What used to be a premium feature, touchscreen is starting to become popular among automakers and there have been an increasing number of tasks have been integrated into it as well. However, a set of upcoming changes by the European New Car Assessment Programme (Euro NCAP) would likely make automakers reconsider some of their approach to physical buttons and touchscreens.
No 5-star Euro NCAP rating without physical buttons for these tasks
Matthew Avery, the Director of Strategic Development at Euro NCAP has recently made a rather interesting remark according to a report by The Sunday Times:
The overuse of touchscreens is an industry-wide problem, with almost every vehicle-maker moving key controls onto central touchscreens, obliging drivers to take their eyes off the road and raising the risk of distraction crashes.
New Euro NCAP tests due in 2026 will encourage manufacturers to use separate, physical controls for basic functions in an intuitive manner, limiting eyes-off-road time and therefore promoting safer driving.
Under the new ruling that will be implemented starting January 2026, automakers have to implement physical buttons, stalks, or dials for five critical tasks if they are aiming to obtain that coveted 5-star Euro NCAP rating for their vehicle. The list includes:
- Signal indicator
- Hazard lights
- Horn
- Windscreen wipers
- Emergency call (eCall) SOS
Does this mean no 5-star rating for the Tesla Model 3?
Given the remark made by Matthew, one may immediately think of the Tesla Model 3 Highland since the electric sedan does not come with any physical stalks. Instead, you have to use buttons on the steering wheel to activate signal indicators and windscreen wiper on the car.
For driving mode, the main method to choose Drive, Park, Reverse, and Neutral is via its touchscreen. Alternatively, there is also the overhead console which houses the physical buttons for these driving modes.
Tesla’s decision to go away with physical stalks and implement a swipe-to-drive interface for the newly refreshed Model 3 was indeed controversial. However, these tasks are not the barriers for the company to obtain a 5-star Euro NCAP rating for Model 3 according to the upcoming 2026 ruling since there are still physical buttons for them.
The only thing that would stop Model 3 Highland from being awarded the 5-star rating is the lack of a dedicated eCall button. This feature was not implemented on Malaysian units but in Europe, owners have to tap on the SOS icon on the top status bar area of the touchscreen to activate it according to the Model 3 owner’s manual.
This feature will also activate automatically upon the deployment of the airbags or when the vehicle detects a severe collision. As the new ruling will only be in place in 2026, Tesla certainly has some time to rectify this if it wants the Model 3 Highland to obtain the 5-star Euro NCAP rating as per its 2019 predecessor.
