heavy.

It feels like a race of “Whose dashboard screen is bigger?” because manufacturers are competing to make vehicles feel and look futuristic.

But with this design shift, an important question is surfacing -

Are these design trends really improving the driving experience or silently making it deficient? Are passenger vehicle manufacturers quietly taking the Chinese path of turning a simple passenger car into a gimmicky gadget under the title of “Mobility Innovation”?

Let’s take the classic example of flush door handles.

No doubt that they look clean and modern, and they improve aerodynamics marginally paired with aero wheels, which helps EVs to deliver a marginally better range. But they also add complexity. In accidents or electrical failures, these handles can malfunction, and there have been real-life accident cases wherein passengers could not be rescued because of the electrical operation of flushed handles. A simple mechanical component has become an electronic system that can fail.

The second trend is even more visible once you take a seat inside any modern car.

The modern dashboard is now dominated by a primary screen as large as an Airbus A380 cockpit’s system display paired with a couple smaller screens. Physical and tactile buttons for climate control, drive modes, music controls, and even volume knobs are suddenly disappearing. They are being replaced by touchscreen menus.

This shift started primarily with Tesla’s minimalist interior design strategy. Many automakers followed along, mainly because screens create a tech-advanced impression and also because they simplify the manufacturing process and reduce costs. One display can replace a dozen mechanical switches.

But the trade-off that we neglect here is the simple usability of your vehicle.

Unlike physical buttons, touchscreens require drivers to look away from the road. Volvo conducted interesting research about the loss of attention span of drivers while navigating the touchscreen display and how much additional distance is covered while losing attention on the road ahead compared to using simple tactile buttons. The results were astonishing. Tactile feedback disappears, and even simple actions like adjusting the temperature can require navigating menus.

Interestingly, consumer preferences don’t fully support this shift. Surveys consistently show that most drivers still prefer physical buttons for frequently used functions because they are easier and safer to use while driving. Automakers are slowly beginning to acknowledge this.

So why did the industry move so aggressively toward screens?

The answer lies in three things - reduced cost, convenience of software integration, and customer perception. Large displays allow automakers to push software updates, add features digitally, add subscription models, and market vehicles as “technology products.” In the era of electric and connected cars, the “technology” narrative matters.

But, the future of automotive design may not be fully digital.

The most sensible approach is a hybrid one - keep physical controls for critical functions like climate, volume, and hazards, while using screens for navigation, entertainment, and advanced settings.

Because technology should enhance driving, not complicate it.

The best cars of the future will likely combine digital intelligence with mechanical simplicity, bringing back the tactile experience drivers never actually wanted to lose. The real question is not whether cars should be more digital. It’s how much digital is too much.

I might be an enthusiast with a heavier bias on the pre-COVID design era of cars. But I would like to understand what new generation buyers are actually thinking or preferring in a car interior - physical buttons with just the right size of display OR larger, more advanced touchscreen controls?