In 2019, there were 12,197 road accidents1 in which a distraction played a role.
When driving, there are lots of ways to get distracted, from taking a call to children asking for your attention. But what about your car itself, and how distracting is your in-built entertainment system?
The Compensation Experts has analysed an experiment by What Car, ranking 20 vehicles on how distracting their infotainment systems are, based on six common driving tasks. They also collaborated with driving instructor John Parry to provide top tips on how to avoid getting distracted while driving.
MG ZS EV is the Worst Car for Built in Distractions
The MG ZS EV is the most distracting car to drive, scoring just a measly 12 points out of a possible 30 across the 6 tests. The Fiat 500X was the second most distracting, gaining only 14 points.
The test included were turning up the temperature by 2 degrees, increasing fan speed, zoom out on the sat nav map, cancel route guidance, switch radio to BBC Radio 4, and use voice control to find the nearest service station.
Full Results below:
| Rank | Brand | Car system | Points |
| 1 | MG | MG ZS EV with 8.0in touchscreen | 12 |
| 2 | Fiat | 500X with 7-inch touchscreen and Uconnect Live | 14 |
| 3 | Skoda | Citigo-e iV with colour screen and phone holder | 16 |
| 4 | Peugeot | 508 SW with 10-inch Connected 3D Navigation and voice recognition | 17 |
| 5 | Lexus | RX with 12.3-inch multimedia display | 18 |
| 6 | Honda | CR-V with 7-inch touchscreen, Honda Connect and Garmin navigation | 18 |
| 7 | Nissan | Juke with Nissan Connect | 19 |
| 8 | Toyota | Corolla with Touch 2 media system and Apple CarPlay and Android Auto | 20 |
| 9 | Volvo | S60 with Sensus | 20 |
| 10 | Jaguar | XE with 10-inch Touch Pro Duo system | 21 |
| 11 | Skoda (premium) | Kamiq with 9.2-inch touchscreen, voice control and Amundsen sat-nav | 21 |
| 12 | Vauxhall | Corsa with 10-inch Multimedia Navi Pro | 22 |
| 13 | Hyundai | Ioniq with 10.25-inch touchscreen and Bluelink connectivity | 22 |
| 14 | Ford | Fiesta with Sync 3 navigation and FordPass Connect | 23 |
| 15 | Volkswagen | Passat GTE with 8-inch Composition Media system | 24 |
| 16 | Mazda | Mazda3 with 8.8-inch colour display and Mazda Connect | 25 |
| 17 | Audi | Q3 Sportback with Virtual Cockpit Plus | 26 |
| 18 | Porsche | Panamera E-Hybrid with Connect Plus and Porsche Communication Management | 27 |
| 19 | Mercedes-Benz | CLA with 10.25-inch touchscreen | 27 |
| 20 | BMW | 3 Series with Live Cockpit Professional | 28 |
Top Tips for Avoiding Distractions While Driving
John Parry, driving instructor at Parry’s Fleet Services, offers his top tips on how to avoid distractions and keep yourself and others safe while driving:
- Know Where You are Going
If you’re using a navigation system, program the destination before you set off.
- Pull Over
If you must call or text, or if you’re struggling to use the in-built system, pull off the road safely and stop first.
- Ask Passengers for Help
If riding with someone, seek their help to navigate, make a call or send a message.
- Be a good passenger
Speak out if the driver of your vehicle is distracted, and help them when needed.
- Don’t be a distraction
Avoid calling or texting others when you know they are driving.
- Activate Do Not Disturb
Setting up ‘Do not disturb’ on your iPhone or Android device will prevent calls from coming in while you’re driving.
- Everyone should avoid distractions while in traffic
Just as drivers need to pay attention, so do pedestrians and bicyclists. Never call, text or play games while walking or cycling
To learn more visit https://the-compensation-experts.co.uk/the-most-distracting-cars/
Methodology
What Car used two drivers to test 20 car models. The test scored six different tasks set with a difficulty rating of 5 (easiest) to 0 (worst). The total score for each brand is out of 30.
Tests below:
- Turn up the temperature by 2 degrees.
- Increase the fan speed by two settings.
- With a 20-mile route programmed into the sat-nav and the infotainment screen on the home page, go to the map screen and zoom out to see the entire route.
- Cancel route guidance.
- With the radio tuned to Virgin Radio DAB and the infotainment screen on the home page, go to the main list of DAB stations and switch to BBC Radio 4.
- Using the voice control button on the steering wheel (where fitted), ask the car to find the nearest service station.
Sources
- Department for Transport statistics
About The Compensation Experts
Specialising in helping people with a wide array of compensation claims, The Compensation Experts assist customers who wish to make a claim for Personal Injury, Industrial Disease, Mis-sold Investments, Mis-sold Pensions and more. We work with a panel of legal firms who have years of experience dealing with all manner of compensation claims, so clients can rest assured that their case is being dealt with by some of the best solicitors in the country. Based in Manchester, The Compensation Experts help thousands of people make successful claims every year nationwide, including Scotland and Wales.
