Who needs sat nav? Brits think they know best when it comes to auto technology

With rapid advancements in auto tech arriving on a seemingly daily basis, once futuristic ideas of autonomous driving cars are now an everyday reality.

When it comes to certain safety features, many modern cars are already bristling with autonomous tech such as Automatic Emergency Braking, Lane Keeping Assist and Adaptive Cruise Control.

But according to new research by the auto experts at heycar many Brits still feel that when it comes to driving, nothing quite beats their experience and know how.

In a poll of 2,000 drivers, the statistics revealed a surprising lack of trust for tried and tested modern tech.

Perhaps most surprisingly, nearly 4 in 10 (37%) of respondents still believe they are more adept at navigation than their sat nav system.

Despite sat nav’s near pinpoint accuracy and real-time updates, 18–34-year-olds were the least likely to trust a sat nav and put their faith in their own sense of direction and map reading abilities.

Drivers in Scotland (54%), Yorkshire (45%) and Wales (44%) were the most confident in their abilities, rating their internal compass the highest in the UK.

When it comes to motorway cruising, only 35% of male respondents believe they are better at maintaining speed than cruise control.

This compares to 43% of women showing that female drivers are less likely to use cruise control tech to moderate their speed.

Drivers in the North East, Wales and London were the most confident in their ability to manage speed, with 46%, 44% and 43% respectively believing they were better than their car at controlling their miles per hour compared to the national average of 39%.

For many, parking can be a nightmare. But with 57% of respondents believing they can outperform autonomous parking systems, Brits clearly back themselves in a tight spot.

With 69% of the over 55’s drivers believing they are better at parking, means that they think they are more than a match for the car tech.

The majority of the UK drivers surveyed acknowledged the superiority of modern in-car technology over human capabilities when it came to aspects such as collision navigation and parking sensors, with 53% and 74% respectively believing their car does a better job than them. However, despite less experience, we see the 18–34-year age group coming out as the most confident, with 49% thinking they are better than their cars’ collision avoidance.

heycar’s Chief Marketing Officer, Dermot Kelleher, said: “While technology continues to advance and enhance our driving experience, it’s clear that many drivers still trust their own instincts and abilities over automated systems. This blend of human expertise and technological assistance may ultimately lead to the safest roads yet.”