PETALING JAYA: Once upon a time, turning up the air-conditioning or adjusting the radio meant reaching for a knob or pressing a button. Today, in many newer cars, the same task might involve tapping a touchscreen, opening a menu and finding the right icon - all while keeping an eye on the road.
The sleek, minimalist dashboard has become a hallmark of modern vehicle design, particularly as ever-larger screens have replaced rows of switches and dials. But recent findings suggest drivers may not be quite ready to give up the humble button.
Research published in July examined 669,493 real-world journeys across 79 countries and found that drivers interacted with physical buttons more frequently than touchscreens.
Physical controls were used roughly once every 6.5 minutes, compared with a touchscreen interaction about once every 10 minutes. Voice controls lagged far behind, averaging just one interaction every 100 minutes.
And the preference for buttons was particularly noticeable closer to home. Across East and Southeast Asia, more than two-thirds of recorded interaction sequences involved physical controls, compared with 36.5% involving touchscreens.
The researchers noted, however, that the two types of control do not always perform the same functions, so the figures are not a straight popularity contest.
Nevertheless, they concluded that physical buttons remain an important part of everyday driving and should continue to play a central role for frequently used functions.
When a tap becomes a distraction
Another study published in August adds weight to the argument. Researchers directly compared touchscreen and physical controls while participants carried out driving-related tasks.
For jobs requiring more than one interaction, touchscreen controls resulted in poorer task and driving performance. Touchscreens were also associated with greater distraction regardless of how many steps the task involved.
That distinction matters because operating a screen often requires a driver to look at it to confirm where to tap. A familiar physical button, knob or switch can frequently be located by touch instead.
It does not mean every touchscreen is inherently unsafe, or that dashboards should return to the button-heavy designs of decades past. Screens make sense for navigation, entertainment, reversing cameras and functions that are used only occasionally.
The question is whether basic controls that drivers might need quickly - such as wipers or headlights - should be buried inside one. Euro NCAP, the independent European vehicle-safety assessment organisation whose ratings influence car design far beyond that region, has already taken a position.
Under its revised 2026 assessment programme, manufacturers are encouraged to provide physical controls for important functions including signal lights, hazard lights, the horn, windscreen wipers and headlights, or ensure these functions occupy a permanently accessible part of a display.
Malaysians still 'suka tekan butang'
Closer to home, carmakers are already taking different approaches to the question. The Proton e.MAS 7, for instance, places functions including air-conditioning temperature, drive modes and driver-assistance settings within its touchscreen, but retains a large volume knob and four physical climate-control buttons.
The 2025 Proton X50 similarly keeps buttons for functions such as the front demister and air-conditioning, while shifting most climate controls - and its drive-mode selection - onto the central screen.
Meanwhile, models such as the Perodua Ativa retain dedicated physical air-conditioning controls and door-lock buttons, illustrating how far dashboard design can vary even among popular Malaysian-market cars.
So, will screens eventually disappear? Highly unlikely. If anything, the modern dashboard is likely to undergo a compromise: screens for information-heavy features, complemented by tactile controls for functions drivers use most often.
And that may not be technological regression at all. Sometimes, the most useful innovation might simply be a button you can find with your fingers.