China pushes car makers to bring back physical buttons as the touchscreen era gets its first serious check

A forum post points to a real issue, but the source lies elsewhere

CarNewsChina reports that China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, known as MIIT, is preparing an update to the GB4094 2016 standard. The new requirement would apply to newly produced cars from 1 July 2027 and would add a physical control requirement for functions that drivers must be able to use quickly, blindly and without diving into the central screen.

One point needs clearing up. This does not mean China plans to ban large screens. Infotainment, navigation, music, detailed climate settings and entertainment can stay on displays. The state is stepping in where touchscreens begin to affect driving safety directly.

Which buttons have to return?

The draft standard reportedly covers the following functions: indicators, hazard lights, horn, wipers, windscreen heating and demisting, electric windows, P, R, N and D gear selection, switching driver assistance systems on and off, the emergency call system and, in electric cars, emergency high voltage shutdown.

The requirements go beyond the mere presence of a button. The usable control surface must measure at least 10 x 10 mm, the location must be fixed, the control must provide tactile or audible feedback, and key functions must remain usable even if the car’s central system crashes or loses power.

That last point is the most important technically. If the screen freezes, the driver must not lose access to the wipers, windscreen clearing or hazard lights. In this context, the physical button is not an old fashioned design flourish. It is a backup system.

The Tesla effect reached its limit

The rise of touchscreens began with the idea of making cabins visually cleaner and more flexible through software. Tesla showed that one large screen could control almost everything. China’s electric car industry adopted the same logic quickly. Nio, Xpeng, Li Auto, Aito, Xiaomi and many others built interiors where the number of physical buttons shrank to a minimum.

The problem appeared in daily use. When a driver has to search through menus while moving to find windscreen heating, mirror adjustment or a driver assistance switch, this is no longer clean design. It is distraction dressed as minimalism. According to CarNewsChina, work on the GB4094 update began in 2023 and included manufacturers and test bodies, among them the China Automotive Technology and Research Center, Geely, FAW Volkswagen, BYD and Great Wall Motor.

Europe is moving in the same direction, but with softer pressure

China’s approach is regulatory. If the rule enters force, manufacturers will have to follow it to secure approval for sale. In Europe, the pressure currently comes more through Euro NCAP. According to an ETSC overview, the 2026 Euro NCAP assessment scheme will favour separate physical controls for key functions, including indicators, hazard lights, the horn, wipers and eCall emergency calling. Without such solutions, achieving a top rating will become harder.

Europe’s difference is that Euro NCAP does not write law for manufacturers. It shapes the market through reputation. A five star safety rating sells cars, builds trust and influences fleet purchasing decisions. In practice, that pressure can be almost as powerful as a legal requirement.

Studies support the return of buttons

Criticism of touchscreens is not just motoring journalists grumbling into the void. In 2022, Swedish magazine Vi Bilägare tested 11 modern cars and compared them with an old Volvo V70 fitted with traditional buttons. At 110 km/h, the driver had to perform simple tasks, such as changing the radio station and adjusting the temperature. In the worst modern car, those tasks took more than four times longer than in the old Volvo cabin with physical controls.

That shows why this is not merely a matter of taste. A physical button can be found through muscle memory. A touchscreen demands a glance, a precise finger movement and often several steps. In a car travelling at 90 or 110 km/h, every extra second means dozens of metres covered with the driver’s attention split.

What does this mean for car makers?

The Chinese rule would hit most directly the manufacturers that moved too many functions into the central screen. Tesla will have to review its Chinese market models, and the same applies to Xiaomi, Nio, Xpeng, Li Auto and other local electric car brands. The effect will not stop at China. If a manufacturer builds a global model, creating a completely different dashboard for every market makes little sense.

That could speed up a global change in direction. Volkswagen already began moving back towards physical controls after customer criticism, especially for steering wheel and climate functions. A new Chinese standard would give the same trend regulatory weight.

The screen stays, but its role changes

The right conclusion is not that touchscreens are bad. The right conclusion is that a touchscreen suits information, settings and rarely used functions, but not critical driving controls.

A good modern car needs both. It needs a large screen for navigation, energy flows, media and software updates. It also needs physical buttons or stalks for functions the driver must use immediately and without looking. Above all, it needs a clear hierarchy where a safety function does not disappear into a menu for the sake of a design effect.

In that sense, China is not dragging the car back into the past. It is forcing manufacturers to admit that the human hand, muscle memory and tactile feedback are not obsolete technologies.

The European market perspective

For buyers in Europe, China’s move matters for two reasons. First, many new electric cars coming to Europe are built in China or developed in Chinese engineering centres. If China demands physical controls, the same solutions may also reach European versions.

Second, ergonomics may become a competitive advantage again. A car with easily found climate buttons, a wiper stalk, a volume roller and a clear hazard light switch no longer looks old fashioned. It looks properly thought through. After years of touchscreen fetishism, usability is starting to sell again.

Technical summary

China is preparing an update to the GB4094 2016 standard that would require physical controls for critical car functions.

The requirement would apply to newly produced cars from 1 July 2027.

A physical control must have a usable surface of at least 10 x 10 mm, a fixed location and tactile or audible feedback.

Touchscreens will not disappear, but indicators, hazard lights, wipers, windscreen demisting, gear selection and emergency functions should no longer live only inside menus.

Euro NCAP is moving in a similar direction with its 2026 assessment scheme, linking a five star safety rating more closely to the presence of physical controls.