A new study by eBay has revealed that parking sensors are the number one piece of in-car technology that UK drivers say they can’t live without.
The survey asked 2,000 drivers what tech they valued the most in their vehicles. Parking sensors were said to be essential by 37% of respondents, followed by USB ports and Bluetooth, each scoring 29%.
Yet while modern conveniences are clearly in demand, a significant portion of the UK’s cars are missing out. With nearly a third (31.7%) of the 36.1 million vehicles on UK roads now more than 12 years old, around 11.4 million cars could be lacking these technologies altogether.
To show how older models can still keep up, eBay took a 2005 BMW 330Ci and retrofitted it with a range of modern upgrades. This included smartphone mirroring via Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, blind spot warning systems, a reversing camera, and both front and rear dashcams.
The study also found that 23% of drivers don’t know how to use the ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance Systems) features already in their cars, such as adaptive cruise control, lane keeping assist, automatic emergency braking, blind spot detection, traffic sign recognition, and parking assistance.
This shows that there seems to be a disconnect between advanced features and driver understanding.
Top ten in-car tech preferred by British motorists:
| Parking sensors | 37% |
| USB charging | 29% |
| Bluetooth connectivity | 29% |
| Reversing camera | 27% |
| Assisted steering | 20% |
| Heated seats | 17% |
| Phone mirroring (Apple CarPlay or Android Auto) | 14% |
| Dashcam | 13% |
| Blind spot assist | 11% |
| Upgraded stereo | 10% |
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