Eight out of 10 (79%) motorists say they would rather have buttons for major controls in their car rather than a big, central touchscreen, new research shows.

Only half (51%) of drivers think having controls on a touchscreen is safe and 64% say it makes them take their eyes off the road more often

The latest Used Car Tracker by Startline Motor Finance also found only 51% think that having controls on a touchscreen is safe and 64% say it makes them take their eyes off the road more often.

It’s now the norm for many modern cars to have an iPad-sized touchscreen in the middle of the dashboard containing most or even all controls – while these great for design purposes, Startline’s research shows they’re at all popular with drivers, with the vast majority wanting major controls such as heating to have buttons.

Paul Burgess, CEO at Startline Motor Finance, added: “There’s also a big safety question here. Jabbing at a screen and cycling through several menus means taking your eyes off the road for an extended period, which has very real safety implications. Many of the people we surveyed are obviously worried about this.”

Driver distraction is estimated to be a factor in up to 30% of vehicle collisions across Europe. Last month saw Euro NCAP announce that it will only give five-star safety ratings to vehicles retaining physical switches for key controls.

Startline’s research also revealed that 66% of drivers believe touchscreens are largely being adopted to save car manufacturers money, and only 56% say they are convenient.

Burgess added: “Motorists are cynical that touchscreens are being introduced for their benefit and instead think it is a cost-cutting measure. It could be that, in the future, car makers that adopt a mix of screen and traditional controls will be among the most popular.”

The Startline Used Car Tracker is compiled monthly for Startline Motor Finance by APD Global Research. The latest edition quizzed 302 consumers and 64 dealers.