More than three quarters of UK drivers say they don’t want unnecessary in-car technology, according to new research. A study of 2,000 British motorists found 78 percent would rather stick to tech that makes life easier and more comfortable, rather than confusing and expensive high-end features.
The survey conducted by Romanian car brand Dacia found 76 percent of drivers think having too much on-board technology will prove distracting for drivers. And 61 percent said they would rather have a more affordable vehicle with tech they will use, rather than superfluous and expensive extras that are rarely required.
At the same time, 69 percent of respondents said they thought in-car technology had become too complicated over the past few years. And roughly a third think modern cars are fitted with too many high-tech features, while a similar number reckon they use just 25 percent of the features fitted to their vehicles.
Dacia’s research also revealed drivers use an average of 40 percent of the technology fitted to their car, with drivers aged 25-34 regularly using the largest number of features on their vehicles. Even so, those younger drivers are still using less than half the technology their car comes with.
As a result, the study suggested features including in-car wi-fi and automatic parking technology were least likely to be used. At the opposite end of the scale, drivers actively use Bluetooth connectivity, DAB digital radio and satellite navigation. So perhaps it's no surprise that the most desirable features among survey respondents were Bluetooth, parking sensors and satellite navigation.
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“From this research, we can see that what we offer our customers is exactly what they want and actually use on a daily basis,” said Luke Broad, the brand director for Dacia in the UK and Ireland. “More than three quarters of drivers don’t want unnecessary technology and features – which they are also paying for – and that is really significant. It proves that we don’t need to pursue filling our cars with tech that will, as the data shows, just go unused.”
“Here at Dacia, we believe in making cars that provide our customers with everything that is genuinely useful and adds value to their daily lives. I, like many drivers, now consider things like Apple CarPlay and Android Auto essential, which is why it is standard from our Comfort trim level – all for the best value. It keeps us faithful to our DNA.”