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A study found 25.9 percent of car owners don’t use adaptive cruise control.

Many car owners also don’t like using augmented reality head-up displays.

Just 27.3 percent of car owners regularly change their car’s driving mode.

New cars come loaded with convenience, comfort, and safety technology, but a new study suggests a good chunk of these features never get touched. The nationally representative survey, carried out by Censuswide, put questions to 1,350 UK motorists during summer 2026, and the answers point to a lot of expensive hardware sitting idle.

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Read: 19,000 Americans Named Their Most-Wanted Car Feature, And It Isn’t High-Tech

Commissioned by the large British dealership group Dick Lovett , the research found that 25.9 percent of owners whose cars have adaptive cruise control never switch it on. Another 7 percent say they wouldn’t know how to work it if they wanted to.

Driver Aids Owners Switch Off

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The pattern repeats across the driver-assistance suite. Nearly 18 percent steer clear of lane-keeping assist, and 21.3 percent disable automatic emergency braking outright, with many complaining the systems are too aggressive and cause more trouble than they prevent. Voice assistants go unused by 17.8 percent. Augmented reality head-up displays fare no better: 17.1 percent of drivers who have one refuse to turn it on, and a further 7 percent don’t know how to operate it.

There are several other in-car features that don’t get much love . Of those surveyed who own vehicles with massaging seats, just 22 percent say they use them regularly. Additionally, only 22.4 percent use AR head-up displays when fitted, and only 24.5 percent use remote start functions. Some of these features are relatively uncommon to begin with. Massaging seats are absent from 67.3 percent of respondents’ cars, while 62 percent don’t have remote start, 60.5 percent lack an AR head-up display, and 57.3 percent go without app-controlled climate settings.

What Features Do Car Owners Use?

On the flip side, more basic and easier-to-operate features are used more regularly. For example, the study found 58.3 percent of buyers say they couldn’t live without Bluetooth connectivity. In addition, 45.7 percent of respondents say they regularly use reversing cameras, 44.5 percent say they frequently use a car’s satellite navigation, and 41 percent use heated windshields.

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One interesting finding relates to driving modes. While almost all new cars have them, just 27.3 percent of respondents say they regularly use their vehicle’s driving mode. Those aged 25 to 34 were more likely to use them, at 38.3 percent.

Age Decides Which Tech Gets Touched

How old you are shapes what you actually use. Bluetooth is a habit for 68.5 percent of 25- to 34-year-olds and 68.8 percent of the 35-to-44 bracket, against 49.7 percent of drivers 55 and over. Wireless charging splits the field even more sharply, at 44.4 percent among 35- to 44-year-olds versus 20.7 percent of the over-55s. Remote start drops from more than a quarter of motorists under 35 to 5.1 percent past 55.

Heated windshields buck that pattern. Usage rises from 27.2 percent among 18- to 24-year-olds to almost 45 percent for drivers aged 45 to 54.

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Basically, it seems that many consumers are paying for equipment nobody showed them how to work, and a decent share of them have decided it isn’t worth the trouble. The driver aids will stay regardless, since regulators mandate much of that hardware. The comfort kit, though, is fair game. If massaging seats and AR head-up displays go unused by most of the people who paid for them, there’s an obvious lever to pull on price.

Dick Lovett motoring expert Alex Lee thinks a bit of familiarity would pay off: “As cars become increasingly sophisticated, taking time to learn what your vehicle can do isn’t just about getting value for money, it could also help improve safety, comfort and the overall driving experience.”

UK’s 10 Favorite Car Technologies

Bluetooth connectivity (58.3%)

Reverse camera (45.7%)

Built-in navigation (44.5%)

Heated windscreen (41%)

Heated seats (31.9%)

Wireless phone charging (31.9%)

Blind spot monitoring (29.4%)

360° camera (27.8%)

Driving modes (27.3%)

Adaptive cruise control (26.9%)

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Toyota doesn’t appear to be interested in replacing all recalled engines.

Instead, it will test engines with a hammer to see if they have a fault.

An accelerometer and software will detect frequency changes in the V6.

For more than a year, Toyota has been stuck with a nasty problem in its V35A-FTS 3.4-liter (207 cubic inch) twin-turbocharged V6, the engine used in the Tundra, Lexus LX600, and GX. Due to an issue on the production line , machining debris may have been left behind inside the blocks, and given enough time, those stray metal bits can trigger a catastrophic engine failure.

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The scope of the problem has since grown to more than 250,000 Toyota and Lexus models, but as Pickup Truck + SUV Talk discovered, the automaker isn’t handing out new engines across the board. Dealers have instead been told to use a hammer test to work out which vehicles need one. In fairness, the procedureis a little more complicated than whacking the block and listening.

Read: 44,000 More Tundras Are Joining Toyota’s Self-Destructing V6 Turbo Recall

To test an engine, Toyota technicians must drain and replace all fluids and then bring the V6 to a predetermined operating temperature. They must then remove all accessory drive belts and align the crankshaft to a specific position before bolting a specialized accelerator to the front crankshaft pulley bolt.

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When they’ve done this, they must hit the crankshaft pulley at the 3 o’clock position with a 250-gram plastic-headed mallet. Special software will detect the force of the strike, and technicians must perform three strikes with the correct force. The accelerometer measures the frequencies generated by the hammer strikes and sends them to the cloud, where they are compared with those from good and bad engines, indicating to the technician whether the vehicle in question needs an engine replacement.

Pickup Truck + SUV Talk

Toyota notes that loose metal shavings potentially inside an engine can embed themselves in the crankshaft main bearings, particularly the number-one main bearing. If this has happened, the main bearing will resonate at a different frequency than one without these metal fragments.

Obviously, Toyota came up with this idea to eliminate the need to replace the engines of all affected models, thereby saving it millions of dollars. In theory, the test should do a good job of detecting a current engine issue, but it obviously has no way to determine future engine wear and may do little to calm the nerves of owners.

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Sources: Pickup Truck + SUV Talk, TheDrive , Hemmings

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Lincoln is reportedly gearing up to launch a small electric crossover.

Model will be based on the same platform that underpins the Fathom.

Bronco-based SUV is coming alongside redesigned Aviator and Navigator.

In 2020, Lincoln revealed it was working on a Rivian-based EV. Despite being touted as “pivotal,” the model was axed three months later in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

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Following its death and a break up with Rivian, Ford focused on building Lincoln EVs in-house. The automaker had grand plans of turning Oakville Assembly into a “ Canadian hub of electric vehicle manufacturing, ” which would build five EVs.

More: Ford Spent $2 Billion On A Factory To Build Its $28K Fathom Pickup In Three Pieces

One of these was rumored to be an electric Aviator, but the company pivoted again. As part of the revamp, the EVs were killed and Oakville was transformed into a truck plant .

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Nearly a decade after the saga began, Lincoln still doesn’t offer an electric vehicle. While that probably ended up working out in their favor, as adoption was much slower than automakers anticipated, it’s a far cry from what was originally planned.

However, a new report suggests Lincoln is once again gearing up to launch an EV. According to Automotive News , the brand will build a small crossover at Louisville Assembly in the “coming years.”

Little is known about the model at this point, but the publication says it will be based on the new Universal Electric Vehicle platform that underpins the Fathom pickup . That model goes into production in 2027 and will also be built in Louisville, Kentucky.

This suggests the crossover could be an electric replacement for the Corsair. The American-made model went out of production last year and an updated version was expected to be imported from China for 2027. However, Lincoln recently announced plans to “phase out the importation of vehicles from China for the U.S. market,” so its fate remains unclear.

The EV won’t be alone as Lincoln is also said to be working on a Bronco-based luxury SUV . The publication also says we can expect a redesigned Aviator and Navigator towards the end of the decade.

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China’s enormous recall affects nearly 4.3 million vehicles from 11 automakers.

Tesla accounts for 2.98 million cars, making it the biggest offender, Reuters says.

Warning stickers and software updates aim to make emergency escapes easier.

China ’s love affair with clever electronic door handles was already scheduled to end in 2027, but now regulators look like they’re getting impatient and have kicked off a humongous recall.

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A year before a ban on hidden handles is due to take effect, 11 automakers are recalling almost 4.3 million vehicles because occupants or rescuers could struggle to find and operate emergency mechanical releases after a crash. It’s the biggest automotive recall the country has ever seen, Reuters reports.

Related: Tesla’s Hidden Door Handle Drama Could Change Every New Car In America

Tesla has by far the biggest headache. Its recall covers 2.98 million imported and Chinese-built Model 3, Model Y, Model S and Model X vehicles, with the campaign scheduled to begin on September 25.

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The concern is that following a serious crash that disables electrical systems, people inside the car may need to rely on mechanical releases. If those releases aren’t obvious or easy to operate, getting out quickly could become much harder. That can be scary or even fatal when every second counts.

Tesla’s solution combines warning labels identifying the mechanical releases with an over-the-air software update, according to Reuters ’ story. The new programming will automatically lower the windows following a collision, potentially giving occupants and emergency crews another way into or out of the vehicle.

Warning Labels And Software Updates

And Tesla ’s hardly alone. Xiaomi is recalling roughly 390,000 vehicles, while Leapmotor has around 371,000 affected cars and Xpeng approximately 264,000. Geely is also involved, alongside several manufacturers with smaller campaigns. Nine of the 11 companies will reportedly add warning labels, while most are also preparing software changes.

The enormous action comes as Chinese authorities tighten their scrutiny of vehicle safety , particularly in the hyper-competitive EV market. Regulators have already decided that concealed exterior door handles have gone too far, with China prohibiting them from 2027.

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Tesla Spawned Copycats

Tesla helped make the idea fashionable, before countless rivals decided smooth doors apparently weren’t smooth enough without hiding the handles too. But the Chinese version of the new BMW iX3 has different handles to the Western version as a result of the incoming rules (bottom image).

And it’s possible the handles in our BMW s and Teslas could also change in time, because China isn’t the only country asking questions. Electronic door systems have also attracted attention from American regulators over concerns about emergency access when electrical power disappears. Earlier this year, the NHTSA granted a petition asking it to create a new safety standard that would ensure occupants could always easily exit a car even after a crash or vehicle power loss.

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BMW, Tesla