Modern cars can come loaded with so much technology that owners may need many days, if not weeks, to get acquainted with them all. Some of the tech genuinely makes driving easier, safer, or more comfortable, while other features can sit untouched for years.
That’s not just an impression. J.D. Power found in 2015 that at least 20 percent of new-vehicle owners had never used 16 of 33 technology features it measured in the first 90 days of ownership. The least-used features included in-vehicle concierge services, mobile hotspots, automatic parking systems, head-up displays, and built-in apps.
More recent J.D. Power research has found that some newer technologies still struggle because owners don’t find them useful, don’t understand them, or find them difficult to operate. Here are some of the least used features by drivers.
Automatic Parking Sounds Better Than It Is
Self-parking sounds like one of those features everyone would want. Press a button, let the car find a space, and allow the vehicle to handle the steering.
In practice, plenty of drivers simply don’t bother. J.D. Power’s 2015 research found that 35% of owners said they never used automatic parking systems.
That’s understandable. Parallel parking may be annoying, but most experienced drivers can handle it themselves. There’s also the matter of finding a sufficiently large space, activating the system, following the prompts, and trusting the car to do something that takes only a few seconds manually.
Automated parking has improved considerably since those early systems, but it illustrates a broader point: a capability can be impressive without becoming something owners actually want to use every day.
Other Examples Of Technology Drivers Rarely Use
A surprising number of expensive features fall into the category of things that sound useful on a window sticker but don’t necessarily become part of your routine. Some examples include:
Head-up displays: J.D. Power found that 33% of owners with the technology said they never used it in its 2015 study
Built-in apps like native GPS navigation: 32% of owners said they never used them, with many drivers already comfortable using their smartphones instead
Mobile hotspots: Another technology that can be overlooked when occupants already have cellular data on their phones
Gesture controls: Newer systems can let drivers control certain functions with hand movements, but J.D. Power’s 2024 research found recognition technologies such as gesture controls can struggle when owners don’t see a clear benefit
The common thread is that these features aren’t necessarily broken or poorly engineered. They’re simply competing with habits drivers already have.
If reaching for a familiar button, using a smartphone, or checking the conventional instrument cluster feels easier, the more sophisticated alternative may spend most of its life untouched.
You May Have Paid For Features You Never Wanted
One of the biggest reasons unused technology ends up in your car is simple: you didn’t necessarily buy the features individually.
Automakers frequently bundle equipment into trim levels and option packages. You might want heated seats or a better sound system, for example, but getting those features can require moving to a more expensive trim that includes several other technologies.
J.D. Power found that one major reason owners didn’t want certain technologies in their next vehicle was that the feature came as part of a package they didn’t want.
Some features can also go unused simply because owners don’t know they exist. J.D. Power found that owners were more likely never to use technology when dealers didn’t explain it at delivery or when the feature wasn’t activated when the vehicle was handed over. That’s an important distinction. A feature sitting unused isn’t necessarily a useless feature; sometimes the owner just never learned how to use it.
Driver-Assistance Features Can Be Hit Or Miss
Modern cars increasingly use cameras, radar, and other sensors to assist with steering, braking, lane positioning, and parking. Some of these systems have obvious safety benefits. Others can be less convincing to drivers who don’t feel they need the intervention.
J.D. Power’s 2024 research found that owners generally appreciated technologies that addressed specific concerns, such as systems designed to improve visibility around blind spots. At the same time, some active driving-assistance technologies received relatively low usefulness scores.
That doesn’t mean drivers should automatically disable safety technology. It shows something more basic: drivers tend to value technology when they understand the problem it solves.
And that’s arguably the biggest lesson from all these unused features. A car can have dozens of impressive capabilities, but owners don’t necessarily want to interact with all of them. If a system requires too many steps, is not intuitive, duplicates something the driver already has, or solves a problem that rarely occurs, it can quickly become background noise.
Drivers Have A Lot To Say About Unused Car Features
Reddit has plenty of drivers questioning why modern cars come with so many features they rarely use. In a 2023 r/CarsAustralia discussion about pointless or rarely used car features, commenters mentioned everything from paddle shifters and gesture controls to park-assist systems and multiple ways of controlling the same functions. One commenter even pointed out having five different ways to change the radio station.
Wireless charging also comes up frequently in discussions about features that sound more useful on a spec sheet than they do in everyday driving. In the r/cars discussion “What’s the most pointless feature in modern cars?”, Redditors debated wireless charging, built-in navigation, and other technology that can overlap with what drivers already have on their phones. The discussion also showed that opinions can vary considerably depending on how someone uses their car.
A Long Feature List Doesn’t Guarantee More Value
There’s nothing inherently wrong with a car packed with technology. The right feature can make a vehicle dramatically more comfortable, safer, or easier to drive. But more technology doesn’t automatically mean more value.
The disconnect is partly created by the way modern cars are sold. Buyers often have to accept features they don’t want in order to get the features they do want. And once those features are sitting in the dashboard, owners may never use them.
J.D. Power’s research has repeatedly shown that some vehicle technologies go unused, while its newer studies suggest drivers tend to appreciate systems that solve an obvious problem and work without demanding much attention. That’s worth remembering the next time you’re shopping for a new car. Don’t just count the number of features listed on the window sticker. Think about which ones you’ll actually use.
A head-up display, automated parking system, gesture controls, built-in apps, or elaborate driver-assistance system might look impressive on paper. But if you never use them, they’re ultimately another piece of technology you helped pay for. Sometimes the most valuable feature in a car is the one that quietly solves a problem you actually have.
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