Sometimes we just want things the way they are, whether it’s knobs and buttons or door handles. Carmakers are so desperate to stand out with new technology that they are solving problems that don’t actually exist. In fact, a lot of times, they are creating new problems.
We’ve compiled a list of the worst features found in new cars, some of which are brand-specific and others that plague the entire car market. These were selected based on how often we’ve seen people complaining about them on Reddit and car-focused forums, in addition to our own disdain for these things.
Lane Centering Assistance
A quick look around the internet unveils plenty of drivers begging to know how to turn off lane-centering assistance. Lane centering is supposed to keep your car, well, centered in your lane. But most drivers feel this is not just unnecessary, but frustrating. Who in their right mind thought it was a good idea to make it feel as if your car is a stubborn 3,000-pound toddler that won’t listen to you?
On top of just being plain irritating, lane centering can sometimes be dangerous, as many new car owners have shared. If you’re attempting to merge into a different lane or want to move to the side to avoid a cyclist or parked police car, lane centering will think you’re out of control and force you back to the center of the lane.
Touchscreens Everywhere
Car brands seem to think it’s a sign of the future to be surrounded by screens in the cab. While it does create that minimalist, sleek look that sci-fi authors imagined back in the ’60s, the reality is that most touchscreens are just lame (according to me and many in the car community). They believe that it’s completely uninspiring to keep seeing all these flat, lifeless touchscreens. Where are the knobs, dials, and buttons that made older dashboards feel like you’re in a jet fighter? Even the cool analog dials have been replaced by a screen.
Second, touchscreens are somewhat dangerous. Without being able to feel a knob turning or a button-pushing down, drivers often have to look directly at the touchscreen to see what they’re trying to do. This means taking their eyes off the road. It can get even more distracting when the touchscreens have terrible feedback. The internet is full of forums dedicated to newer Ford Mustangs having endless issues with lag — there have even been recalls for the screens going black, according to Kelley Blue Book. This is one instance where innovation doesn’t always mean genius.
Blue-Tinted LED Headlights
As someone who is a fan of driving a Miata with lowered suspension, I can safely say that I’ve been completely blinded by cars driving up behind me at night with a million lumens of light blasting into my rearview mirror. But I’m not the only one. According to CBS News, new cars come with stronger LED lights than in the past — and they’re blinding drivers on the highway from all angles.
CBS added that there are even petitions to ban these new headlights, with people concerned for their safety or just plain angry that incoming cars feel like staring into the eclipse. Even worse, flashing your high beams at other drivers isn’t even illegal. Ban the beams! And while you’re at it, bring back pop-up headlights!
Gear Selectors
The 2025 Mazda CX-70’s gearshift is the perfect example of “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” Seriously, not everything has to be changed and prodded and modded to prove we’re in the future. Like, we get it already. The Mazda CX-70’s gearshift selector is a terrible thing that didn’t need to exist, but here we are.
While you move up and down to switch between Drive and Reverse, as per usual, you have to push the gearshift sideways to go into Park. Why? Just why? We have such muscle memory ingrained in us from driving for decades that it’s so common for us to push the shifter up mindlessly and then realize it’s not working — and we’re even rolling backward! Can’t we just keep the old gearshift? Mazda, you’re not special for this.
Driver Attention Alerts
Hey, Toyota — you’re not my mom! New Toyota models have introduced one of the world’s most irritating car features known to humanity: the Driver Monitoring System. This completely useless and enraging technology tracks your face and suddenly yelps out rude things at you while you white-knuckle grip the wheel and try not to careen yourself off a cliff.
Meant to remind you to pay attention, drivers have been complaining online (rightfully so) that their Toyota keeps lecturing them even when it’s not necessary. For example, telling them to “keep your eyes on the road” when they’re looking straight ahead already, or nagging them to “sit up straight” when their back is already as upright as can be. This was an issue reported by a writer at Drive who was clearly driven to the brink of insanity. Toyota, just shut up. Please. We are begging you.
Android Automotive OS
Android Automotive is an operating system within your vehicle’s hardware that’s completely customizable, in theory allowing you to make your infotainment more to your liking. But a lot of drivers have started to dread when automakers reveal that a car has implemented Android Automotive OS, with Android Police listing out all of the reasons they hate it.
That’s because you’ll likely need to pay for a monthly subscription to a data service if you want to add additional apps to your car’s infotainment system. Imagine paying not just car insurance and a car payment every month, but you’ll even need to pay to use the loathsome touchscreen inside your vehicle, as reported by Pickup Truck Talk. What is this, Ubisoft? A car shouldn’t be riddled with microtransactions. Some cars have better Android Automotive functionality than others, but we’d rather pass on them altogether.
Pop-Out Door Handles
Man, I hate these. Instead of a door handle you can easily grab and pull, EVs have opted for these flat handles that you have to dig out of the side of the car to operate.
Some EV enthusiasts claim this is to create better aerodynamics, but does having no door handle sticking out really make that massive of an impact that I must be inconvenienced and angry before I even start driving? And isn’t there any other aerodynamic handle design? They also claim they aren’t electric and can’t fail, but many EVs, including the Tesla Model 3’s door handle’s pop-out motion, are electric, meaning it’s possible it can fail.
Artificial Engine Sounds
Most car enthusiasts value not just a car’s performance, but its design and its sound. Car brands know this and are using it to prey on us by adding fake engine sounds to EVs. According to Kelley Blue Book, some models even add rumbling car seats so you can really feel like you’re cold-starting a V8. But this new feature has upset both manual purists, who don’t want to hear engine mockery, as well as EV enthusiasts, who don’t care about engines at all.
On one Reddit thread, I found a bunch of EV owners who felt drivers wanting a fake engine noise have the mindset of a 14-year-old boy playing with Hot Wheels. To them, the fake engine noise was performative, with one driver even saying they didn’t want battery power wasted on the useless effect. So, in an attempt to appease begrudging car lovers who feel EVs are soulless, EV brands have also alienated electric car lovers who actually want a silent ride. Lose-lose. EVs are just different and should embrace that. Don’t try to emulate something great that you’ll never truly be, or it’ll feel like a cheap copycat.
