To my aid, it appears like the reply to the query “is it just me?” isn’t any.

Too many automobiles in current instances have had me despairing on the variety of controls which have migrated away from bodily buttons and onto touchscreens.

In some circumstances that is barely annoying; in others I imagine it’s borderline harmful. Now the influential automotive security ranking organisation Euro NCAP has determined that, from 2026, it’ll award five-star rankings solely to automobiles that retain bodily controls for key options.

To qualify, a automotive will need to have buttons, stalks or dials for its indicators, windscreen wipers, hazard warning lights, horn and SOS perform. This record of things is welcome however not as exhaustive as I would really like.

You must be some form of psychopath to not need these controls instantly accessible the place they all the time are, wouldn’t you?

Given that only some automotive makers have moved any wiper exercise from bodily controls and, to my data, solely Tesla has made the baffling and idiotic resolution to place indicators on clean, unfeelable and shifting buttons (on a steering-wheel spoke within the newest Tesla Model 3), this resolution ought to forestall extra mission creep however largely units the bounds at the place we are actually.

I would like Euro NCAP to ask that issues which can be changing into widespread be undone.

The Volvo EX30, for instance, which final 12 months drove me to distraction by having no bodily controls for its door mirrors, wiper sensitivity, local weather management (excluding a roof-mounted and never feelably delineated demister button), lights (together with the foglight) or driver help techniques, nor a rapidly turnable/pushable quantity management, may nonetheless qualify for 5 Euro NCAP stars. I needed to burn it.