Chinese media report that all cars must have physical buttons for lighting, window adjustment, and safety systems as the government prepares to issue regulations to reduce cars' reliance on central touchscreens.
On 16 Feb 2026, a news agency reportedCarNewsChinathat China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) is preparing a major upgrade to automotive safety standards. The plan mandates that newly produced vehicles, especially electric cars, must include physical controls for essential safety functions such as turn signals, window operation, and advanced driver assistance activation. This aims to reduce overreliance on central control touchscreens, with enforcement starting 1 July 2026.
The functions for which MIIT requires tangible buttons, switches, or levers include
Lighting systems: turn signals, hazard lights, and horn
Gear system: shifting between P, R, N, D gears—swiping the screen to change gears is prohibited
Safety systems: buttons to enable/disable driver assistance systems (ADAS), emergency call buttons (AECS), and power cutoff switches in electric vehicles
However, it is acknowledged that in recent years, new energy vehicles (NEVs) such as electric cars in China have competed with minimalist interior designs, often removing physical buttons and consolidating controls into large touchscreens. A senior Geely executive once remarked that China’s automotive industry is facing a problem of blindly copying trends without innovation.
"In recent years, China’s NEVs have become increasingly similar, adopting comparable designs and structures such as long strip headlights or sharp front lights, lidar systems on roofs, hidden door handles, and a three-part interior layout consisting of a small instrument cluster, a large central control screen, and a flat-bottom steering wheel."
This national standard revision (GB4094) primarily aims to enable drivers to operate key functions without taking their eyes off the road (blind-operable), reducing accident risks and addressing issues when touchscreen systems malfunction.
MIIT has set strict technical requirements: buttons must have a minimum functional area of 10×10 mm, provide tactile or auditory feedback, and crucially, remain operational even if the main screen fails or the system malfunctions.
CarNewsChina also reported that this regulation update began in 2023 with participation from major automakers and testing institutions, including the China Automotive Technology and Research Center, Geely, FAW-Volkswagen, BYD, and GWM. The draft standard for public consultation has been completed and will be published soon.