New research has revealed what tops the list of UK motorists’ most annoying modern features and changes to cars.
By some margin, the demise of the full-sized spare wheel – with space-savers and repair kits in its place – tops that list. More than a thousand were surveyed by Carbuyer about what modern car features they found most annoying. Two out of three, equivalent to more than 660 respondents, said the lack of a full-sized spare.
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“The absence of a full-size spare appears to be overwhelmingly unpopular with drivers, doubtless because both alternative solutions are such inconvenient temporary solutions to a flat tyre,” said James Batchelor, editor-at-large at Carbuyer.
“Removing the standard spare does allow for more storage space and helps to cut CO2 emissions by reducing weight, but these benefits don’t impress most motorists.
“Continuing your journey on a speed-limited wheel – or using a temporary repair kit – are deeply unpopular options for an overwhelming majority of drivers.”
What other features popularised on modern cars were referenced in the study? Stop-start systems, which shut the engine off automatically when the car isn’t moving for an extended period of time, came second. Such systems have been around in a refined state since the 1990s, though they only became properly widespread around 2010.
Automatic ‘electronic’ handbrakes came third – a feature made popular over the last decade again, which appeared in the early 2000s. Keyless entry and incompetent sat-navs came fourth and fifth. Lastly, cabin hazard sounds or ‘bongs’ as a Mr Jeremy Clarkson has called them, came in sixth.
“Modern cars bristle with innovations designed for efficiency and convenience,” Batchelor added.
“But our research proves the adage that you can’t please all of the people all of the time.”