Nearly three-quarters (71%) of motorists say voice control systems are useful and make it easier to access the ever-increasing number of features fitted to new cars.

71% of motorists say voice control systems are useful

That’s according to new research carried out by What Car?, which has revealed its list of the best and worst car infotainment systems following tests.

Latest Department for Transport figures show driver distraction remains a huge problem and was a factor in 17% of all road accidents in 2022 – up from 13% in 2013.

Red Corporate Driver Training warned earlier this year that driver distraction is swiftly becoming the biggest safety problem for fleets, largely due to the mass arrival of ‘buttonless’ car controls. It’s cautioned that widespread use of screens and dials for entertainment and driving options – to the point where some vehicles have almost no physical buttons at all – has tipped many drivers over the edge into dangerous levels of distraction.

The research by What Car? found more than half (52%) of drivers said they feel safer using voice control systems while driving rather than relying on physical buttons and touchscreens.

The consumer title also tested 20 cars, representative of the new car market, and timed how long it took to perform commonly used sat-nav, air conditioning and radio-related tasks using both voice control and physical or touchscreen buttons.

The study found that a competent voice control system beats a touchscreen hand down in reducing distraction while at the wheel, because the driver doesn’t have to look away from the road at all.

However, not all voice control systems are equal, and nearly six out of 10 users (58%) said they had experienced problems with a voice control system not understanding a command.

The best infotainment systems, such as BMW’s iDrive, Renault’s OpenR and Volvo’s Google Built-in, give the driver a number of ways of accessing frequently used functions. This means they can enter a postcode into the sat nav using the touchscreen when parked, and then use voice control to change the destination if plans alter on-route.

What Car? consumer editor Claire Evans said: “Our testing revealed a gulf between the best and worst voice systems on the market. BMW’s iDrive system was the clear leader in both our tests of voice control and physical or touchscreen controls. It was proof that quick responses to natural language commands is key to quickly – and safely – performing operations without taking your eyes off the road.”

The full list of the best and worst car infotainment systems can be found here.