Advanced features are increasing in new cars, but drivers show higher satisfaction with technology that works on its own without needing attention, rather than flashy large screens or complex automation, the results showed.

On Aug. 31 local time, IT outlet The Verge reported that JD Power surveyed 68,084 U.S. car owners who bought 2026 model-year new vehicles and drove them for 90 days for its 2026 U.S. Technology Experience Index (TXI). It evaluated 40 technologies across convenience, connected cars, driver assistance, electric vehicles and smart vehicles.

The highest-rated features were those drivers barely needed to notice. Remote start, which detects driver behavior and automatically turns the vehicle on and off, ranked first in overall satisfaction, with 2.4 problems per 100 vehicles. Smart climate control, which uses AI to automatically adjust cabin temperature and climate systems, and driver preference setting functions also posted high satisfaction and low problem rates.

By contrast, the front passenger display did not win owners' support. Of owners with the feature, 35 percent said they had never used it, while only 6 percent said they used it every time they drove. The number of problems was also high at 21.3 per 100 vehicles.

Higher automation did not necessarily mean higher satisfaction. Level 2 (L2) driver assistance systems, which require drivers to stay attentive, were rated better than Level 2+ (L2+) systems that support hands-free driving under certain conditions in design, execution and overall user experience. L2+ recorded 13.8 problems per 100 vehicles, slightly fewer than L2's 14.3, but it lagged in user experience.

JD Power analysed that "owners are not rejecting car technology itself." Features that reduce the burden of driving, including camera-based rearview mirrors, blind-spot cameras, smartphone-based digital keys, one-pedal driving and EV charge schedulers, received high scores. The analysis said the technology race in the auto industry is shifting from how many features are included to how easily drivers can gain convenience with minimal effort.