Every few years, the automotive industry collectively decides on a new direction, and every manufacturer scrambles to adopt it before the next auto show. Some of these trends genuinely improve the driving experience and stick around for good reason. Others catch on fast, get copied across the entire industry within a couple of model years, and generate a wave of buyer’s remorse almost as quickly as they appeared on showroom floors.
What’s notable about the current crop of trends drawing complaints is how uniform the frustration is across brands and price points. These aren’t isolated quality issues with one manufacturer’s execution — they’re industry-wide design philosophies that owners are pushing back on in reviews, forums, and trade-in decisions. Here are nine trends that have worn out their welcome faster than automakers seem to have anticipated.
Screens Replacing Every Physical Control
The race to consolidate as many functions as possible into a single large touchscreen has produced dashboards that look like tablets bolted to a steering column, and drivers have made clear they’re not universally impressed. Menu diving for basic functions like defrost or drive mode takes attention away from the road in a way a labeled button never did, and the complaint comes up in new-car reviews across nearly every price segment. NHTSA’s definition of distracted driving includes fiddling with the stereo, entertainment or navigation system, which is exactly what a buried menu asks you to do. On a test drive, try changing the cabin temperature, turning on the rear defrost and adjusting the fan without looking down. Check whether volume and climate still have real knobs, whether the steering wheel buttons are physical or touch-sensitive, and whether voice commands handle the rest. If a common task takes more than two taps, expect it to annoy you every day.
Overly Aggressive Grille Designs
Grilles have grown steadily larger and more elaborate across the industry, in some cases dominating the entire front fascia of a vehicle in a way that departs sharply from a brand’s own design history. Owner and enthusiast reaction has frequently been more critical than automakers seem to have anticipated, with plenty of buyers saying the styling direction feels like change for the sake of visual distinctiveness rather than genuine improvement. Much of a big modern grille is blanked-off plastic rather than open intake, so the size is a styling choice more than an engineering one. If the look bothers you, see the car in person and in the color you want, because dark paint hides a large grille and light paint outlines it. Compare trims as well. Many lineups offer a body-color, blacked-out or sport-package front end that changes the face of the car considerably. Mid-cycle refreshes often rework the nose too, so a model year either side may suit you better.
Fake Engine Sounds Piped Through the Speakers
As engines have gotten smaller and quieter, some automakers have started synthesizing engine noise and playing it through the audio system to simulate a more powerful, sportier soundtrack. Enthusiasts in particular have criticized the practice as inauthentic, arguing that a manufactured soundtrack undercuts the visceral connection between what a driver hears and what the engine is actually doing underneath the hood. The systems vary. Some play a synthesized note through the cabin speakers, and some carry real intake sound into the cabin through a tube. Before you buy, ask which one the car uses and whether it can be switched off. On many models the sound is tied to the drive mode, so a comfort or individual setting turns it down or off. Test drive the car both ways with the stereo off. If you like the sound, there is no harm in it. If it grates, confirm the off switch exists before you sign, because it is not always something a dealer can disable later.
Charging Extra for Features That Used to Be Standard
Heated seats, adaptive cruise control, and even some safety features have increasingly moved from standard equipment to optional packages or higher trims, sometimes on vehicles that included them as standard just a generation earlier. Owners upgrading from an older model to a newer one have occasionally found themselves paying more for less, a pattern that’s generated real frustration even when the base vehicle itself has genuinely improved in other ways. Protect yourself by comparing window stickers rather than brochures. Line up the trim you want against the one below and the one above, and note exactly which features move. Ask the dealer in writing which features need a paid subscription after a trial, how long the trial runs and what it costs afterward. Also check whether a feature you want is only sold in a package with things you do not need, since a higher trim can cost less than a lower trim plus two packages.
Aggressive LED Headlight Glare
Brighter, whiter LED headlights have improved forward visibility for the driver using them, but oncoming drivers and pedestrians have reported significant glare, particularly from taller trucks and SUVs whose lamps sit at a height that shines more directly into other drivers’ eyes. IIHS notes that properly aimed low beams light the road without temporarily blinding oncoming drivers, and its headlight ratings take glare into account, so check a model’s rating before you buy. Aim is the part owners can fix. A heavy load in the back or a suspension lift can tilt the beams upward, and a shop can re-aim them quickly. Matrix or adaptive driving beam systems are meant to reduce the problem, not cause it. NHTSA issued a final rule in February 2022 allowing adaptive driving beam headlights, which shine less light on occupied areas of the road and more on unoccupied areas.
Shrinking Window Visibility for Styling Reasons
Sleeker, more coupe-like rooflines have pushed beltlines higher and rear windows smaller across much of the industry, prioritizing an aggressive silhouette over outward visibility. Owners of newer vehicles frequently note that blind spots have grown compared to older models with more upright glass, forcing greater reliance on cameras and sensors to compensate for what a driver simply can’t see directly anymore. The only reliable test is to sit in the car. Set the seat and mirrors as you would drive, then look over each shoulder and note how much of the rear quarter the pillar blocks. Back out of a parking space using the mirrors first and the camera second. Blind-spot monitoring and a surround-view camera are worth paying for on a car with thick pillars, but keep the lenses clean, because rain and road grime degrade the picture just when you need it. If two models are otherwise equal, pick the one you can see out of.
Constant Design Language Overhauls Every Few Years
Automakers refreshing a model’s styling and interior layout every few years is nothing new, but the pace has accelerated to the point where loyal owners trading in for a new version of the same nameplate often find an interior and control layout that bears little resemblance to what they were used to. The relearning curve on basic functions with every redesign has become a recurring source of frustration for repeat buyers who expected some continuity. Find out whether the model year you are considering is a full redesign or a mid-cycle refresh. A refresh usually keeps the same basic cabin, while a redesign can move the shifter, the climate controls and the menus all at once. Before trading in, spend twenty minutes parked in the new version and run through what you do daily: pairing a phone, setting the wipers, changing drive modes. If the layout does not suit you, a low-mileage example of the outgoing generation keeps the controls you already know.
Aggressive Regenerative Braking Defaults on EVs
Strong one-pedal driving and regenerative braking are genuinely appreciated by many EV owners once they adjust, but the trend toward making aggressive regen the default setting, sometimes without an easy way to fully disable it, has left some drivers — particularly those new to electric vehicles or passengers unaccustomed to the sensation — feeling carsick or unsettled by the abrupt deceleration when lifting off the accelerator. Before buying, find out how the car handles it. Look for selectable regen levels, steering-wheel paddles or a coast mode, and check whether the car remembers your choice or resets to the strong setting at every start. On a test drive, bring the person who usually rides with you and try each level in stop-and-go traffic. Strong regen rewards a smooth right foot: ease off the accelerator gradually instead of lifting abruptly. It can help to start with a lower setting and step up once the pedal feel is familiar.
Naming Trims and Packages With Confusing Alphanumeric Codes
Trim names that once described a car in plain language have increasingly given way to dense strings of letters and numbers that require a spec sheet to decode. Shoppers comparing options across a lineup, or even just trying to remember what they own, have found the shift toward cryptic naming schemes to be an unnecessary layer of confusion added to what used to be a straightforward part of buying a car. The practical defense is to ignore the badge and shop by equipment. Use the manufacturer’s build-and-price tool to list what each trim includes, and compare window stickers on the lot line by line. Write down the full trim name, engine, drivetrain and package codes of the car you are buying, and confirm they match the purchase contract. Do the same when shopping used, where a listing may show the wrong trim; the original window sticker settles it. Keep a copy with your records for when you insure or sell the car.